Reusing / Washing Yeast or Trub
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
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You asked for it, so I delivered. In my recent poll I asked what you would like to see a video on and reusing yeast/trub got the most votes. In this video I talk about three ways to reuse the yeast. First by pitching or saving the trub to pitch in similar style beers, second washing the yeast to eliminate a lot of the trub, and third about saving and even drying Kveik yeasts to store for up to 20 years! Related videos and equipment below.
You can see all the exact equipment I use in my videos at my Amazon page here:
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Kveik Yeast:
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I've done this, with wine, not beer. I have a suggestion. I use an oil seperator. It allows to pour from the bottom woth complete control and avoids mixing it up and disturbing it.
I've always had great results washing the yeast from a secondary fermentation vessel. It is already pretty clean after a secondary and if you are cold crashing then the yeast and trub are really compact in the bottom. So just taking the suspended bottom layer and doing a little nutrient when jarring them will allow a great feeding for the yeast in the fridge. I have stored and brewed with the yeast 6+ months later with great results. Each generation of yeast adds new complexities the yeast strain. Traditional farmhouse brewers used the same yeast for generations, and they make these really cool beers.
Yeast washing is a simple process and one that I wish I would've done all long. Sanitization is key. I generally keep washing it with distilled water until I'm happy with the separation and always use a starter just to ensure the yeast is still good. There is some debate in the homebrew forums on the shelf life. I have a WY1028 that's almost a year old. Going to test it out soon.🍻
Yeah I have had few batches that were a month or two old and they produced off flavors from stressed yeast. I didn't use a yeast starter, which could have helped, but I usually reuse the trub 99% and don't wash the yeast since I don't plan to keep it long if I save it.
💯 correct. I've had off flavors after 4 weeks but anything earlier and you should have enough healthy yeast still. It starts dying off after that. I also rarely wash it if I'm using it for a similar beer.
Did you just... agree with yourself?
Haha, no there was a post above that one that someone deleted. 😂
I have a multi used 1028 that is 2 years old and makes the best Wee Heavy 80 shilling you’ll ever drink.
By far the most enlightening video on how to reuse yeast. Thanks for making it. 🙏
Thanks! 🍻
I just poured fresh wort onto a lager cake. I didn't (should have!) expect it to launch instantly with no lag, but it started fermenting in 1 hour.
Yep. The yeast were ready to go to work! 🤘🍻
That spent beer is outstanding for a compost pile!
You can also use it as cooking beer. A pot roast or stew is better with a can or bottle of beer poured in. Warm, not-carbonated, slightly yeasty beer is just as good for that use-maybe even better. You can also pour it in the roasting pan when making a chicken or even use it to simmer hot dogs.
This video is great! I just stumbled on it and I'm glad I did. There is a TON of info in here I dialed back and watched some parts a few times. My only suggestion would be to smile a bit more! Make sure we know you're having fun doing this! I really appreciated that everything didn't go smoothly for you and you had to take a different approach. That's real life man. Keep up the great work. Can't wait to watch more of what you've done. Cheers.
Thanks! 💯🍻
Great video! Very thorough and informative. Keep it up, because I like your videos sir. From one home brewer to another, cheers! 🍺🍻
Thanks! Cheers! 🍻
I was just thinking about starting to do this thank you for showing me how
You're welcome! Definitely saves some money and more yeast than a new yeast packet! Win win 🍻
Extra steps risks contamination. Just sanitize the jar, pour some of the yeast cake and pitch to the next beer. Simple.
Yeah, a bit more (I’d suggest a cup, depending on thickness-you do not want to pitch a CUP of a clean yeast cake, not in five gals, lol) use a maybe three times the volume knowing a lot of the cake is trub. (Technically, trub is the part of the cake that’s NOT yeast.) That can definitely work, especially into a similar or bigger/hoppier beer.
Great informative video. Thanks
Great video sir. Loved all the info. Your video had all the info. Many others I have watched ah e been bits and pieces. You did great talking washing and what can be reused and can’t. I promise if we hadn’t just had a very unexpected expense I would have thanked you the other way too.
Thanks!! 🍻
I wash my Kveik and I've been pulling scoops out of a jar of reclaimed Voss for 26 months and it still kicks up instantly when pitched.
Awesome. Good to know! Thanks for sharing 🍻
I'm a wine/mead maker that exclusively uses kveik yeast and a catalyst fermenter... A conical bucket fermenter with a mason jar on the bottom. Seems like this process would be even simpler for me
Absolutely.
Ayyy. Great video.
You say "fridgerator" with such confidence
Holy funnel in a mason Jar Batman!!!
😂
Terrific content and very helpful info, but the music is most difficult to filter out for a guy wearing hearing aids from military service. Good teachers require no background entertainment. Thank you for your dedication to the craft.
that beer beside you, what was that and how can i get the recipe? Looks crisp and clear!
It was a clone of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale. Here's the video on that one! 🍻 th-cam.com/video/qCzh1GJ3sUc/w-d-xo.html
Nice! I have a question about the trub left at the end of the process.....Is this garbage just to be thrown away?? 1.Decant the old beer off the top of the trub....2.transfer this trub to the 5 mason jars....3. After settling decant the liquid off the top of the trub of the 5 mason jars (ill call these the trub jars) and transfer this to a mason jar that will be the yeast used in the next brew ( ill call this the yeast jar). Question: So there is trub left after allowing the yeast jar with the yeast in it to settle. What is the difference between the trub in the yeast jar and the majority of the trub that was left in the original 5 mason jars the trub jars and what happened to the trub in the trub jars??
The trub material settles faster than the yeast. The yeast stays in suspension longer and that is why your "yeast jar" is the one you would keep. Do the trub jars have some yeast left? Yes, but a lot less than the yeast jar. And your yeast jar will have a bit of trub and that is ok and shouldn't affect the new beer at all. To be honest I keep the entire trub in few jars and pitch one in the next beer without even "washing" it, if it is a similar beer style. If the beer isn't similar, then you'd want to wash it so you don't add hops in to an unhoppy style beer for instance.
For the kveik could you use a freezer dryer ?
I think so. I'm not sure, I've never done that, but I don't see why not.
Great video thankyou! If I wash the yeast in spring water how long will
It last in the fridge? You mention 1 month for trube directly put in jars but how long for washed yeast?
You video has really helped me because I have the recepie from my local brewer but they would not give me the yeast, I managed to get hold of the last bit of a keg and it worked doing what you said!!
I've just brewed using that yeast buy now rather than begging my local pub again I need to keep the yeast in the fridge and just keep
Using that, will it last a few months and how many times can I regenerate it, sounds like Doctor who lol
Presumably you could keep using it forever. As long as you keep washing the yeast and you don't let it go over a month or so in the fridge. Anything more than about three or four weeks and I would just make a starter with it to make sure it's viable. You'll make new yeast cells that way.
where did your beer go, after the second attempt to extract the yeast lol
Thanks for the video. I have the Chris White "Yeast book which has some good guidelines for handling and getting yeast. He suggests to use siphons and minimize the oxygen input. He also suggests using 1.020 wort to be put on the harvested yeast to wake up the healthy, active cells which can be siphoned away instead of using water. The book might be a good resource if you do not have it already.
On another topic - why is there so much trub in the fermenter? It is worth it to improve your hot side process to put clear wort into your fermenter. This makes the yeast handling down the line a lot easier! Prost.
Good suggestions. I'll look into it
I’ve been making lagers to this point but would like to start making some good rich amber style ales. Do you have a recommendation on a kyiek yeast that would be good for that and point me to one of your videos for making a good ale. I mainly have pilsen, Vienna, Munich 10, and Caramel 60 for grains. Would like to use what I have if that would work. Thanks love your channel
If I have time, tomorrow, I will try to throw together a quick recipe for you for an Amber pale ale using those grains. That shouldn't be hard!
I made this quick. Any water additions or lactic acid will determined by your water profile, If you use one. At a minimum I would recommend adding some lactic acid in the mash to bring down your mash pH I added that to the recipe. Alternatively, you can add 2.5 oz of acidulated malt if you can get it. That does the same thing. That will make it so it's not too malty flavored and still has some crisp mouth feel. www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1453242/amber-ale
Thanks no hurry.
Thanks looks great. I use RO water so I don’t have to much problem with ph like I used too
Why don’t you use a turkey baster ? You can draw off from different levels without drawing from another. I don’t understand you boys🤷♂️. I’m in my seventies and have meads,wines and vinegars that are 12 and 14 years old. I have beers that are 3 and 4 years old and are fantastic. I have multiple use yeast that are 2 years old .
That's great you've had that success, but that is highly dependent on the yeast strain. I've used trub and yeast that was only 4 months old and gave a love of unpleasant esters from the yeast being stressed from under pitching. I should have made a starter and it would have been fine. These videos are meant for the masses and as a general rule, I would not recommend someone hold onto most yeast strains in their fridge for 2 years, but some strains, such as Kviek or others may be just fine.
Would love to see the turkey baster way, was wondering about siphoning off the layers
You could try it. Might be hard to do without stiring it up but let me know if it works
Very informative video. My question is, do you know if there are any limitations to reusing yeast that has been fermented under pressure? Is there a maximum pressure that you would be concerned with that would affect the viability of reusing yeast?
Not that I'm aware of. I know that higher pressures slow down fermentation, but not sure if pressure has much affect the viability of the yeast. A lot of breweries will use their yeast three to five times before pitching a new yeast. And typically it's better after the first couple. Just be sure to not let it sit more than a couple of weeks or the yeast will start dying off. 🍻
Would like to learn more in your home brewery under your supervision.
Like # 327 My opinion never wash yeast there is no reason to reuse old yeast. Always make a starter extra large and you will have extra yeast for other batches with no old beer flavors.
This works best for the same or similar beers. You decant off most of the old beer so you're really just getting yeast at the end of the day. Reusing yeast isn't always a huge money saver for homebrewers, but breweries do it every day. I find the yeast actually does a better job and cleans up quicker the 2-3 time you use it. It is a lot of work, but definitely works well for people who make the same beers consistently.
How long after bottling is the leftover trub/yeast viable before needing to wash the yeast?
I would use the trub or yeast within 4 weeks. Even if you do or don't wash it, the yeast will start dying off slowly over time. Any more than 4 weeks, you'll need to make a yeast starter.
Use a grease separator eh ? Any kitchen supply store has them.
Can I wait a bit longer than 30 mins as I've only got about 1/2 inch of milk on top of my tub at the moment and thanks for replying top man
You can wait a bit more, but the longer you wait the more yeast will actually fall out of suspension as well... So I would do a dump and then swish it around and let it settle again, even adding a bit more water if needed.
What do you think abt a 6.5 gal big mouth bubbler with siphonless . I really hate using a racking cane lol. Would it work are am I wasting my time. Thanks in advance
They sell big mouth. Bubblers both in plastic and glass with spigots at the bottom. So you won't have to use a racking cane for those. I'm actually doing a video soon on a fermonster fermenter that I bought. Look for that video next week!
Is it possible to wash dry Kveik yeast to brew with?
Yes. Absolutely. I talk about that in the video a bit
Where’d you get that t-shirt dude??!!!😂
💯🍻
Hey man, this might be a stupid question, but did you sanitize your jars first with something like starsan, or is squeaky clean out of the dishwasher fine?
Great question. You can definitely put jars in the dishwasher to clean them... But I would always sanitize. Sanitizer has a low pH so it kills any leftover bacteria that might have just sprayed up in little specks on your glass jars before you put them in there. It may not be needed, but, I'd rather do it than not do it!
Can I sub Amarillo for cascade. Or citra
Short answer is yes. Cascade and Amarillo have similar Alpha Acid levels, but citra tends to be a bit higher. If you are using them for dry hopping it's not a big deal, but adding them earlier in the boil, citra will add more bitterness
The big question is: How good does beer taste with reused yeast?
It actually may be better. Yeast does a better job and replicates better after the first few beers. Breweries will reuse their yeast three to five times before they pitch a new yeast. Typically the third and fourth time are better than the first two. 🍻
I’ve started washing my yeast and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. I usually get abt a quart to quart and a half of washed yeast per batch. Do I dump the entire contents in my wort or just a small amount ?
Depends how old it is. If it's more than a couple weeks old then I would do the whole thing. Unless you're going to use it in four weeks I'd also use the whole thing. But if it's fresh you can do probably half that amount or make a starter with it if it's over a couple weeks old.
How many times can you continue to reuse the same yeast ? And you say as long as I use it within a couple weeks I don’t need to wash it ?
That's right. If you leave it more than 2 for 3 weeks I would definitely wash and make a starter. Most breweries reuse their yeast about 4 to 5 times or more. I would say five times max
As long as it doesn't get contaminated you could theoretically reuse the yeast forever. But the strain will evolve and change. The real problem is the chance of bacteria and contamination goes up with each subsequent use.
I'm curious, why can't you put new wort right on top of the yeast/trub at base? Especially if it's same recipe. Is the trub going to foul up the flavor? Won't it just settle out at bottom of new batch?
You definitely can if it is the same or similar beer. 90% of the time I just reuse or save the whole trub and don't wash the yeast. The only real reason to wash is to get out the old hops or other adjunct material that could change the flavor of the new beer
@Cityscape Brewing excellent. Thanks for the reply/info. Appreciate yours and all the other great content available on TH-cam.
You're welcome and cheers! 🍻
@@CityscapeBrewing I just did a Kentucky Common and scooped up some of the trub into a mason jar. I am gonna brew another Kentucky Common, but alter the grain bill some. I should be able to just dump this jar into the next batch of wort and be ok. You agree? Grist is the same, just different amounts.
Yes that will work and you'll be surprised how fast and better the second fermentation goes. Yeast do their job better after 1-2 times.
Is it possible to over pitch? I decanted 1 bottle and put that in and then decided that I'd put in another jar that was the left overs from the washed jars, why I don't know, I panicked and now after 20 hours is bubbling like crazy 1 burp every 1.5 seconds. Have I over pitched it?? And it so what is the outcome going to be pls
Yes, there is a thing about overpitching... But you did not do it. You'd have to pitch a lot more. Some people take the entire slurry of one beer and just rack another beer right on top of it immediately to start another fermentation. I've had fermentation activity so vigorous that it cleared out my airlock. It will be just fine! In the future you could only use one, but It takes a lot more to overpitch. 🍺
Thanks very much your a star! I got the yeast from my local pub, last bit of the barrel and your video has enabled me to get my hands on "their" yeast so I can't thank you enough!!
How do you avoid over/under pitching your yeast with this method, it seems to me there's no way to know exactly how much yeast you end up with?
Good question. It takes a LOT to overpitch and get off flavors and I typically will try and use the yeast/trub within 2 weeks to prevent underpitching. If I pitch right away I don't use the entire slurry, one mason jar worth(unwashed) is plenty but if won't hurt to use it all in my experience. If washing, you can always make a starter if leaving over 2 weeks, but I'd suggest using it as soon as possible to avoid the yeast dying off. I've only had off flavors myself for trub I left for 6 weeks before using.
@@CityscapeBrewing interesting! I've read a lot that it's easy to overpitch Kveik for example, and since I should have ended up with a lot more than the 12g I started with, I guess I've been nervous to chuck the lot in my next batch, but I'm doing a cheap extract kit, so will just see how it goes!
Kveik is the exception actually. Only because you want to somewhat underpitch to get some of the esters and other flavors that are given by "stressed" yeast. It will create a clean fermentation, but a lot of times you want to use that type of yeast for floral and citrus flavors that are common with higher temps and underpitching, glad you mentioned kveik. 🍺
@@CityscapeBrewing Thanks a lot, I'll give it a go then! 🙌
Hello! Do you need to boil the water you used to wash?
You can... But I just used distilled water or spring water. You know it doesn't have chlorine in it. That's the biggest thing.
@@CityscapeBrewing Does reverse osmosis water work?
Yes! That's basically the same as distilled water.
@@CityscapeBrewing Thanks! I love you dude! That'll save me a lot o S-04! I have 4 English ales planned! I'll do it in order of "hoppines"
You're welcome. Glad to help
Ive read mixed information about doing this with a dry yeast. Some say that it doesnt work very well trying to harvest and reuse yeast that started out as a dry yeast. Whats your thoughts?
That is kind of a myth... But I haven't done it with dry yeast just because it's a lot less expensive to buy new packets. Most of the time when I reuse yeast or trub It is with liquid yeast because it saves me anywhere between $8 and $15 depending on the yeast brand. If you wanted to reuse it... I think that would work just fine no matter what type dry or liquid.
@@CityscapeBrewing Thats a really good point. I didnt think about the price difference between liquid and dry. I have only used dry a couple times. Im planning on harvesting off my next pale ale with a WLP001 and also when I use my bananza and honey dew the next time. Both those Omegas were pretty pricey.
Kind of a myth. I've reused a lot of dry yeast. Just keep it healthy and sanitary.
Why the tablets in the water and spring water? Just boiling the water sanitises it and removes the chlorine.
Because I did not boil the water. You can definitely boil it too, but if you don't want to wait for it to cool, you can use distilled or spring water. You never want to use Camden tablets because they can kill the yeast. 🍻
drink your glas of beer :)