How many times can you save and repitch yeast? As long as your sanitation is really good. Is there something to watch for? Do different strains make a difference?
Thanks
As long as your sanitation is good and the yeast are treated well (proper aeration before pitching, kept at a good temperature, etc), then there is no limit to how long they will perform well. Traditionally, breweries kept their own proprietary strains, which were simply harvested and repitched from batch to batch, and kept this going for decades. Part of the key to doing this successfully though is never letting the yeast sit for too long between uses.
That said, the way you will know that your yeast is no longer good is if you end up with a bad batch of beer. A lot of people aren’t confident enough in their ability to keep things sanitary and healthy over a long period (or like me, just don’t use a given strain often enough), and thus take the safer (and more expensive) option of buying new yeast every few batches.
Thanks for the info Rebuilt.
