I have been lamenting the fact that I need to buy some more yeast for spring brewing.
This weekend I was cleaning out the beer fridge,
and found a growler that still had a little of my fall farmhouse in it (Wyeast 3711).
Has been in there since Thanksgiving.
I cracked the top and could see yeast on the bottom.
I may have been drinking a bit, but I convinced myself that a true farmhouse house strain could be had.
Boiled up some dme and added the swirled beery remains.
Nothing the first day, but now I think I am getting activity (airlock)
and there is some sedimentation at the bottom of the flask.
It seems a little brownish grey…not normal white yeast.
So my questions are these:
1. Stupid idea and waste of time?
2. How would I know if these yeasties are any good?
3. I suppose I need to step up a starter as the next step if I move forward?
Step it up, smell the starter, taste the beer. If the yeast still looks off, or smells or tastes off after the next step, I would toss it. Be sure to use nutrients in your starters when trying to revive old yeast like this.
In my experience, once the gray color is pretty prevalent, the yeast is not worth reviving…but that is just my own standard based on fear of wasting time and effort - YMMV and in theory, if there is life in there, you should be able to regenerate the yeast cell count. Problem is, how would you know if it’s healthy yeast (predominately)? Tom is right - smell is a great indicator in the absence of sophisticated measurement tools. Gray usually equals funky to me (and not in a good funky way).
There was probably a lot of dead cells that dropped out right away and are contributing to the gray trub. I don’t think I’ve ever seen fresh yeast that color. Look for white yeast descending as the starter gravity approaches its final destination.
:), I have had a nice krausen for a few days now, and am getting a nice white layer on top of the grey.
I am going to step it up and give it a taste when I am done.
Any common household ingredients that can act as yeast nutrient? I appreciate your recommendation Tom, but do not have any on hand. Just wondering.
you could boil some yeast for yeast nutrient. boil in a little water and add that? I don’t know if this is a good idea or not. Tom can probably tell us though.
I know there are yeast nutrients on the market that are made out of autolyzed yeast. The idea being that the things yeast need to grow are in other yeast already.
I believe it was described in Complete Joy of Homebrewing or his Follow up works as Yeast cells that have been fractured and spun in a centrifuge leaving only the yeast Skeletons(read cell walls i believe) i may have that backwards tho and I am sure one of the more experienced brewers can correct me:)
Im curious how your experiment runs out, ive always wanted to try keeping yest alive from brew to brew it just seems like a huge pain, so anything i can absorb is great!
Yes, the yeast are able to scavenge things they need from dead yeast. You can use killed bread yeast as well. If you threw a tablespoon of yeast slurry in with the starter when you are boiling it, that will certainly work.
So if you’re trying to help an existing fermentation, boiling some yeast in a little water and throwing it in should help. Better than nothing anyway
Only a tablespoon aye? I was wondering how much to add.
Is too much dead yeast a problem? Excessive trub perhaps?
I have a washed US-05 cake in the fridge I was thinking of using for yeast food.
Seems like a good use for it. I mean who saves a US-05 cake? :o
Then
I was rummaging through some stuff this weekend, and came across a packet of yeast nutrient that I bought a couple years ago for some wine and never used it. ::) “common” household item.
I still might try the boiled yeast soylent white trick.
Thanks for the knowledge.
We boiled yeast for this purpose at an eastern Virginia brewery. We dumped yeast from a conical and saved a few pints back to be used as yeast nutrient in the boil that same day. Seemed to work very well.
Too much is a problem, but since it’s been boiled it will not be the same as just dead yeast. I don’t know for sure how much is ok, but typically you use a teaspoon or so of the yeast nutrient made from dead yeast. That should be packed denser than a slurry so I’m guessing a tablespoon of slurry is a safe amount.
Starter beer seemed fine. I thought it actually tasted pretty good.
I even slipped it into a taste test lineup for the wife, and it passed that test as well.
So I pitched it yesterday
into a bit of a kitchen sink brew I might call the Redneck Nelson.
Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin in a red farmhouse… :o
Seemed appropriate.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
I have a feeling perhaps I am just lucky
riding the back of the Monster that is Wyeast 3711. Cheers.
