Providing that proper sanitation is up to par, how many lager yeast generations can one repitch as slurry from the primary? 4? 6?
Only you know that…it just depends. But I’d say 4 is easily doable.
+1. I generally stop at 5, if I get that high which isn’t often. not because I’ve experienced anything bad happen, but I know that I’m getting near the ‘edge’ and its time to start up anew.
keep in mind you can branch off your slurry to extend the generations. i.e. brew a batch of helles, of which you use some but not all of the slurry in a marzen the next brew and use the remainder the next weekend in a Vienna, and so on.
pros that I have spoken with often repitch 15-20 times before repitching, but their conditions are different than most homebrewers.
TheProfessor I believe uses an ale strain that’s been repitched for decades.
I am in my third generation of Wyeast 2124 and it is performing well.
I’ve not gone beyond 5 re-pitches but have not had any issues with that number.
I figured it was probably between 4 and 6 at best. I will only go out to four on this one with WY 2308 as it is in its second generation and performing well for me. Thank you all!
repitching slurry 4-5 times? after that are you rebuilding from small sample in starter, or getting new pouch of the yeast?
I’ve re-pitched up to 7 times with no ill effects. I try to perform a good wash to minimize the trub and dead cells. If it’s been longer than a couple of months, I’ll build a hefty starter and then transfer it at high Krausen to a new vessel to finish out.
Have you tried not “washing”? (What you’re probably doing is “rinsing”). I have found no advantage to it at all and have stopped doing it.
Yes, literally repitching 1-2 day old saved slurry from primary to next batch primary. After that, I will stop using that strain and try a new strain with a new pouch and start all over. I usually don’t brew the same “style” of beer in succession like this, but I am currently on a lager run with the colder temps making it easier to chill the wort down.
Denny, Mr. Semantics. I find I get pretty good separation and it’s become part of my process which works quite well. I’m happy with the results so if it ain’t broke…
Oh, I understand that! But laziness always drives me to understand if something is really necessary and really produces better results.
Laziness is a virtue when used correctly Denny!
Can I get an AMEN!
It’s not “laziness”, it’s “conservation of energy”.
Being an Engineer, your interpretation of laziness is wonderful.
Being an Engineer, your interpretation of laziness is wonderful.
Back to OP. I repitched 40+ times. Then I bought a new pitch (of the same yeast and my yeast is lazy and needs a lot of attention) so it depends. If it still performs and you like the flavor profile, repitch.
On recent tour through Germeny, the 2 small family breweries I toured get yeast from other breweries and repitch. Those places don’t brew often enough to maintain the yeast viability.
Holy Mackerel! 40 times! That is nuts. All the beers were successful? This is on the home-brew level?