Question about Harvesting yeast from bottle

[duffman123]

Hey Everybody,

I recently got back from a trip to Prague and managed to smuggle back a bottle of Staropramen's new unfiltered beer. Although it says it uses some wheat in the recipe on the bottle it does not taste like a traditional Belgian or German wheat to me.

I think it tastes more like a traditional Czech Pilsner with just a hint of sweetness/spiciness. I don't think they are using a very estery ale yeast to make the beer but a lager yeast which they do not filter out.

***note, not my image

Anyway, this is the first time I have tried to harvest the yeast from a bottle of beer. I have started but just making a small yeast starter in a 500ml flip bottle and so far so good. I am going to step up to a 2.5 liter starter tonight and use it in the following bohemian lager recipe:

O.G. 1.050
F.G. 1.015
Ingredients
10 lbs pilsner malt
0.75 lb Crystal malt - Light (10-40 deg L) German
0.25 lb Cara-Pils malt
0.375 lb Wheat malt
0.25 lb Munich malt
1.0 oz Saaz* (5.0% aa) - boiled 60 minutes
1.5 oz Saaz - boiled 30 minutes
0.5 oz Saaz - boiled 10 minutes
0.5 oz Saaz - boiled 5 minutes
1.5 oz Saaz - Dry hopped in Secondary Fermenter


Anyway if it turns out that Staropramen is using a ale yeast instead of an lager yeast will this completely screw up my recipe and beer? Is there anything else I should look out for...?

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

If your fermenting at lager temps, check the gravity after a few days. Chances are if its an ale strain it'll be too cold to be active and the gravity won't change very much. If this is the case up it to ale temps. When the beer finishes if it doesn't turn out well, I'd try again using the second possible variable.

 

[duffman123]

Thanks, I hope it turns out to be their lager yeast... If it's successful I definitely plan on washing the yeast and saving it.

I have a feeling that it is a lager strain as almost every single brewery I visited in the Czech Republic was using lager yeast but time will tell.

I will definitely send it out to hbt members if they are interested..

 

[TonyBogos]

Thanks, I hope it turns out to be their lager yeast... If it's successful I definitely plan on washing the yeast and saving it.

I have a feeling that it is a lager strain as almost every single brewery I visited in the Czech Republic was using lager yeast but time will tell.

I will definitely send it out to hbt members if they are interested..

Hi,

Thanks, I hope it turns out to be their lager yeast... If it's successful I definitely plan on washing the yeast and saving it.

I have a feeling that it is a lager strain as almost every single brewery I visited in the Czech Republic was using lager yeast but time will tell.

I will definitely send it out to hbt members if they are interested..

Hi duffman123, do you still remember how did that beer turned out using the yeast harvested from Staropramen bottle? Just harvesting some yeast my self from same unfiltered beer. Thanks

 

[Broken Crow]

Hi,

Hi duffman123, do you still remember how did that beer turned out using the yeast harvested from Staropramen bottle? Just harvesting some yeast my self from same unfiltered beer. Thanks

Welcome to HBT! Sorry though... You just hit the 'dead thread' thing that happens a lot. If you hover your cursor over the user name it'll tell you the last time they were seen on here;

There is hope though, someone else will likely chime in....Dead threads are often fun and sometimes bring updated techniques or ideas.
Please post your own methods and results... I've been contemplating something similar myself.