I take a small part of a new WY1272 pack to make a starter with the wort I am using the rest of the pack for. I continue to use a portion of each new batch wort to make a new starters as needed from the original, using the rest of the starter for the new batch. Is there a limit on the number of times I can do this and still have healthy yeast?
Thanks hbrew
I’m not completely following your process.
What I have done when using the same beer for multiple beers is to use the yeast for the 1st beer. Then save it in a quart mason jar. When you need it again, make a starter 1 week before brewing, pulling 3-4 spoonfuls of yeast out of the jar for the starter.
After 6-7 months, toss the old yeast and save the next batch from the fermenter.
Then common number tossed around is you don’t want to go more then 5-6 generations.
If you made 1 batch of beer a month with the same yeast, you could possibly make ~30 batchs of beer from 1 smack pack/vial of yeast.
If you have concerns opening the mason jar that much, you can save the yeast in a pint mason jar, 4-5 of them. And use 1 jar for each new batch of beer.
Thanks for the reply. What I am basically doing is to save a little of my starter to make a new starter to use the next time I need it. Instead of using DME, I use some of the wort that I will use the starter in to make the new starter to be used for the next time. I just continue to build starters from the original without the yeast having to go through a full fermintation process only having to grow cells in the starter process. Not sure if this is good or not in the long term.
I think you will be just fine doing this. And I’ve also heard that you only want to go 5-6 generations, but I’ve never tested that, so it is only what I’ve heard.
I’ve been washing yeast for awhile now, so it is on the lines of what you’re thinking of doing. The only real difference is you collect from the starter and I’ve been collecting after the primary ferment. Quite honestly I’m thinking of starting to collect they yeast from the starter, then I wont have to wash the yeast like I do after the primary.
I tried to use a washed yeast that I had for over a year, but it went bad. I’ve read people using washed yeast that old, so it might have been a sanitation issue or something. I’m also thinking of trying to freeze yeast.
I use a somewhat similar process. Using a fresh pack/vial of yeast, I will make a starter aimed at approximately doubling the cell count. I use half of that to make a new starter for the current batch. I save the other half (~100 billion cells) to be used later in a similar manner, or I separate it out into a few empty White Lab vials (~33 billion cells each) to really stretch the first propagation.
