Yeast is getting hard to get, whose starting to make more yeast?

[deuc224]

Whats good everyone, just to be more clear, my LHBS is starting to have a hard time getting yeast or people are starting to hoard it. So I was talking to the guy there and he said just get one and make a big starter and just split that into separate vials and then when ready to use, make a starter for that one and pitch it. Ive never thought of doing this but does it actually work? If so how do you store the yeast? What is that glycol/water mixture about? Do you store it in plastic tubes or just mason jars? Thanks for any help cuz i dont wanna be stuck with a bunch of grains and no yeast to brew.

 

[Stand]

Overbuild your starters.

Use this to calculate:Homebrew Dad's Online Yeast Starter Calculator

Fill a sanitized mason jar with some of your starter and use that to grow your next starter.

 

[Stand]

If you use a ton of yeasts look at the guide on yeast ranching here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/maintaining-a-healthy-yeast-bank-long-term.678997/

 

[day_trippr]

I'm only going to be in trouble if I need a strain I'm not farming via overbuilds...

Cheers!

 

[Vale71]

I have enough yeast to make enough beer to last me through summer. If yeast hasn't become available again by then then I'm afraid we'll have much more important things to worry about...

 

[V-Fib]

I've been saving the yeast cake from my most common strains in mason jars. When I'm ready to use them I make a starter and go with it. The viability drops quick according to the online calculators but I have been able to use yeast that sat in my fridge for about a year. Obviously not best practice but in desperate times we have to do what we can.

I tried keeping strains frozen in tubes using glycerin but the cost in DME and time to build up one tube was more then I viewed as practical at the time. There are loads of youtube vids on ways to save and reuse yeast.

 

[soccerdad]

I don't brew enough to keep multiple quantities of multiple strains. So I double build. But that I mean, I have strain x, I build a double sided starter, keep half and pitch half. The next beer that uses strain x, I do the same.

 

[Stand]

I keep frozen stocks because I don't brew that much.

Yeast I used last week I froze December 2018.

 

[soccerdad]

Can anyone confirm the notion that yeast is getting scarce?

 

[Stand]

Might be a localized thing.

Probably a result of increased homebrewing, but I have not seen it.

 

[bracconiere]

hmm, i grow big 10 gallon starters in 10 gallon batches of barley malt tea.....i even drink the starter!! i'm still thinking of trying wine yeast....

 

[VikeMan]

i'm still thinking of trying wine yeast....

What are you thinking of doing with it?

 

[Stand]

I bought like 10 packs of Montrachet yeast when I was making Edwort's Apfelwein. I should pull some wort from my next brew just to see what happens.

Now I want to make cider again... hmmmm...

 

[VikeMan]

I bought like 10 packs of Montrachet yeast when I was making Edwort's Apfelwein. I should pull some wort from my next brew just to see what happens.

I don't know about Montrachet, but if it's like many/most wine strains, it won't ferment maltotriose, which would cause a not very well attenuated beer. But for a little experiment, why not?

 

[enkamania]

I do the mason jar method with a pickle pipe lid. I pitched a California yeast yesterday that was almost 6 months old. Did a vitality starter 4-5 hours before pitch.

 

[bracconiere]

What are you thinking of doing with it?

making beer?

I don't know about Montrachet, but if it's like many/most wine strains, it won't ferment maltotriose, which would cause a not very well attenuated beer. But for a little experiment, why not?

i add gluco.....as long as it's got good flocc, i'd be fine.....

 

[AzOr]

Top crop. I just did this for the first time in 20+ years of home brewing And was blown away by the amount of milky white yeast.
I’m convinced I could make 3 or 4 batches from the 16 or so oz I collected.

 

[Vale71]

Can anyone confirm the notion that yeast is getting scarce?

Stock is definitely running out in Europe. As most of what's available is imported from the US it could be either a supply issue or a shipment issue, with air transport between the two being basically shut down.

 

[soccerdad]

Something I noticed is that More Beer now has the dried form of Voss Kveik. They say Kveik will live forever, so if you like it, you can either over build of save from the trub .. For a long time.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Stock is definitely running out in Europe. As most of what's available is imported from the US it could be either a supply issue or a shipment issue, with air transport between the two being basically shut down.

Dried beer yeast is pretty much all made in Europe, 25 White Labs strains now come from their place in Copenhagen although I think the Vault strains only come from the US - since last September Copenhagen production is all organic so has a green label and an "-O" at the end of the strain code :

And there are other suppliers appearing like Wicklow. But generally the homebrew supply chain is under a lot of strain at the moment, one British retailer had 10x their usual orders placed on the day it was announced the pubs were being locked down and from what I hear business hasn't faded away. So there will be all sorts of strains as the supply chain adjusts to the new normal - as with other things like bread flour, volume will be shifting from wholesale to retail, and that takes time to adjust to. At least from a homebrewing POV there's a huge volume of supply that's not being needed in the wholesale/brewery market due to the lockdown of pubs and bars so there's product available, the challenge is about getting it packaged into retail formats and into the hands of retailers.

 

[Vale71]

The organic product line is only available to commercial breweries unfortunately, thus confirming that as European homebrewers we're entirely dependent on supplies coming from the US. I haven't checked on the availability of dry yeast as I use liquid exclusively and I hope I don't get so desperate as to have to resort to dry yeast!

 

[Stand]

Dry yeast has improved significantly from where it was years ago. I felt the same way, but I've started incorporating some dry yeasts lately. Really been pleased with the results.

If White Labs is able to switch over to smaller packaging for homebrewers, it's hard to believe they won't follow the demand.

 

[Dhagey90]

Possibly due to all the people stuck at home and brewing who just started again or are new.

My local shop was out of a common liquid yeast from White Labs and Wyeast. I had to wait for it to be shipped there which took a couple days. I just started an oversized starter for the first time. I’ll post results when it’s done.

 

[deuc224]

Nice, I just ordered yeast from Williams cuz no one has everything i need at one site, im actually missing wlp 530 but I can wait on that as its not in my immediate plans to brew, just gathering the stuff slowly on that one.

 

[brewswithshoes]

outside of Omega yeasts I've been able to find everything I've been looking for. I agree with the comment above that it's not all available in one place, but it is there for purchase. I just picked up 3 packs of the Lallemand Voss and some of their diamond lager strains that are all on sale at morebeer. Dry kveik yeast and on sale - I'm in !!!!