storage of yeast / bacteria between batches

[Kershner_Ale]

How are you guys storing your yeast between batches? Say you spend all this time experimenting and testing and finally find a 'house strain' of yeast and bugs you like, you don't want to dump it and start over after the beer is ready for bottling / kegging. If you're not immediately ready to pitch the next batch of beer onto the yeast slurry, how are you preserving said slurry?

I was thinking of bottling the slurry, purging with CO2 and refrigerating. Any issues with this?

Thanks!

 

[microbusbrewery]

That should work as long as you reuse it fairly soon. When you say bottling, I'm assuming you mean in a capped beer bottle. Assuming so, the only thing I'd caution is make sure there isn't any residual sugar so you don't end up with a bottle bomb.

I store most of mine in mason jars in my beer fridge. Sometimes I'll store some in White Labs vials. I think there was a BN podcast where they talked about storing brett and said it actually does better if you store it at room temp rather than at fridge temps (opposite of sach strains). However, I haven't noticed any issues with mine. I'll occasionally feed them by decanting the liquid and adding fresh wort.

 

[m00ps]

I always harvest yeast from an ovebuilt starter. I decant my starter and fill a white labs vial or sanitized jam size mason jar with the yeast before pitching. Ive been doing this for over a year and have multiple strain +10 generations old and its been working fine. Ive waited over 8 months in between using some and they need a bit more love to get going but they still do fine in the end

 

[secondbase]

I store mine in sterilized mason jars in the fridge and haven't had an issue.

 

[sweetcell]

I think there was a BN podcast where they talked about storing brett and said it actually does better if you store it at room temp rather than at fridge temps (opposite of sach strains).

that was chad yacobson of crooked stave on the BN's sunday session.

however, some recent experiments have shown the exact opposite of what chad advocated: http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Brettanomyces#Storing_Brett

based on these findings, i've taken to storing my brett (and my brett + bug mixes) in the fridge. i take it out every few months to pour off some of the beer on top, feed it, let it ferment out for 2-3 weeks, then back in the fridge it goes.

 

[LostBoyScout]

I store most of mine in mason jars in my beer fridge. Sometimes I'll store some in White Labs vials. I think there was a BN podcast where they talked about storing brett and said it actually does better if you store it at room temp rather than at fridge temps (opposite of sach strains). However, I haven't noticed any issues with mine. I'll occasionally feed them by decanting the liquid and adding fresh wort.

When you decant and feed, are you covering with tin foil or similar? And then put the lid back on after it's ate the new sugars?

 

[microbusbrewery]

When you decant and feed, are you covering with tin foil or similar? And then put the lid back on after it's ate the new sugars?

I'll actually just screw the lid on loosely. Basically finger tight, then back it off about 1/8 to 1/4 turn, just enough that it can vent and not build up pressure.

that was chad yacobson of crooked stave on the BN's sunday session.

however, some recent experiments have shown the exact opposite of what chad advocated: http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Brettanomyces#Storing_Brett

based on these findings, i've taken to storing my brett (and my brett + bug mixes) in the fridge. i take it out every few months to pour off some of the beer on top, feed it, let it ferment out for 2-3 weeks, then back in the fridge it goes.

Oh cool, thanks for the link. That's good to know that I'm not harming them by storing them in the fridge.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I have a question for those harvesting after primary. Are you just washing like you do with Sacc? I have some Brett Brux sitting in a Better Bottle waiting for new wort tonight but I left it in there at room temp under some beer because I was planning on brewing much sooner. I was actually just trying to look into how people handle excessive trub build up in roeselare brews over two or three batches.