Harvesting Yeast

ECH · June 13, 2015, 01:51:20 PM

Everything I read, or watch says you should boil the water going into the fermentor to add to the yeast, but would there be any issue in just using distilled water? It would essentially actually be more sanitary than just water boiled 20mins, and as long as your jars and such were all well sanitized with Star San?

jamie_savoie · June 15, 2015, 08:41:50 AM

Yeast store better into beer then water. I never wash my yeast. I just swirl the bottom of the bucket/carboy then fill a sterilized (not same thing as sanitized) mason jar

But if you really want to wash it, the reason you boil the water is to de-oxygen the water and sterilized it

ECH · June 15, 2015, 11:41:42 PM

Sure, but being distilled water, would have already gone through a sterilization process when it was being distilled. No?

If you don't wash your yeast, aren't you then putting all the impurities that would be in the yeast cake (dead yeast, trub, etc, etc) back into your next brew?

Two Wheeler · June 15, 2015, 11:46:07 PM

Give this a read: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=519995

Short story is no, you're better off storing with beer

ECH · June 16, 2015, 03:01:23 AM

Well dam, that takes all the work out of it that I wasn't looking forward to doing. Thanks for simplifying it!

Two Wheeler · June 16, 2015, 09:04:17 AM

Quote from: ECH on June 16, 2015, 03:01:23 AM
Well dam, that takes all the work out of it that I wasn't looking forward to doing. Thanks for simplifying it!

Haha, all I can take credit for is the re-post. That is one of the best HomeBrewTalk posts I've read and he has pointed out some sources. I was looking at the yeast washing procedure too, before I found this.

Harder doesn't always equal better

ECH · June 16, 2015, 10:11:26 AM

Really, when it comes right down to it, that is probably how the big breweries do it, can't imagine they employ someone to constantly wash their yeast!

jamie_savoie · June 16, 2015, 10:36:51 AM

Well actually there's one big brewery in Freddy that've re-pitch more than 3000+ times

Most place that re-use their yeast acid wash it. Or they repitch 5-10 times then start over with a new culture

I have two strain in my fridge that I've repitch close to 8 times over the last 2 years (one strain is 3 years). They're certainly not pure at this point but they do what I want them to do