Using yeast from store bought beer

[StranegBrew]

I just bought some beer yesterday, Hefewizen Wheat. I liked the taste and the stuff is not filtered, so i have free yeast I would like to use it to make a starter for my next batch, but it will be a couple of weeks until i am ready to brew again(already got one batch going now). I know how to get it started and all that but and one the books i have state to put it in the fridge for a while before pitiching to cause the yeast to floculate so you can pour off the starter and just use the yeast, but can i also leave it in there for a few weeks? If so is there something special i need to do?

[jayhawk]

Get some malt extract (it can be liquid or dried). Boil it up with some water to achieve a 1.030 gravity. You will want about a litre in total volume. (If you want you can throw a couple hop pellets in there too). Put the cooled liquid in a flask or jar and add the yeast to the liquid. Put an airlock on the container and shake well to aerate. You will probably need at least a week to get the yeast going because they have been dormant for a while. You may or may not see krausen form on the starter, but if you see lots of bubbles and an ever increasing layer of yeast at the bottom, viola! You have made a yeast starter. When ready, just shake the container to suspend the yeast and pitch to your primary. You don't need to refridgerate the starter. Think of it as a mini carboy...you let that sit out for weeks on end without any problems, so why should the starter be any different. Make sure you use light malt extract - that way adding the starter solution should not have any effect on the batch. Also see the posts below in the thread "How do you make a starter".

Chris