In-line Yeast capturing experiments

Starting a thread that capture my experience building a yeast capture device in line with the blow off tube. Credit for the idea goes to JZ an Chris White, who documented the contraption in their yeast book.

Doubtless other folks have already figured this out, but I thought a little trial an error would be healthy.

First attempt used a small carboy cap on a 2000ml borosilicate flask from amazon, along with some silicone tubing on the inlet and some reinforced vinyl on the outlet. I boiled the flask w/200 ml of water on the stove (gas only-electric can shatter the flask) to steam sterilize the tubes and the contraption, then sprayed things down with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

I ended up scrapping this one after about 8 hours - blow-off foam kept clogging the neck, and sending yeast straight up the 2nd part of the tube. In attempt 2 I'll use something like a copper or stainless racking tube as the inlet, so yeast will drop in below the choke point.

Edit - reinforced vinyl was way too loose on the outlet - need to use something tighter like 3/8 or 5/16 tubing that will fit the thinner carboy cap outlet. You can see the switch to the smaller tubing in the last picture.

I have done that type of setup many times. Take the top off the flask and just run your tube down into it and cover with foil a few inches up the tube. I just sanitize everything and kind of crimp the foil over it so nothing falls into the flask. Works great.

MachineShopBrewing said:

I have done that type of setup many times. Take the top off the flask and just run your tube down into it and cover with foil a few inches up the tube. I just sanitize everything and kind of crimp the foil over it so nothing falls into the flask. Works great.

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What do you do about overflow?

In a 2000ml flask I have never had any overflow.

Bass used a similar idea a couple of centuries ago. It was called the Burton Union System. They used the blow off from high krausen to add to fresh wort for fermenting. This allowed them to use the same yeast strain batch after batch.

VladOfTrub said:

Bass used a similar idea a couple of centuries ago. It was called the Burton Union System. They used the blow off from high krausen to add to fresh wort for fermenting. This allowed them to use the same yeast strain batch after batch.

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Firestone walker also does a similar process called Firestone Union, but I never put 2+2 together to associate with the flask approach