Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Share your experiences of using brewing yeast.
BigMouth
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Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by BigMouth » Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:36 am

Hi All,

I was wondering what success or not so successful stories you have on harvesting yeast from commercial bottles for your brews.
I use bengal lancer yeast a lot ( a pale in the fv from the weekend now) and have great success with it in both pales and my dark christmas brew. It adds a fruitiness I find.
I captured a few bottles of proper job yeast for a brew soon to compare/contrast in a similar recipe (hop stocks permitting) and a couple of westmalle dubbel for a Belgian.

These are all bottled with the primary strain as far as I've read. What others have you used?

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IPA
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by IPA » Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:13 am

I have revived Courage RIS Theakston and Whitbread from bottles that were all more than 35 years old.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

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gr_baker
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by gr_baker » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:35 pm

I have a few on the go at the moment. Here's a picture of what's in my fridge at the moment. The Chimay yeast is particularly good.

In the past I've had success reviving Fuller's yeast from bottles of 1845, St Austell yeast from Admiral's Ale and Proper Job and Skinner's yeast from Betty Stog's. I've used King and Barnes yeast and Gales yeast in the distant past. Unfortunately, I no longer have samples of these.
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Wonkydonkey
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Wonkydonkey » Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:57 pm

I've tried, proper job, well it was ok for free yeast, but I guess it's really down to the beer and hops, I'd still use it again
Gales HSB, which was good.
Youngs London speciel bitter, I ve used it before, and got a beer in the FV at the mo. Not sure if they used differnt yeast as they do other bottle cond beer
I've try'd a few others but mybe it was my yeast harvesting or it's just crap yeast but,,,,
If I find a bottle conditioned beer then I think the yeast is worth a try in my eyes :lol: :=P free yeast, or free beer which ever way you look at it , :wink:

Still looking (not that hard thou, for worthingtons White shild)
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Dennis King
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Dennis King » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:10 pm

I used to use White Shield for many years then it disappeared from the supermarkets. When it came back a few years ago it was disappointing, made beer but was not the same. Not sure if they stopped seeding with the priming strain, had changed the strain or it might be because it was being brewed in different brewery's. This was a few years back.

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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Wonkydonkey » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:45 pm

I met an older lady in the supermarket, she was buying beer for old man,,, she saw me looking very closely at the bottoms of beer bottles up to the light... She asked what I was doing, so I replied.. Looking for the yeast, cos I like bottled cond beer and I can use the yeast in my home brew....she replied white shield, my husband brews beer from it. He says It's very good.

I still haven't found/seen it, that was two yrs ago. But it's my favourite pastime holding up to the light and looking in the bottom of beer bottles in the supermarket,,,looking for that magic in the bottle :=P :=P :=P

I guess it more reliable than waiting for some wild yeast to pop along and culture your brew with what ever funk they want to bring along to the party. #-o
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gr_baker
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by gr_baker » Mon Mar 27, 2017 9:17 pm

White Shield is stocked by Waitrose. I got a couple of bottles there last week. The yeast is currently in my fridge in one of the sample jars [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES] I've never brewed with it but it's not the primary strain so I'm thinking of using it as the priming yeast on a beer that's had a period of conditioning.

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Dennis King
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Dennis King » Mon Mar 27, 2017 9:18 pm

It is available in my local Tesco's.

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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Wonkydonkey » Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:38 pm

Dennis King wrote:It is available in my local Tesco's.
I've looked in tesco's in lewes before, and they didn't have it, and I very/almost never-ever shop in waitrose, but I guess I will have to have a look :=P
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gr_baker
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by gr_baker » Thu Mar 30, 2017 10:57 pm

I did my shopping earlier tonight in my local Tesco (Wokingham) White Shield was in plentiful supply and they also had Green King Hen's Tooth which I haven't seen for years. I've nabbed a few and there's now yeast growing in my sample jars. Anyone know if this is the original Moreland's yeast or Green King's Yeast?

Sye

Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Sye » Sat Apr 01, 2017 6:29 pm

Is there a list about for UK available bottles of ale that we can harvest yeast from and types of yeast are in them? I have just started doing this myself, now I have a flask and stir-plate. Hopefully got some yeasties from a couple of bottles of Sierra Nevada pale ale. US-05/WLP00. It's spinning in 100ml of wort (10g LDME).

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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by gr_baker » Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:35 pm

There used to be one knocking about. I'll see if I can find it.

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Wonkydonkey
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Wonkydonkey » Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:29 pm

Sye wrote:Is there a list about for UK available bottles of ale that we can harvest yeast from and types of yeast are in them? I have just started doing this myself, now I have a flask and stir-plate. Hopefully got some yeasties from a couple of bottles of Sierra Nevada pale ale. US-05/WLP00. It's spinning in 100ml of wort (10g LDME).
Yeh Ive knocked out this one as well. It was slow to start It worked out a good beer in the end

There was a post about some beer in lidi atm, but from my googling only one having yeast. I just ain't got down there to buy a few bottles.
I'll dig it out
Here ya go.... It's the corsendonk that's got the yeast. Google it...
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=78375
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Dennis King
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Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Dennis King » Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:38 pm

Wonkydonkey wrote:Yeh Ive knocked out this one as well.
:shock: :shock: :shock:

Sye

Re: Harvesting yeast from commercial bottles

Post by Sye » Sat Apr 01, 2017 10:29 pm

Here ya go.... It's the corsendonk that's got the yeast. Google it...
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=78375
Corsendonk Belgian Abbey Brown Ale (Wyeast 3538-PC) by the looks of things. https://www.wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/leuven-pale-ale. I'll have to get a few bottles and give that ago.

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