| Author |
Message |
    
Hallertauer
Intermediate Member
Username: Hallertauer
Post Number: 260
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 08:34 am: | 
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After brewing on Friday, I decided to skim the head on Saturday and store it in a sterile jar. My plan is to pitch this into a beer brewed next week.
Has anyone else ever harvested yeast like this? My theory is that the yeast coming to the top would be more pure and have less trub.
What do you guys think? |
Paul Erbe
Member
Username: Perbe
Post Number: 164
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 12:58 pm: |
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I think Eric Warner's talks about top harvesting in his books. It is common practice in breweries that use open fermentors. One of the points he makes is that top harvested yeast is cleaner and can be used for many more generations than yeast recovered from the bottom of the fermentor. I don't have the book with me but I believe he stated up to 100 generations?
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer."
-- Frank Zappa
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Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 3043
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 01:15 pm: |
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Warner's advice is appropriate for top-cropping strains but less so for others. It tends to select for the most flocculent yeast. This may result in lower attenuation over several generations. |
Paul Erbe
Member
Username: Perbe
Post Number: 166
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 01:28 pm: |
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The info I was recalling is most likely from his Wheat beer book. Most of these strains are obviously not very flocculent which would account for the number of re-uses these breweries get.
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer."
-- Frank Zappa
|
Chumley
Senior Member
Username: Chumley
Post Number: 3163
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 03:45 pm: |
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I have done this several times with English ale yeast like WLP023 Burton, it works great. |
RJ Testerman
Junior Member
Username: Rjt
Post Number: 85
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 03:35 pm: |
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Could you use a blow off tube to harvest the yeast? I use a sanke keg to ferment. |
Paul Erbe
Member
Username: Perbe
Post Number: 172
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 03:59 pm: |
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As long as you take measures to keep the blowoff collected sanitary.
If you have a large hole cut in the top of your sanke you could also open it and skim with a sterilized spoon.
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer."
-- Frank Zappa
|
Guy C
Member
Username: Ipaguy
Post Number: 237
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 04:31 pm: |
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Jeff Renner does it with true top-croppers. The WL Essex Ale (Ridley's) yeast is his favorite English strain, which is a top-cropper. |
Hallertauer
Intermediate Member
Username: Hallertauer
Post Number: 261
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 12, 2005 - 11:43 am: |
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Thanks for the info. guys. I have the day off on Friday and I think I'll brew one up and pitch the yeast I skimmed.
BTW it's safale 34. Should be top cropping enough. |
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