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How do you keep and grow Yeast?

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  • @Myles, I make my starter larger than needed, around 500ml. That extra becomes the base for the next starter in which I will again make it oversized and so on and so forth. I don't bother washing the yeast ever as its in such a low gravity beer with this process that I figure washing it would put needless stress on the yeast. As well there is good evidence that the break material has beneficial nutrients so it may very well keep the yeast healthier longer during storage. As @punkin said, this is not the ideal solution for long term storage as eventually the yeast will die if left unattended long enough, it is a great process for your house strain that won't sit dormant long before its time for another batch.

  • edited September 2014

    I read your recipes with great interest. But it makes me wonder, why try to establish an own yeast strain, when you could just buy dried yeast in lots of varieties and not risk spoiling the wash with unwanted yeasts? This is a serious question, I don't want to make fun of you - I just want to know.

    StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area

  • Some of the more interesting yeasts are only available in liquid cultures, which are more expensive to use than dry yeasts. The White Labs vials around here usually run about $7 per 5 gallon pitch, making them pretty expensive without using starters.

    But, if you do make a starter, and have a stir plate, you have most everything you need to make your own starters from slants.

    So when you do buy that White Labs vial, before you make your starter, just heat up your nichrome loop on the stove, swipe some cells from the vial, and culture your own slant, or even better, culture 25 slants. And when your done culturing, just use your yeast as you regularly do.

    So next time, I don't need to pay $7 a vial, I just grab a slant from the fridge and start from there. Sure, it takes more time, and yes there is much more to it that I left out, but nothing that someone with some patience can't do.

    Making the slants themselves is very inexpensive, you'll need to buy some test tubes and some basic lab gear. But I wager you'll make your money back pretty quickly.

    Back in the old days, being a distiller didn't mean you knew how to distill, it meant you knew how to propagate and care for yeast.

  • edited September 2014

    I sometimes miss having my flow bench in the office.

    image

    flowhood7.jpg
    800 x 600 - 77K

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • That's a fancy lab, but you really don't need anything that fancy to get started. Heck, I made slants for a long time using my kitchen stove and holding my breath. Besides, if a culture is bad, you know it well before you get to a starter sized pitch.

    Fungus?

  • Yes mate. Mycology was a very great interest for me. Growing mushrooms for food.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @Sunshine said: I read your recipes with great interest. But it makes me wonder, why try to establish an own yeast strain, when you could just buy dried yeast in lots of varieties and not risk spoiling the wash with unwanted yeasts? This is a serious question, I don't want to make fun of you - I just want to know.

    For us beer guys it isn't a simple question of economics. Some yeast strains get better with multiple generations. Perhaps those benefits arent enough to make it worthwhile for a distilled product, IDK.

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