Contents of Yeast library

[Kyle]

Thomas, can you post the current inventory here.

Also, to others if you have strains you would like to contribute, please bring them to the next meeting or make arrangements with Thomas, since he is the "yeast librarian" I've just ordered the 1214 Liquid yeast for my attempt at Chimay Red, and I'll add that yeast to the library later this month.

[Richard]

fwiw I'm still waiting to hear back the price on a case of chimay, but I will have a bottle soon regardless. We can hopefully use that to seed (Thomas: innoculate?) the yeast library.

[Kyle]

we can do that and compare it under the microscope to the 1214.

[Richard]

I'm a total n00b here, and I may be taking you too literally (I do that too much), but isn't a microscopic examination of saccharomyces cerivisiae going to look fairly consistent across strains?

I feel this is Thomas' point to step in and school us

[Kyle]

yes, this was hypothetical, and is Thomas' territory.

[Thomas]

Right now to yeast library only contains Wyeast Ringwood. Once I begin brewing again (soon now that my mill is in) I will wash and streak every new yeast I use. That said, anyone who is currently brewing and using a strain they would like to donate is encoraged to do so. Wash your yeast like usual (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast- ... ted-41768/) being as sterile as possible and bring a jar to one of the meetings.
All yeast do look similar under the microscope, appearing as small round cells. If they are budding they will then appear as tetrads. The only way to differential yeast strains is through comparative genomics. Different strains, selected for different properties will have different alleles. Some may even carry enough extra genes for an additional metabolic pathway.