Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: 5 gallon starters and you drink them.  (Read 6066 times)

Offline The Professor

  • Brewmaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 863
  • "In the next life, you're on your own"
Re: 5 gallon starters and you drink them.
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2012, 09:25:52 am »
Do you guys "rinse" the yeast cake prior to repitching or just rack the fresh wort onto the yeast cake?  I tend to "rinse" the yeast but am wonder if this step is really worth the time...

IME, no, it's not.

+1.   Tried it both ways, and there was absolutely no difference in the quality of the resulting beers.  So for the last 20 years (at least), no rinse. 

I do tend to reuse the yeast cakes (stored in an jar or flask in a 34°F fridge) within 3 weeks or less, so I can't speak for whatever advantages rinsing may have for yeast which needs to be stored longer.   If you switch off and use lots of different strains and the yeast cakes need to  be stored longer, it may be a different story. 
But if, like me, you primarily use 1 or 2 strains for the bulk of your brewing and brew fairly regularly, the rinse is unnecessary...even through multiple repitching.
 
AL
New Brunswick, NJ
[499.6, 101.2] Apparent Rennerian
Homebrewer since July 1971

Offline Alewyfe

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 493
  • Fighting for Truth, Justice & Home Brew
Re: 5 gallon starters and you drink them.
« Reply #16 on: August 03, 2012, 10:14:32 am »
Our club just started doing 20-25 gal. batches on a local micro brewers pilot system. It will be served in his pub (with a discount to club members) and features our club's own tap handle. The brewer is hoping there will be enough interest for someone to brew a batch every month. It's fun for our club, but the brewer says in the long run it will save him money too. Instead of paying $xxx for a commercial pitch from WL or Wy he
will harvest a stepped up batch of yeast ready to pitch. That would be a 25 gal. starter that we can drink.

Diane
Roseburg, Oregon
Member: Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild
             Cascade Brewers Society
             AHA

"Have no fear of perfection...you'll never reach it" ~Salvador Dali

"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up? Definitely optional!"

Offline kylekohlmorgen

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1363
  • Saint Louis, MO
    • The South House Pilot Brewery
Re: 5 gallon starters and you drink them.
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2012, 10:42:36 am »
...The brewer is hoping there will be enough interest for someone to brew a batch every month...

I can't imagine this being a problem. I would LOVE to do pilot brews for a commercial brewery. AND they would be on tap?! Pretty awesome perk of being a club member.
Twitter/Instagram: @southhousebrew

Recipes, Brett/Bacteria Experiments: http://SouthHouseBeer.com/