? about yeast washing tip

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bredmakr
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? about yeast washing tip

Post by bredmakr »

The recent tip here at BeerTools about yeast washing is a bit confusing to me because I haven't done it before. However, I do recycle my yeast and I am very interested in improving my technique. When I recycle yeast from the bottom of my fermentor I put what I think is yeast into a sterile grolsch bottle and refrigerate. After the 12 hours that is mentioned within the tip as the time to wash the yeast I notice that the solution has seperated into two sometimes three layers. A thick (1-1.5 inches) tan layer on the bottom, a thin (0.5-1 in) layer of something that doesn't want to settle out, and on top a nice layer of beer. My question is this. Before I pore off half of the contents of my yeast bottle do I need to mix it up? Where within the three horizons that I have just described is the gold nugget? The yeast that is? Do I pour off the beer and then wash the sediment or mix it all up and wash the mixture. I know this has been discussed before at this site but I am still confused. It is always the simple things that get by me.
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jeff
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Yeast Washing 101

Post by jeff »

You might try stepping over to WYeast Labs yeast washing page located at: http://www.wyeastlab.com/hbrew/hbyewash.htm
They go over the basics and I found the page helpful.
bredmakr
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muchos gracias

Post by bredmakr »

The link made it quite clear. Thanks for the info.
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Mesa Maltworks
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Yeast Washing - Not Recommended !!!!

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

I've followed the yeast washing thread and wanted to interject a point. Yeast washing is only recommended when you have an evident problem with a strain that is not available as a new pitch. The pH drop responsible for killing the bacteria is VERY stressful on the yeast and if done improperly will actually cause more problems. The biggest of these problems is a reduction in viability and cell count. The only way to know if you have done the proceedure correctly is to post test for viability using methylene blue stain and a microscope which is then followed by a cell count with a Neubauer cell under a microscope. Otherwise, you have NO idea what to expect. To acid wash every time when performing a repitch is a bad idea because it can cause mutations that will affect the metabolic performance of the yeast as well.

My advice... avoid doing this at all unless you have a fermentation problem and cannot get a fresh culture of the same strain to pitch or have the appropriate equipment to gauge the results.
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jeff
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We

Post by jeff »

We just want to get rid of the trub and isolate the most viable yeast before repitching. Saves a few dollars if it
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Mesa Maltworks
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Ok... I Lost Touch With Topic, But...

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

Sorry... I misunderstood the thread. But I am interested in the methods you use to assess the viability of the yeast remaining from your results ?
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jeff
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How we assess

Post by jeff »

If it ferments the next batch, it
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Mesa Maltworks
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Generally Safer Than Yeast "Rinsing"

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

Yep... this is a good practice that as long care is taken, will produce fine results. An even better technique would be to use the sediment from the secondary since trub is almost non-existant and natural selection of the most healthy yeast has already taken place. To prevent lag though, you must do this right after the beer drops clear, so it means you have to keep on top of it !

As you may have already surmised... yeast rinsing may pose a greater risks than just reusing the yeast as it is. Even if you use freshly sterilized water as the rinse media, you still can introduce bacteria from utensiles and the surrounding air.
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