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Author Topic: Mold in Mason Jar  (Read 3928 times)

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #15 on: September 14, 2014, 06:26:33 pm »

For hoppy or big beers I think you do get a cleaner slurry by rinsing.  I boil my mason jars with the water, let cool and then pour 2 in the fermenter, swirl, pour in to a sanitized container, let it settle for 20-30 minutes and pour back in to the mason jars leaving behind the trub and hop material.  Let them settle again and combine to one jar. 

I get a really nice clean slurry with minimal effort and always have sterilized jars available.

Rinsing yeast with and storing it under boiled serves absolutely no useful purpose.  If you want to know the reason why yeast rinsing is a poor practice, here is link to a thread that I started on the subject of yeast rinsing: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=19850.0.

What is your thought about the mold that was floating up top?  Toss the slurry?  Like I said, it smelled just fine.
Toss it or if you are so attached to it, plate it and let it regrow from single colony.
Na Zdravie

Lazy Monk Brewing
http://www.lazymonkbrewing.com

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #16 on: September 14, 2014, 06:28:00 pm »

Now a 25th generation is definitely asking for trouble!

You measure performance and taste. You stay clean in harvesting and pitching process. No mystery to it.
Na Zdravie

Lazy Monk Brewing
http://www.lazymonkbrewing.com

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #17 on: September 14, 2014, 06:29:01 pm »
Never plated before but have the kit.  Seems like a LOT of work for $7.  Not overly attached but still like to reuse whenever possible.  Especially lager yeast.
Dave Zach

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #18 on: September 14, 2014, 06:30:12 pm »

Now a 25th generation is definitely asking for trouble!

You measure performance and taste. You stay clean in harvesting and pitching process. No mystery to it.

Yes, but 25 generations is up there.  If it is working, I'm not knocking it.
Dave Zach

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #19 on: September 14, 2014, 06:31:54 pm »

Never plated before but have the kit.  Seems like a LOT of work for $7.  Not overly attached but still like to reuse whenever possible.  Especially lager yeast.

Yes too much trouble.

Just buy new pitch. As I said before I am all for harvesting and repitching your yeast.

Good luck.
Na Zdravie

Lazy Monk Brewing
http://www.lazymonkbrewing.com

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #20 on: September 14, 2014, 06:33:57 pm »

Never plated before but have the kit.  Seems like a LOT of work for $7.  Not overly attached but still like to reuse whenever possible.  Especially lager yeast.

Yes too much trouble.

Just buy new pitch. As I said before I am all for harvesting and repitching your yeast.

Good luck.

Thanks Monk.  Agreed.
Dave Zach

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #21 on: September 14, 2014, 07:57:21 pm »
What is your thought about the mold that was floating up top?  Toss the slurry?  Like I said, it smelled just fine.

I would toss the crop.  I do not bank any culture that I can obtain at a home brew trade price point.   All of the cultures that I have on slant in my bank were expensive ($100.00+) and/or difficult to obtain.   A few were plated from commercial sources for which there is no Wyeast/White Labs equivalent (e.g., Harpoon).

Offline erockrph

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #22 on: September 14, 2014, 08:12:48 pm »
What is your thought about the mold that was floating up top?  Toss the slurry?  Like I said, it smelled just fine.

I would toss the crop.  I do not bank any culture that I can obtain at a home brew trade price point.   All of the cultures that I have on slant in my bank were expensive ($100.00+) and/or difficult to obtain.   A few were plated from commercial sources for which there is no Wyeast/White Labs equivalent (e.g., Harpoon).
I thought Harpoon used WLP013? Tastes really close to me.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline mchrispen

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Re: Mold in Mason Jar
« Reply #23 on: September 17, 2014, 01:17:54 pm »
Since my repitch contamination issue, I bought one of the cheap electric pressure cookers. All of my mason jars for yeast go into with about 1/4 cup of water with the lid set loosely for a 90 minute turn at 15 psi. With the little bit of water, I feel confident the internal surfaces are thoroughly sanitary. Crossing my fingers, but it seems to have eliminated my issues with harvesting yeast and repitching. I should add I do not reuse Mason lids.


Slurry goes into the sterile water, and I give a good shake and cold crash. I then decant the clear-ish water and put in a bit of the beer from the harvest on top. This seems to work and remains good for a couple of weeks. Otherwise I build a new starter.


No contamination yet... but I have only been doing this for a couple of months.
Matt Chrispen
Sometime Austin Zealot
Blogging from the garage @ accidentalis.com
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