Best way to grow a yeast?

Jan 29, 2004 4 Replies

If you want to grow a yeast from the deposit on the bottom of a bottle of a beer that ferments on the bottle, what is the best way to do that? I have tried it with some Westmalle Tripel by adding some water with sugar and i covered it with some cloth, a small Santa hat actually :) By the smell of it there is probably some alcohol in it and there is also an increase in biomass. My problem is that the texture is very different from the original deposit. The original is a fine powder and what has grown is a sort of veil. Is thia the yeast or has it become infected? The smell reminds me of coconut. Appreciate your input!



Marnix


Boil 4 ounces of DME and a dash of nutrient in a quart of water for ten minutes. Let cool (I put my starter wort in mason jars). When it's time to make the starter, make sure the wort and the bottle are the same temperature to prevent thermal shock from killing the yeast. Pour the wort onto the yeast sediment (or in a separate bottle. Aerate and put an airlock on the bottle; it's not as festive as a Santa hat, but it'll do.

Phil

Yea, It seems to me the best stuff to save is from the brewing apparatus, pretentions aside. To get a pure strain, you really need to be careful in how you handle it. There's a lot of sediment that's ripe for the picking to store in beer bottles and whatnot. I'm going to try it with my current brew and see how it goes. It sounds ok what you did, the veil being suspended yeast particles and all, but are you sure it's not bacteria? If it doesn't really look like it, it's a small risk. Really need to use a bubble-trap to be on the safe side. Good luck, Victor

I apologize in advance for asking a dumbass question but...what is DME. I'm sure the answer will make mw feel ridiculous. I think I need a beer.

sorry all "dried malt extract"

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