[fmader]

I've been doing two batches per yeast vial lately. One small then one big. But if I had a house yeast and could always use the last batch's slurry then I would have more freedom on what size beer to brew when.

Look into harvesting. You can get several batch sized slurries and store in Mason jars in the fridge. Throw them in a starter a handful if days befire brew day and you're golden!

I'm always looking to cut costs. It started by buying bulk grains and hops. But probably the biggest cost cut per brew was not spending $8 on yeast per batch!

I haven't really harvested before. Lately I fill a 2 liter bottle with slurry and then pour part (whatever Mr Malty tells me) of that slurry into the next batch at pitch time. That is extremely easy and works well.

That works. I rinse my yeast. I'm not sure if it's worth my time or not, but have had success. I like your method and might need to try it out.

[a10t2]

Maybe Kolsch was a bad choice of words. On the extreme clean side I am thinking faux lager. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

I think that can be done pretty reliably with any ale strain that doesn't have any out-of-balance characteristics… Ringwood would still throw diacetyl, Nottingham would be a little apple-y, etc.

All it should take is a higher pitching rate (I go to something like 1.0-1.2 million/mL-°P) and dropping the temperature into the high 50s for pitching and the first day or three, after which it can be warmed into the 60s (room temp even) for the diacetyl rest. I've brewed a few medal-winning "lagers" doing this with both Chico and Fuller's strain. Being a yeast racist, I preferred brewing with the 1968.

[tommymorris]

I've been doing two batches per yeast vial lately. One small then one big. But if I had a house yeast and could always use the last batch's slurry then I would have more freedom on what size beer to brew when.

Look into harvesting. You can get several batch sized slurries and store in Mason jars in the fridge. Throw them in a starter a handful if days befire brew day and you're golden!

I'm always looking to cut costs. It started by buying bulk grains and hops. But probably the biggest cost cut per brew was not spending $8 on yeast per batch!

I haven't really harvested before. Lately I fill a 2 liter bottle with slurry and then pour part (whatever Mr Malty tells me) of that slurry into the next batch at pitch time. That is extremely easy and works well.

That works. I rinse my yeast. I'm not sure if it's worth my time or not, but have had success. I like your method and might need to try it out.

To fill the 2L I stick my auto siphon tip down in the slurry and just pump the slurry into the bottle. It takes about 10 pumps but the bottle fills up well.

With Mr. Malty I estimate it is thin slurry (as thin as the tool allows).

It's not a real precise method but I generally err on the side of over pitching.

[klickitat jim]

In response to some questions:

How warm do you have to go with 1728 to get esters? I have used the white labs equiv. at 67F and it was very clean.

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I like it at 55°.

[denny]

Is there a yeast that can be used across the range of English Pale Ales to American Ales to say a Kolsch?

For the English side of the spectrum I would want pleasant esters. For the American and Kolsch end of the spectrum I would want little to no esters.

I would hope to just vary temp to control the ester profile.

I live in a small town without a LHBS so yeast is always my biggest problem. Having a house yeast that I propagated for many batches would help tremendously.


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Maybe for English and American, but kolsch is very different.  I can't think of a yeast appropriate for the first 2 that would also work for kolsch.

[klickitat jim]

Kolsch not really, blonde cream, cal common, sure.

[S. cerevisiae]

I have always kept a yeast bank on agar slants.  At first, I did it because brewing yeast cultures in the early nineties left a lot to be desired.  As the years passed and the number of high-quality yeast cultures available to amateur brewers increased, I continued to maintain my bank because I did not have to worry if my LBHS had a culture in stock.   

I had several cultures in my old bank that were not available via the amateur brewing trade for a long time (none of the cultures in my current bank are available via of the amateur brewing trade).  For example, I had a multi-strain Ringwood culture that I plated in 1994 from a hydrometer sample taken at a Peter Austin and Partners designed and installed brewery.  I passed that culture around on slant in 1994 and 1995.  One of the people to whom I passed the culture was Jeff Mellem of Brewer's Resource.  He passed it to Maribeth (a.k.a. M.B. Raines).   For those who do not recognize these names, Maribeth and Jeff brought the amateur brewing community the culture that became Denny's Favorite 50.  Maribeth and Jeff distributed the culture on mini-slant as Brewtek CL-50 California Pub Brewery Ale.   Brewtek distributed several cultures on mini-slants that are available today long before they were offered by Wyeast and White Labs.

[klickitat jim]

A yeast library sounds like a labor of love, and I could see someone doing it just for enjoyment. Kind of like building ships in a bottle. You can't fish from them or ski behind them, but it keeps the bottle ship builder happy.

By the way, you might try home brewer rather than amateur. Just sayin...

[morticaixavier]

A yeast library sounds like a labor of love, and I could see someone doing it just for enjoyment. Kind of like building ships in a bottle. You can't fish from them or ski behind them, but it keeps the bottle ship builder happy.

By the way, you might try home brewer rather than amateur. Just sayin...

nothing wrong with amateur.

"a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons. "

It comes from the latin root for love ama. we do it out of love as you say.

[klickitat jim]

Right on! What's pro mean then? Because it sure seemed like love...

[erockrph]

Right on! What's pro mean then? Because it sure seemed like love...

Pro means they make you love it enough that you want to pay for it

[klickitat jim]

Like KFC ?  Now I get it.

[ynotbrusum]

As for a house strain for American ales - Wyeast 1450 would be a good one to keep on hand.  I do mostly lagers, so Wyeast 2206 and WLP 800 or 838 are ones that I have been repitching lately.  I try to schedule brews around my racking times, with ales fitting in between lagers.  As long as I rotate in that manner, the yeast are always fresh and ready.

[tommymorris]

I have always kept a yeast bank on agar slants.  At first, I did it because brewing yeast cultures in the early nineties left a lot to be desired.  As the years passed and the number of high-quality yeast cultures available to amateur brewers increased, I continued to maintain my bank because I did not have to worry if my LBHS had a culture in stock.   

I had several cultures in my old bank that were not available via the amateur brewing trade for a long time (none of the cultures in my current bank are available via of the amateur brewing trade).  For example, I had a multi-strain Ringwood culture that I plated in 1994 from hydrometer sample taken at a Peter Austin and Partners designed and installed brewery.  I passed that culture around on slant in 1994 and 1995.  One of the people to whom I passed the culture was Jeff Mellem of Brewer's Resource.  He passed it to Maribeth (a.k.a. M.B. Raines).   For those who do not recognize these names, Maribeth and Jeff brought the amateur brewing community the culture that became Denny's Favorite 50.  Maribeth and Jeff distributed the culture on mini-slant as Brewtek CL-50 California Pub Brewery Ale.   Brewtek distributed several cultures on mini-slants that are available today long before they were offered by Wyeast and White Labs.

S, I picture you writing this in a velvet smoking jacket while puffing on a Cohiba Esplendido and sipping Old Rip Van Winkle.

[HoosierBrew]

I have always kept a yeast bank on agar slants.  At first, I did it because brewing yeast cultures in the early nineties left a lot to be desired.  As the years passed and the number of high-quality yeast cultures available to amateur brewers increased, I continued to maintain my bank because I did not have to worry if my LBHS had a culture in stock.   

I had several cultures in my old bank that were not available via the amateur brewing trade for a long time (none of the cultures in my current bank are available via of the amateur brewing trade).  For example, I had a multi-strain Ringwood culture that I plated in 1994 from hydrometer sample taken at a Peter Austin and Partners designed and installed brewery.  I passed that culture around on slant in 1994 and 1995.  One of the people to whom I passed the culture was Jeff Mellem of Brewer's Resource.  He passed it to Maribeth (a.k.a. M.B. Raines).   For those who do not recognize these names, Maribeth and Jeff brought the amateur brewing community the culture that became Denny's Favorite 50.  Maribeth and Jeff distributed the culture on mini-slant as Brewtek CL-50 California Pub Brewery Ale.   Brewtek distributed several cultures on mini-slants that are available today long before they were offered by Wyeast and White Labs.

S, I picture you writing this in a velvet smoking jacket while puffing on a Cohiba Esplendido and sipping Old Rip Van Winkle.