Live Yeast from local brewers
-
bod
Dave Line, Big Book, Saving yeast, p110.
Also, I've had a bit of a Google - there's no real info about freezing brewers yeast but lots about freezing fresh bakers yeast. It seems the yeast will go into a sort of suspended animation and very slowly loose viability.
Of course for us, there's the issue of how freezing may affect flavour. In a months time, I'll know
Also, I've had a bit of a Google - there's no real info about freezing brewers yeast but lots about freezing fresh bakers yeast. It seems the yeast will go into a sort of suspended animation and very slowly loose viability.
Of course for us, there's the issue of how freezing may affect flavour. In a months time, I'll know
-
bod
found it.....
http://www.schwedhelm.net/brew/yeast_harv_freeze.html
look at it this way, you got a shit load of good quality brewing products for a seriously good price, and if they work when the come out the freezer the sweet, if not, it was a learning experience..... :huh:
http://www.schwedhelm.net/brew/yeast_harv_freeze.html
look at it this way, you got a shit load of good quality brewing products for a seriously good price, and if they work when the come out the freezer the sweet, if not, it was a learning experience..... :huh:
I took about a desert spoon of frozen fresh yeast, which had been in the freezer for 24 hours. I was quite brutal in the way I defrosted it and mixed it with the warm malt extract. A lot of yeast sank but quite a bit remained in suspension. After about six hours, there was a patchy, weak head. After 24 hours, this 20-30mm deep head had formed.
I’m not used to making starters. Does that look like a good result?
I’m not used to making starters. Does that look like a good result?
-
Road Runner
A good yeast head like that is a sign of active yeast as we all know, so I'd say it looks pretty good.
I have heard & read several times that as yeast is a live organism, it should be treated gently. I have also heard of yeast being frozen. Being as it is a live organism, I would let it thaw natuarally, not nuke it in a micro wave or dunk it in hot water etc.
As for the pitching into a starter, I would let the yeast from the freezer thaw & the warm extract sit next to each other to equalize their temperatures naturally to around 20-25'c, not above this temp as higher temps can kill yeast. then pitch into the starter at around this temp when both temps are the same. The same as if you bought Goldfish/Tropical fish from an aquarium shop, you wouldn't just stick the live fish straight into your home aquarium (or at least you shouldn't do), as the temp difference can shock & kill the fish. You'd float the bag containing the fish in the aquarium to balance the temps first.
So if you have a fair amount of dead yeast cells at the bottom of your starter, these could be some dead cells, also it may be a bit of trub from the yeast that the brewery gave you. Treating the yeast as above should hopefully help maximise yeast yield though.
I have heard & read several times that as yeast is a live organism, it should be treated gently. I have also heard of yeast being frozen. Being as it is a live organism, I would let it thaw natuarally, not nuke it in a micro wave or dunk it in hot water etc.
As for the pitching into a starter, I would let the yeast from the freezer thaw & the warm extract sit next to each other to equalize their temperatures naturally to around 20-25'c, not above this temp as higher temps can kill yeast. then pitch into the starter at around this temp when both temps are the same. The same as if you bought Goldfish/Tropical fish from an aquarium shop, you wouldn't just stick the live fish straight into your home aquarium (or at least you shouldn't do), as the temp difference can shock & kill the fish. You'd float the bag containing the fish in the aquarium to balance the temps first.
So if you have a fair amount of dead yeast cells at the bottom of your starter, these could be some dead cells, also it may be a bit of trub from the yeast that the brewery gave you. Treating the yeast as above should hopefully help maximise yeast yield though.
Thanks RR, when I defrost to make a brew, I'll treat it as you say. This was just to see if it was alive or dead.
QUOTE also it may be a bit of trub from the yeast that the brewery gave you
The yeast was direct from a specialist supplier and yet it has a lovely beer taste. It has specks of darker stuff in it. I thought that may have been some sort of nutrient, but maybe it's trub.
QUOTE also it may be a bit of trub from the yeast that the brewery gave you
The yeast was direct from a specialist supplier and yet it has a lovely beer taste. It has specks of darker stuff in it. I thought that may have been some sort of nutrient, but maybe it's trub.
-
Road Runner
I got some yeast from Woodfordes Brewery a couple of months ago. This too had some small dark specks in it.
Woodfordes take the yeast sample from one of the skims they take from primary fermentation. So this will very likely have small particles of possibly hop matter in it that gets pulled to the surface during primary fermentation.
So it's quite normal, nothing to worry about. Couldn't say what your specks are though if it came direct from the yeast supplier and not a skim that a brewery had taken. Obviously a yeast supplier would need to feed the yeast something during the culturing process, so I guess it's something from that process. But I still wouldn't worry.
Woodfordes take the yeast sample from one of the skims they take from primary fermentation. So this will very likely have small particles of possibly hop matter in it that gets pulled to the surface during primary fermentation.
So it's quite normal, nothing to worry about. Couldn't say what your specks are though if it came direct from the yeast supplier and not a skim that a brewery had taken. Obviously a yeast supplier would need to feed the yeast something during the culturing process, so I guess it's something from that process. But I still wouldn't worry.
There is definatly malt and hop flavour in the yeast, interestingly, it was very characteristic of the beers from that particular brewery.
When I asked the head brewer if he maintained his own strain of yeast, he said "no, it's less hassle to let someone else look after it". Im wondering if the specialist yeast company collect yeast from the brewey and acid wash it etc before selling it back to the brewery.
Anyway, I can't wait to brew with it!
When I asked the head brewer if he maintained his own strain of yeast, he said "no, it's less hassle to let someone else look after it". Im wondering if the specialist yeast company collect yeast from the brewey and acid wash it etc before selling it back to the brewery.
Anyway, I can't wait to brew with it!