[klickitat jim]

First try at propagation from a slant. Two days ago I pulled a little bit from a slant and inoculated 20ml. This morning I pitched those to 200ml. I think its actually working. What an amazing hobby!

[Saccharomyces]

First try at propagation from a slant. Two days ago I pulled a little bit from a slant and inoculated 20ml. This morning I pitched those to 200ml. I think its actually working. What an amazing hobby!

Welcome to a fascinating hobby within a fascinating hobby! This event is the start of a completely new brewing experience, one without limits placed on you by the major yeast propagators.  Every culture in the world is available to brewers who can propagate from slant or a spec of lyophilized yeast shipped in a glass ampule.

[klickitat jim]

First try at propagation from a slant. Two days ago I pulled a little bit from a slant and inoculated 20ml. This morning I pitched those to 200ml. I think its actually working. What an amazing hobby!

Welcome to a fascinating hobby within a fascinating hobby! This event is the start of completely new brewing experience, one without limits placed on you by the major yeast propagators.  Every culture in the world is available to brewers who can propagate from slant or a spec of lyophilized yeast shipped in a glass ampule.

And I owe it to you, buddy. Thanks!

[JT]

Amazing.  Great job!  This fascinates me, but I know it is too time consuming for what I have available right now.  I'll live vicariously!

[yso191]

Yep, good job Jim!  Sometime I'll get into this.

[klickitat jim]

Thanks guys. Its really not that tough or time consuming. Pretty fun to see it work though

[tommymorris]

Very cool.

[dilluh98]

Amazing.  Great job!  This fascinates me, but I know it is too time consuming for what I have available right now.  I'll live vicariously!

Me too.

[Phil_M]

I've made slants, but still haven't been brave enough to use them. Your success is encouraging!

[Saccharomyces]

I've made slants, but still haven't been brave enough to use them. Your success is encouraging!

Phil, you need to go for it!  Propagating a culture from slant is easier than taking a liquid culture through the single cell isolation process.  You will be good as long as you perform your initial inoculation aseptically into autoclaved wort within the sphere of your sterile zone.   You need to determine how wide the sterile zone is around your alcohol lamp or Bunsen burner.  If you feel heat, then you can be fairly certain that there is an updraft that prevents dust from settling in/on your culture.

[Phil_M]

You need to determine how wide the sterile zone is around your alcohol lamp or Bunsen burner.  If you feel heat, then you can be fairly certain that there is an updraft that prevents dust from settling in/on your culture.

I've wondered how to tell that actually. I have been working as close to the flame as I can. Even ended up singing the hair off my arm once, though I was not burned.

I'll admit: I also haven't tried because I haven't just been interested in using the yeast I have banked!

I banked two strains as "practice": dregs from a Sweetwater beer (Their white IPA, which uses a "Belgian Strong Ale" yeast, and Wyeast 3787.) This was to get some experience and see how things went before trying to bank the WL835 that I ordered from the WL vault.

[blair.streit]

I've made slants, but still haven't been brave enough to use them. Your success is encouraging!

You need to determine how wide the sterile zone is around your alcohol lamp or Bunsen burner.  If you feel heat, then you can be fairly certain that there is an updraft that prevents dust from settling in/on your culture.

Would a countertop space adjacent to the burner on gas stove work fine for this or are there practical reasons I'm not thinking of that would make it less than ideal?

[Saccharomyces]

Would a countertop space adjacent to the burner on gas stove work fine for this or are there practical reasons I'm not thinking of that would make it less than ideal?

Most stoves are not anywhere near clean enough to provide an aseptic zone.  White Labs uses a laminar flow hood for low-level cultures.  I use a table that is used for little other than culturing.  I clean the top with Scrubbing Bubbles, before giving it a 70% isopropyl wipe.  I then spray and wipe my alcohol lamp or Bunsen burner with 70% ispropyl alcohol, and let the alcohol flash off before starting my culturing session.  I primarily use an alcohol lamp (a.k.a. spirit lamp) because the flame is less harsh, and it is an order of magnitude safer than a propane fired Bunsen burner.   I rarely used gloves when I was younger.  I merely cleaned my hands with Scrubbing Bubbles and then with alcohol.  However, that routine wreaks havoc one's skin, so I wear nitrile exam gloves these days while culturing.

[blair.streit]

Thanks. I figured I was overlooking several reasons that was a bad idea.

Ok, so ideally a stainless surface or something you can scrub and flame (and not cut fruit or cook chili on). Makes sense.

[klickitat jim]

I use a sheet of aluminum foil.