Yeast settling/trub dumping question

[phillip_h]

I brewed an IPA on Sunday (4 days ago), and I have been dumping the trub one 64 oz jar at a time over the last couple of days. The beer has been in my temp controlled conical at 65ºF and primary fermentation is finished.

My question is: when does this yeast (WLP001) typically flocculate and drop? This will be my first attempt to harvest yeast, and I'm hoping that I haven't dumped a significant amount along with the trub. I have been letting the sediment in the jars settle out, but I still can't really tell the difference between yeast and trub.

 

[eric19312]

I don’t have a conical and don’t worry about true. I actually suspect this is advocated in order to sell conicals but if I had one I guess I’d try doing it.

My thinking is US05 is a mix of closely related yeast which explains differences people see between this and the other “Chico” yeasts on the market. Some of the yeast in the mix are more flocculant than others. The early floccing yeast do one job, the late floccers do something else...last couple of degrees of attenuation perhaps. So if you start collecting the yeast early, you will under harvest the late floccing population, and the resulting yeast may perform differently than desired.

Next time I’d try removing trub very early. Maybe at 12 hours. Then leave it alone till all the yeast has dropped. If you get a bit of trub with your yeast just trust me it won’t matter.

 

[phillip_h]

I don’t usually worry about trub, but I wanted to dump it this time since I’m planning to harvest the yeast and I don’t want to deal with washing it and I also don’t want to dump a ton of trub into my next batch.

 

[Bubbles2]

So Conical was designed for commercial and re using yeast. However there are Pro breweries and those who've written books who state that beer ferments better on a flat cake. Remember just because it is settled at the bottom does not mean it's done working.... In other words there is more work the yeast is doing even thought it has settled or flocculated.
As far as storing to re-use.... A mason jar washed and sanitized with a bit of beer atop will suffice for a few months in the fridge... I like Youtube for that there is a guy Gray or Grey furnaceman on youtube you can watch him harvest and save trub for re brews. He went from pressure cooking/washing the bottles to a dishwasher/ starsan cleanse of the jars. Yeast is pretty durable, it is the "free yeast" you don't want.
i think your beer would have a better finish and richer taste if you let the yeast clean up on the cake amigo.
I'm new at this, however I do read a lot.

 

[seatazzz]

I just tried washing yeast for the first time, and it's looking pretty good so far. All I needed was some cooled boiled water, a growler, and the slurry from my kegged (today) beer which fermented well. Saved some wort from the Brown I brewed today for a starter for next brew day, will make it something simple and cheap in case it doesn't work, but I'm feeling pretty positive it will be okay. Do NOT know why I haven't tried this before.

 

[Bubbles2]

A Seatazzz some like to wash it, and some feel that an infection is less likely when left under a layer of the beer it came from. Due to the fact there is alcohol in that left over layer. Just something to delve into.

 

[Calder]

A Seatazzz some like to wash it, and some feel that an infection is less likely when left under a layer of the beer it came from. Due to the fact there is alcohol in that left over layer. Just something to delve into.

Alcohol is actually bad for yeast, and if it gets too high, the yeast will die. The reason why it is beneficial to leave the yeast under beer is because of the low Ph of beer which helps to protect it.

 

[Bubbles2]

The Alcohol in the BEER. First sentence.