Dumping/harvesting cali ale yeast from conical?

[Panderson1]

I was planning on making some starter wort then dumping yeast from the conical straight into the starter/flask. Then throwing it on the stir plate.

This video seems to be what I'm looking to do. Dump off some of the beginning and when it starts looking "healthy" creamy off white/brownish I can use that?

Coming from a 6 gal batch (IPA)

But how much? I'm thinking maybe a cup full? or is more better? And pull the airlock before dumping...

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I would recover all the viable yeast you can since it will be fresh, you can jar up a 4oz mason with the strain and date harvested to use later. Typical yeast cell concentration is 1-4 billion cells/mL. Since it is fresh, it would be safe to say you would be 2-3b/mL. So a 4oz mason jar that settled out to be 2oz(59mL) would have just over 100 billion cells, based off of the 2 billion cells per milliliter. Mind you this is a calculated estimate, but would get you close. YMMV

 

[eric19312]

why the starter?

I do 17 gallon batches but am sure I collect enough yeast from a batch to brew 2 barrels as the next batch. I estimate the cells per mL at 2 billion for nice clean yeast and 1.5 billion if I dry hopped before collecting the yeast. Usually collect yeast on Sunday and brew a week later so viability ends up around 90% depending on which calculator you use.

I do not take the first half cup or so and then I dump into sanitary half gallon mason jar. Need to go real slow or wort just punches through. Usually yeast and beer is pretty foamy so I let it settle for a few hours decant off a bit of beer and top off the jar with another collection. That is more yeast than I will need next batch, rest of the yeast gets dumped and tossed from there.

I guess if I was not going to use the yeast again within a week or so I'd build up a starter. But if we are talking Chico yeast and my harvested yeast wasn't real fresh I'd just use 3-4 packs of US-05 and start over.

 

[Panderson1]

^ hmmm interesting. I guess there is no real need to make a starter (always wondered this). i plan on brewing Thurs so i could just collect in a jar then dump it in the other fermenter as soon as I add oxygen (via tank/stone).

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I forgot to ask that question, @eric19312 beat me. I wouldn't do a starter with slurry unless you were worried about viability(why use it in that case) or you were doing a high gravity beer(in which case, use most of the recovered slurry).

 

[Panderson1]

Thanks. Glad to be back on here and brewing

 

[eric19312]

^ hmmm interesting. I guess there is no real need to make a starter (always wondered this). i plan on brewing Thurs so i could just collect in a jar then dump it in the other fermenter as soon as I add oxygen (via tank/stone).

If you collect the whole cake it is way too much yeast. I end up using about a half a cup per 5 gallons.

Also I started oxygenating after pitching the yeast (not long after but in that order). If I can chill to pitching temps through my counterflow chiller in one pass I will fill my conical half way and then add my yeast while adding in the rest. Then I oxygenate when full. This gets the yeast well mixed with the wort and lets the yeast gave first shot at using the oxygen ahead of wort oxidation reactions.

If I can't get to fermentation temps in one pass (summer ground water and I don't always have the ice for a prechiller) I will fill the fermentor, then let it come to pitching temps. I use a freezer not glycol so it can take a few hours. In this situation I will do a small trub dump before pitching the yeast and then oxygenate.

 

[Panderson1]

Here's another question. how much of a difference (if any) would it matter if I collected the yeast in a jar and stored it in fridge for 4 days vs collecting it right before pitching? Hope that makes sense. Basically does it stay a lot healthier/fresh in the conical? I'd like to dump some before cold crashing just because it's hard to get out when colder. At least in my experience. Not sure about this.

@eric19312 @KeizerBrewr

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I would get it into a jar so it can crash out in the fridge, to decant it from the beer it was on. But really either way would work

 

[Panderson1]

How does this look? I collected the 1st few seconds into a different jar.... So I put this in the fridge and wait to see if i can decant? It looks like mostly all yeast. Would decanting matter all that much? Thanks for your replies....

 

[KeizerBrewr]

That looks fantastic! I would fridge it for now. Then on brew day, pull it out so it can warm up and then you can pitch it.

 

[Panderson1]

Awesome! Thanks. Good to know

 

[Panderson1]

Ok one last question! (lol thanks for the replies). If my next beer is "bigger" shooting for 1.072 is that going to be OK? Use the entire jar? I believe it's about a cup and half of slurry/yeast.....

 

[Panderson1]

[QUOTE="Panderson1, post:

 

[eric19312]

Ok one last question! (lol thanks for the replies). If my next beer is "bigger" shooting for 1.072 is that going to be OK? Use the entire jar? I believe it's about a cup and half of slurry/yeast.....

Nothing wrong with using one of the many available yeast calculators.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/
For that great looking yeast I'd assume 2 billion cells / mL
At 4 days old you should still be over 90% viable.

Assuming 1.072 and 5.5 gallons of wort in the fermentor and a pro brewer pitch rate I'd be looking for 273 billion cells to pitch. That would be about 150 mL of that slurry.