[Chris C]

I'm at the point in my brewing experience I'm ready to start re-using yeast.  I've been spending too much on it, and generally use the same kind for most of my house beers. 

Are there any good online sources to teach me how?  what equipment and all that?

Is there a great book on the subject? 

I'm a little scared, but need to do this!!

[denny]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

[Chris C]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

[Bob357]

If you use glass jars, don't seal them. Even at colder temperatures yeast can still be active. Glass jars aren't made to hold pressure and can burst if the yeast continues to ferment. Just leave the lids slightly loose.

[erockrph]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

Cleaning yeast can potentially do more harm then good. Beer is a preservative, so it's just better to let it settle under the beer from the batch you're recycling from. The less you mess with it the better. At 2-3 weeks in the fridge it should still be reasonably healthy and ready to use as-is.

[Kevin]

I have tried saving yeast in the past but only sporadically and have re-used the yeast no more than once. This year however I have been brewing from the same yeast now since March.

I just saved the yeast cake from the first batch and split it into a clean and sanitized mason jar. I have no idea what I'm doing so this next part may be completely wrong but after a day or so in the fridge I racked off the beer that had separated to the top... and replaced it with water that had been boiled and cooled. Then the next brew day I poured off the liquid at the top and pitched the whole thing.

The longest time between uses has been 3 to 4 weeks and none of the beers I've used this for has been over 1.055. Batch #4 is currently fermenting right now.

[erockrph]

I have tried saving yeast in the past but only sporadically and have re-used the yeast no more than once. This year however I have been brewing from the same yeast now since March.

I just saved the yeast cake from the first batch and split it into a clean and sanitized mason jar. I have no idea what I'm doing so this next part may be completely wrong but after a day or so in the fridge I racked off the beer that had separated to the top... and replaced it with water that had been boiled and cooled. Then the next brew day I poured off the liquid at the top and pitched the whole thing.

The longest time between uses has been 3 to 4 weeks and none of the beers I've used this for has been over 1.055. Batch #4 is currently fermenting right now.

Honestly, you're better off leaving it in the beer. Between the pH, alcohol, and hops, beer offers a fair amount of protection from spoilage microbes compared to water.

[denny]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

Not important and no starter if the slurry is fairly fresh.  Pitching cold yeast is always better than letting it warm up.

[Cliffs]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

Not important and no starter if the slurry is fairly fresh.  Pitching cold yeast is always better than letting it warm up.

this is new to me. I thought large temps swings werent good for yeast

[denny]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

Not important and no starter if the slurry is fairly fresh.  Pitching cold yeast is always better than letting it warm up.

this is new to me. I thought large temps swings werent good for yeast

Once it's pitched, you're correct. But by bringing it to room temp before pitching, you're encouraging the yeast to start using its stored nutrients.  You want that to happen in your beer.  FWIW, I've taken yeast put of the fridge and pitched immediately hundreds of times with no ill effects.

[Cliffs]

The only equipment you really need is a few sanitized containers.  When you rack the beer, leave just a bit behind.  Use that to swirl up the stuff in the fermenter.  Pour it into 2-3 sanitized containers and keep them in the fridge.  If you brew in the next say 3 weeks or so, you can just pitch one of those into the beer, assuming the gravity is under maybe 1.060.  Higher gravity use 2.  Longer time., use a bit of the stored slurry to make a new starter.  I used to do it in a much more complicated method (probably what you've been reading about), but this easier method has worked great for me for many years.

What about cleaning the yeast?  Is that important?  I don't need to do a yeast starter?
So I would just collect everything at the bottom into a few jars, seal them, put them in the fridge, and when the beer is done, just pour one of the bottles in the beer?  As I would with the yeast packet I use?  Do I need to bring the jar to room temp?  Activate it at all?

Not important and no starter if the slurry is fairly fresh.  Pitching cold yeast is always better than letting it warm up.

this is new to me. I thought large temps swings werent good for yeast

Once it's pitched, you're correct. But by bringing it to room temp before pitching, you're encouraging the yeast to start using its stored nutrients.  You want that to happen in your beer.  FWIW, I've taken yeast put of the fridge and pitched immediately hundreds of times with no ill effects.

makes sense. thanks for the explanation

[a10t2]

Cleaning yeast can potentially do more harm then good. Beer is a preservative, so it's just better to let it settle under the beer from the batch you're recycling from. The less you mess with it the better. At 2-3 weeks in the fridge it should still be reasonably healthy and ready to use as-is.

I'll pick a nit here: washing yeast can be extremely beneficial, borderline necessary if you want to repitch for many generations. At the homebrew scale, unless you're already accustomed to working with strong acids or chlorine dioxide, I don't see it being worth the risk.

[denny]

Cleaning yeast can potentially do more harm then good. Beer is a preservative, so it's just better to let it settle under the beer from the batch you're recycling from. The less you mess with it the better. At 2-3 weeks in the fridge it should still be reasonably healthy and ready to use as-is.

I'll pick a nit here: washing yeast can be extremely beneficial, borderline necessary if you want to repitch for many generations. At the homebrew scale, unless you're already accustomed to working with strong acids or chlorine dioxide, I don't see it being worth the risk.

Yeah.  Homebrewers seldom distinguish between rinsing, which is what almost all of them do and a PITA for no benefit (IMO), with actual washing, which is what commercial breweries do.