Beer Forum

how many times can you repitch a tube of yeast before you start running into trouble? I've done up to six. I put some nutrient in a bottle and collect the yeast from my primary and cap, bada bing. I know this is as about as hillbilly as you can get. Is there a better way?

Generally what I've heard from most breweries is they will pitch up to 10 times.

Two major reasons you don't want to keep pitching beyond this are 1) mutations and 2) contaminates. Mutations will change many of the fermentation factors, flavor being only one of them. You also have increased contamination issues w/ successive pitches. You will never have a completely clean sample. As long as the population of unwanted organisms remains low, you'll be OK.

This is from my blog.. ioniaales.com

"Anyone that has made some beer knows that a bunch of extra yeast is created, and generally thrown away. After you have fermented your beer and the yeast clumps together and falls to the bottom of the fermenter, a brewer can either pour fresh wort right on top of the “yeast cake” or the yeast cake can be collected in a sanitized mason jar or jug.
In general, I believe yeast harvesting is easier for those using buckets for fermenters, rather than the glass carboys. Not only can you collect the yeast from the bottom of the bucket after transfering the beer to another vessel by using a measuring cup or anything similar, but you can remove the lid during fermentation and scoop the kreusen into a sterile/sanitized jar.
I just did this with my second batch of 3787. Since i didn’t have any DME (dried malt extract) to make a starter for my newly harvested yeast, I dunked an oldstyle can in sanitizer and poured the beer in with the yeast. The yeast will be very happy in the sterile, low alcohol beer and can last for months.
Another of my strategies to make a single purchase of yeast last for quite a while was to brew a beer, ferment it out, transfer while making another beer, remove a fwe cups to a zip top baggie to save in the fridge for later. Pour fresh wort untop of remaining yeast in the fermenter. Do this several times..

Generally, one should make darker beers on sucessive use, and increasingly bitter, or at least, shouldn’t do the opposite. If you can use it within the first 10 days or so you can just set the baggie out and let warm up a bit, then pitch the whole thing. Up to 6 months, and you should make a starter . In my experience. - I’ve limited buying yeast…
it’s helping to keep costs down, it adds up after 5+ batches."

I generally don't reuse yeast more than 2 or 3 times. It's not because of mutations or lack of viability. It's because I play around with totally different beer styles so much that I keep needing different kinds of yeast. I have 3 yeast slurries in the fridge right now, but my next brew will be with even another variety. I have 3 different smack packs also in the same fridge.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

I wanted to push this topic back to the top, as I am about to try and repitch/reuse yeast I current am using.
I have a APA (about 10.60) fermenting right now, on Sunday I planned to rack it to a carboy... that same day I was planning to brew the same beer and after cooling and areating (sp) pouring the wort onto the fresh yeast cake.
That sound about right? Short and sweet?
tia (Thanks in advance)

So are most of you guys pitching right on to your primary cake and not your secondary cake? Two of the reasons I have heard to do this is, your not getting all that trub, and that the yeast that make it to secondary are more viable yeast, they hung in there longer. A lot of the yeast in the primary is yeast that fell out early becasue they weren't as viable as the ones who make into the secondary to fall out.
I plan on repitching next week from secondary. Anyone think of a reason why I should restrain my repitches to the primary. I am just using US-56, cheap enough but I want to get warmed up for the pac-man in the fridge and get it ready for a barley wine. I'm thinking pitching the 3rd generation pac-man to a barley wine. Good idea???

[quote="kace069"] and that the yeast that make it to secondary are more viable yeast, they hung in there longer. A lot of the yeast in the primary is yeast that fell out early becasue they weren't as viable as the ones who make into the secondary to fall out.

I've actually heard the exact opposite. It is the yeast at the end of secondary (by the time you are ready to get it out) that is the most beat up. It has been through the ringer the most. I pull it out when i transfer from primary to secondary as this yeast has had the least amount of stress put on it.

Tutor wrote:I wanted to push this topic back to the top, as I am about to try and repitch/reuse yeast I current am using.
I have a APA (about 10.60) fermenting right now, on Sunday I planned to rack it to a carboy... that same day I was planning to brew the same beer and after cooling and areating (sp) pouring the wort onto the fresh yeast cake.
That sound about right? Short and sweet?
tia (Thanks in advance)

Yep, that's how I do it most of the time.

Lately I have been planning all my beers in pairs just so I can do the same thing. Right now I have a rye cream ale fermenting. A bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter will go on that yeast cake. I will soon be doing an ESB followed by an oatmeal stout on that cake. Friday I am doing a clone of New Glarus Belgian Red with some Wy3787, but haven't a clue as to what I want to do with that cake yet. Maybe a tripel.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company