Propagating your own yeast

redser7

Always looking to save a few bob me
Does anyone do this? Keeping a little on the side and feeding it to multiply it for future batches?
Thanks

Khannie

I have considered it. It looks like quite a bit of hassle though compared to the euro it costs to buy a new sachet. If I were using more expensive yeast I would consider it more seriously. Also there is something called "fatigue" which reused yeast eventually suffers from (after like 10 or so uses).

redser7

Thanks.

oblivious

Hi all

I just put together a few pic of my method of yeast harvesting, this was done for my last brew a Saison with WLP550

After racking the beer to the keg pour the remaining liquid, trub and yeast into a sterilized contain. I find one around 2liter to be good and place in the fridge for a few hours.


The trub been heaver will settle out fast as it the liquid part we are interested in as this will have a greater concentration of viable yeast to trub.Pour this liquid off into a new sterilized container, this can be of a smaller than the first and palce in the fridge over night to a day.



As the liquid we place in the container is yeast rich we want the sediment in this container. Decant of the majority of the liquid and transfer the yeast to your storage vessel, I use sterilized 50ml tubes.



An finally decant off the majority of the liquid and pout the yeast in to your selected container. I find there is enough to in each of these tubes to pitch into a starter for a month or so . Over that it I would add two if the tube to a starter.

Tube

Here's my version. Not wholly different to that from Mark, above.

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/wiki/doku.php?id=washing_yeast

Lars

I've been building up a bank of slants. Havent propgated up from a slant yet but many do it this way and its a great space saver