Washed yeast reuse question

How long after washing yeast do you have to wait until you can use it? Do you have to let it settle out in the fridge for a few days? Or can you just pitch it right away?

You can re-pitch immediately. Here's the 'but'. You need to know how much yeast is in the rinsed slurry.

I was planning on pitching about a quarter of the whole yeast harvest for a 2.5 gal batch of 1.090 wee heavy. I am guessing that will be plenty to ferment that out.

Before you pitch about a quarter of the cake take a look at mrmalty. Under pitching a 1.090 brew may get you a stuck fermentation at about 1.030.
http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast-tools.php

you don;t need to wash the yeast if the new brew is ready to go, just scoop out a cup or whatever mr malty recommends and toss it in the new one. you only need to wash if you're storing it or going to a widely different beer (even then its only like 2% of the volume so not really an issue)

Never heard of only using a quarter of the yeast! I ussually take the entire yeast that I collect and pitch it, but that might be a good idea for future brews, getting an extra 3 batches means a savings of 16.00 if you pay 4.00 for your yeast.

How do you know your yeast starter is going? Would there be bubbles forming at the top or what? Would u even know until I pitched it on my wort?

yewtah-brewha said:

Never heard of only using a quarter of the yeast! I ussually take the entire yeast that I collect and pitch it, but that might be a good idea for future brews, getting an extra 3 batches means a savings of 16.00 if you pay 4.00 for your yeast.

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For a mid-gravity ale (around 1.050), 1/4 of the cake is normally plenty of cells. Pitching that gravity of wort on a whole cake is serious over-pitching.

You can harvest the other 3/4, rinse and store it for other batches.

BigFloyd said:

For a mid-gravity ale (around 1.050), 1/4 of the cake is normally plenty of cells. Pitching that gravity of wort on a whole cake is serious over-pitching.

You can harvest the other 3/4, rinse and store it for other batches.

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Tried this on my Pumkin ale this afternoon. I had about 1.5 inches in a mason jar, I scooped out what I thought was 25%, aprox 2 heaping tablespoons added it to the wort at 2:15 pm, just checked it at 9 pm and there is airlock activity,

the OG was 1.052. so far what you say is true, I am one happy camper.

BTW, this yeast origonaly was safe ale s05, the dry kind, I washed it about 7-10 days ago. I plan on doing 3 more basic ales over the next 3 weeks. I want to try a blueberry, strawberry and possibly orange coriander. we'll see!