Reusing yeast

[MaxTheSpy]

Ive been looking into different fermenters to get the lees out of my Mead and I found Conical fermenters, Im looking at the 3-6 gallon range and The price isnt too bad, it mentions harvesting yeast strains as a big feature.

What does this mean, Does this mean I should re use the yeast in the Lees or is it more for beer? Ive always just bought a new packet of yeast for .99 every time I brewed a new batch.

Any information or advice on this would be fantastic!

 

[Blacksmith1]

from what I understand, at first racking the lees contain a lot of viable yeast. what ever you pitched. you can use it for the next batch, or to make a starter for the next batch. obviously it will only survive for so long without the right conditions but it is no different from the dry packet other than it needs no rehydrating as it's already wet. Seems to me it would be easier to use as it is starting out as active yeast. how to separate it from the dead ones (if necessary) I don't know.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

from what I understand, at first racking the lees contain a lot of viable yeast. what ever you pitched. you can use it for the next batch, or to make a starter for the next batch. obviously it will only survive for so long without the right conditions but it is no different from the dry packet other than it needs no rehydrating as it's already wet. Seems to me it would be easier to use as it is starting out as active yeast. how to separate it from the dead ones (if necessary) I don't know.

Hmm, that would be the question, I can't find any conical fermenters that are 3-4 gallons with any good reviews, I found one but its pretty 50-50 And the glass ones are all 6-9 gallons and almost 200 bucks. Which I guess is fine but I'm not making that big of a batch.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You're not doing yourself any favors by reusing dry yeast.

Racking is the easiest & most cost-effective way to remove lees.
Get a quality 3 or 5 gal glass carboy or PET bottle.

Cheers

 

[ebbelwoi]

My impression is that they save money for beer brewers, especially those who use liquid yeast, which can get quite expensive. You might not see much savings if you're using 5g packets of Red Star yeast or something similar.

 

[RPh_Guy]

they save money for beer brewers

That's debatable, but otherwise, yeah I agree it's not effective to reuse cheap dry yeast.

There are always viability concerns and contamination concerns with reusing yeast. Beyond that, there are better or cheaper/easier ways to propagate or harvest yeast than draining it out of the bottom of a conical.

 

[Maylar]

Mead puts a lot more stress on yeast than beer does. Often we approach or even exceed the alcohol limit of the yeast. The stuff in the bottom of your fermenter is tired.

 

[bernardsmith]

Totally agree with the thrust of this discussion. If you are using an exotic strain of liquid yeast that is released once a year by a lab and it's important that you be able to harvest the yeast then OK, but dry lab produced yeast is ten a penny and unless you NEED the excitement that contaminated and stressed yeast can produce then pitching a sterile pack of yeast may be the better approach. But that said, I occasionally use the lees from a low ABV mead as my "barm" for a next batch. But then, I am looking for the added complexities that this yeast can impart...

 

[beer-me-now]

Just a comment for anyone making small batches (2.5 gallon or less) and using liquid yeast.

Make a 2 liter starter with 6oz honey and 1.8 liters of water plus the pouch/vial of yeast and leave it on the stir plate for 2 - 3 days. On "brew" day pour 1 liter into a sanitized jar and refrigerate with the lid on loosely and save it for next time, pitch the other 1 liter into your must.

Next time I make mead I take the 1 liter jar from the fridge, remove most of the liquid (80-90%) without disturbing the yeast and then make a 2 liter starter with the jar yeast just as before. I have had 0 problems using this starter method from 1 pouch of 1388 to make 6 individual 1 gallon batches of BOMM mead so far over a 3 month period.

Batches 5 and 6 were Bochet BOMM with Vanilla Beans and Cocoa Nibs in one and Bourbon Soaked Oak Cubes in the other - both hit 18.1% and are tasting amazing at just 5 weeks old.

I like this method personally for small batches instead of harvesting or re-pitching from stressed or used yeast. I can stretch 1 pouch of liquid yeast easily over and over again by decanting half from my starter as long as I am making small batches.