There has been plenty of discussion of yeast slanting in various threads, and I know there are other slanters here on the forums, but I have not seen a definitive thread which walks through the process step by step. So, last time I prepared some slants I took some photos and decided to post a tutorial here.
Although it is an advanced technique, yeast slanting has some advantages. You can share yeast strains easily by exchanging slants. Each yeast culture you buy can be used to make 25 batches or so without re-using yeast. You can save platinum/seasonal yeast strains for use year-round. You can harvest yeast from a brew buddy's starter to add to your library. Or if you go to the trouble of bottle harvesting yeast you can save it for future use. As long as you are very careful with sanitation while handling yeast slants, the risk of a contaminated batch is very low -- especially if you compare this technique to re-using yeast from prior fermentations.
I didn't make up all this stuff myself. There are some good resources out there on the web, so be sure to check them out as well before you get started. To name a few good ones:
Making Plates Slants - German Brewing Techniques
Yeast/Culturing - Brewiki
Culturing Yeast and Using Slants
Yeast Propagation and Maintenance - Principles and Practices
Although it is an advanced technique, yeast slanting has some advantages. You can share yeast strains easily by exchanging slants. Each yeast culture you buy can be used to make 25 batches or so without re-using yeast. You can save platinum/seasonal yeast strains for use year-round. You can harvest yeast from a brew buddy's starter to add to your library. Or if you go to the trouble of bottle harvesting yeast you can save it for future use. As long as you are very careful with sanitation while handling yeast slants, the risk of a contaminated batch is very low -- especially if you compare this technique to re-using yeast from prior fermentations.
I didn't make up all this stuff myself. There are some good resources out there on the web, so be sure to check them out as well before you get started. To name a few good ones:
Making Plates Slants - German Brewing Techniques
Yeast/Culturing - Brewiki
Culturing Yeast and Using Slants
Yeast Propagation and Maintenance - Principles and Practices