Making your yeast go farther

[drinkindinkins]

I have been following this forum pretty consistently lately and the idea of making your yeast go farther popped into my head.

I normally make a yeast starter at 1.030 of 1200 to 2000 mL for my beers. Usually you can expect the cell count go from 1 bill to 4 bill, but what if you could take it farther. Is there any way you could keep splitting off the starters, keep adding more wort at 1.030 and keep increasing your cell count? The sticky of washing your yeast seems pretty straight forward but involved and many possibilities for getting infection.

So my question is: what is the limit of multiplying your cell count straight after the purchase? If there is one at all?

 

[broadbill]

I have been following this forum pretty consistently lately and the idea of making your yeast go farther popped into my head.

I normally make a yeast starter at 1.030 of 1200 to 2000 mL for my beers. Usually you can expect the cell count go from 1 bill to 4 bill, but what if you could take it farther. Is there any way you could keep splitting off the starters, keep adding more wort at 1.030 and keep increasing your cell count? The sticky of washing your yeast seems pretty straight forward but involved and many possibilities for getting infection.

So my question is: what is the limit of multiplying your cell count straight after the purchase? If there is one at all?

To what end? Save money from buying yeast, or just add more yeast to your wort?

The simple answer is yes, you can keep propagating yeast from an originally starter. After all, that is how White Labs etc. does it. There are some important caveats to consider, however.

 

[BrotherBock]

Sounds like you're just talking about building a larger than necessary starter for your batch and keeping some aside to add more starter wort to.

Yes, you can do that. Many of us do.

 

[Beer-lord]

I usually make a 3L starter and then before I cold crash it, I put about half of it in 2-3 jars. It's fresh, clean and ready for me to make a tad bit bigger starter out of each for the next beer. I usually do this 3 times and for my $7 of yeast, get 6 or so beers out of it. I could take it further but that's plenty good for me.

 

[rahines08]

How long will the yeast be good in mason jars?

 

[m00ps]

How long will the yeast be good in mason jars?

I've used yeast thats 6months old stored in my fridge. Took a bit longer to propagate in the starter, but fermentation went along fine. I usually try to use within 2-3 months though. As long as its sealed and sanitized I think it should last a long time. I've heard stories about yeast stored for a year...

 

[drinkindinkins]

Yes, to save money. And, in a way of philosophically thinking...another way you are closer to the "homemade" final product.

I think this would be advantageous for a "house beer" or a for a beer that you are attempting to perfect.


It would seem that you could endlessly do this if done right and properly sanitized, but yes i agree...I wouldn't want to do more than a five to eight rounds of propagation.

I am certainly going to try this next time. I am looking to get a house IPA that is somewhat on the cheap. So here is going to be my process...feel free to offer up opinions or suggestions for those who have done this:
Get a starter going of 1 L of 1.030 like normal for a week.
Split in half.
For one of the halves use for the beer: add additional wort to make 1 L and let it stir for additional 3 days or until ready
For the other half: add additional wort to make 1 L and let stir for 1 week, then cold crash until ready for next use.
Now from here...can I simply split the second round in half? Then I would have 2 starters (that would need additional wort and time on the stir plate)?

 

[broadbill]

I am certainly going to try this next time. I am looking to Lget a house IPA that is somewhat on the cheap. So here is going to be my process...feel free to offer up opinions or suggestions for those who have done this:
Get a starter going of 1 L of 1.030 like normal for a week.
Split in half.
For one of the halves use for the beer: add additional wort to make 1 L and let it stir for additional 3 days or until ready
For the other half: add additional wort to make 1 L and let stir for 1 week, then cold crash until ready for next use.
Now from here...can I simply split the second round in half? Then I would have 2 starters (that would need additional wort and time on the stir plate)?

better plan....just do one starter, pitching the packet into 3L of wort. let ferment...done.

I still don't get what you are trying to do "philosophically"...come up with a house strain that is distinct from what you can buy from White/Wyeast?

 

[serum]

I do this quite often. If I have time I'll make a starter that I store in the fridge then take half of it to make a new starter the day before I brew and reserve the rest.

You can also top crop or repitch beer onto the yeast cake from a previous brew. I tried top cropping for the first time last week with a Westmalle yeast that was exploding out the FV.