[Thirsty_Monk]

How long can you keep yeast in slants and how many steps are needed for a typical ale (1.050ish)?  I read where Kai said using wire is okay to start with so I may give it a try if I can find some damn agar within 50 miles of me.   

I think they said that you can keep yeast on slant for 1/2 year and then re-culture.
When building it up you could do something like this: 10 ml, 80ml, 400ml, 2000ml
Each step is about 2 days.

[Hokerer]

if I can find some damn agar within 50 miles of me.   

Check out your nearest Asian Foods type of grocery store.  A package (25g) should only set you back a buck or two.

[a10t2]

I may give it a try if I can find some damn agar within 50 miles of me.   

it's pretty easy to make your own growth medium from DME and gelatin.

[dean]

I may have to use gelatin, so far I haven't been able to find agar but I've got one more place to check.  Do gelatin cultures keep as long as agar?  It seems like it would be hard to spread, tearing the gelatin surface rather than mixing in... but then I don't really know if agar is more maleable for lack of a better word than gelatin either?

[denny]

When I was doing it, I found I needed to reculture slants at least every 6 months.

[Thirsty_Monk]

Just to report progress.
This is after one week from streaking:


We have some individual colonies.
Now I have to inoculate some slants and try to make some 10ml starter.

[dean]

Wow!     I'm definitely no expert but it looks to me like you have a Lot of really fine looking colonies there!!   

[Thirsty_Monk]

I streak out WY2308 Munich Lager on Monday:
I have a lot of yeast in there but there are still some individual colonies.

[yeastmaster]

Just to report progress.
This is after one week from streaking:


We have some individual colonies.
Now I have to inoculate some slants and try to make some 10ml starter.

That is a pretty nice looking plate!  Looks like things are going pretty well for you.  How much agar did you use?  I noticed that you had several recipes including mine up above and that I use a lower concentration of agar than Kai.  That concentration works well for me, it is easy to pour.  Next time I make up media I might try a higher concentration to see how it works for me.

[Thirsty_Monk]

I made plates twice so far.

First time I started with your recipe but the amount of DME gave  me too high wort.
So I deluded it to 1040.
After sterilizing I got hot break in there and it did not look too pretty.
I used plates and yeast likes them.

Second time I use BSI (Brewing Science Institute) recommendation:
Wort agar (instead of commercial nutrient agar) = 30ml house wort, 70ml water, 2g agar; sterilize for 15 minutes at 15psi.
I saved wort after boil (on regular brew day) that did not fit into fermenter.
Plates and slants are nice and clear but I got much more condensation this time.
I did not use these plates yet.
May be next week I could play with some WLP001

[Thirsty_Monk]

Today I played with yeast.
I had WLP838 on plate for about 3 weeks and
I had WY2308 on plate for about  10 days.

I streak new plates, made two slants for each yeast and made one 10 ml starter from each yeast.

The WLP838 had pretty large colonies.
When I picked one singular colony for streaking or slanting it did not want to smear nicely.
Is it because my plate is drying out?
Any recommendation how to do this?

WY2308 had smaller colonies and it did not want to smear nicely but it was not as pronounced as WLP838.

It should be the same yeast so they should have similar properties.

[Kaiser]

It should be the same yeast so they should have similar properties.

Maybe they are not. One way of identifying yeasts for example is the shape of their giant colonies. Though the differences may be more pronounced between ale and lager there may even be differences between closely related strains.

In the end it may not matter much how well they smear as long as they leave a trail of yeast cells.

Kai

[dean]

I received my innoculation needle today... that sucker is HUGE!     I was expecting something with a fine wire and point.  The whole thing must be 10 inches long and most of it is needle (closer in diameter to a coathanger really though!)  Well, I haven't been able to find any agar locally so I'm wondering if anybody has tried cornstarch... like making gravy but thicker so it stiffens more when its cooled.  Its generally clear and it seems corn is related closer to barley than grass maybe?  Anybody tried it?

[enso]

I received my innoculation needle today... that sucker is HUGE!     I was expecting something with a fine wire and point.  The whole thing must be 10 inches long and most of it is needle (closer in diameter to a coathanger really though!)  Well, I haven't been able to find any agar locally so I'm wondering if anybody has tried cornstarch... like making gravy but thicker so it stiffens more when its cooled.  Its generally clear and it seems corn is related closer to barley than grass maybe?  Anybody tried it?

I would try unflavored gelatin.  Corn starch will not solidify.

[Thirsty_Monk]

I received my innoculation needle today... that sucker is HUGE!     I was expecting something with a fine wire and point.  The whole thing must be 10 inches long and most of it is needle (closer in diameter to a coathanger really though!)  Well, I haven't been able to find any agar locally so I'm wondering if anybody has tried cornstarch... like making gravy but thicker so it stiffens more when its cooled.  Its generally clear and it seems corn is related closer to barley than grass maybe?  Anybody tried it?

I would try unflavored gelatin.  Corn starch will not solidify.

How about 4oz from Amazon? It is $8.30.
Agar Agar Powder, 4 oz.
http://www.amazon.com/Agar-Powder-4-oz/dp/B00015UC48/ref=pd_sbs_indust_3