One way you can Harvest Yeast for homebrewing.

[jamesdizzle420]

what yeast did you use for the surly?

[donosborn]

@jamesdizzle420 I think I just used Wyeast 1056 American ale because I wanted to allow the full flavor of their malt and hops to come through.

[touchsmart0]

remember not to confuse this with your chocolate milk.... you will regret it alot

[MuzekRealm]

lmao, I didn't know Paul Rudd was into homebrewing.

[mithya]

Sub Pop! You must be from Seattle!

[donosborn]

@mithya Nope. But I've listened to my share of Sub Pop bands over the years. cheers.

[b25emt]

How long is it good for in the fridge?

[donosborn]

@b25emt If just doing it like this and not washing, I'd guess a week or two. The goal is to use it fairly quickly. Plan your brew days accordingly. However, I am working on a "washing yeast" video right now. I will have that posted this week. If you wash yeast, you can store it for longer, possibly months. You might want to make a starter with that kind of yeast before using, and make sure it still smells ok.

[DopeDivinity]

Cool Video, thank you. I Love your TapFridge.

[iwatcher69]

that's the what I did to make my cider.

[rdowlingsr]

Im on my 17th batch of beer in 9 months. I guess i got it figured how to make great tasting beer but was looking for a way to save money without spendng money. I think saving my yeast wold be a great way to meet that goal. gonna try it on my next batch. Your video makes it seem easier than the books I have

[yeoitsmatt]

your the man bro. i love your guides. i wanna drink some good beers with you!

[donosborn]

@yeoitsmatt Glad you like them. cheers.

[Rubenozorio]

Great choice of music !

[donosborn]

@Rubenozorio Thanks man.

[lwlampy]

I'm gonna give this a try with my newcastle clone beer, just racked into my secondary.

[medameda80]

hey, nice video. i have a question, how long can i store it in my fridge? greetings from country georgia

[donosborn]

@medameda80 If you harvest it like this I would imagine you could store it for a couple months. Maybe more. If you store it that long, or longer, though, I would recommend making a yeast starter before using it to make sure it is still viable. Also, smell it and make sure it still smells ok. cheers.

[purplemutantas]

Once my current batch of wine is done I will have to try this. Thanks for posting this.

[nzSkitzo]

Unbelievable that fridge is so bad ass !

[NippyScotty]

I havent been on youtube long i have just been brewing about a year

your video,s have been really helpful , thanks

alan scotland uk

[titrationss]

quick Q. when the yeast stratifies and your ready to pitch, should you siphon the lighter top layer? or would you wanna just pour it in mixing a little of both.

[donosborn]

@titrationss Hmm. I might not get exactly what you are asking. If you are racking the old beer as you are brewing the new one, and are just going to be pitching it right away, then I suppose you will just pitch the whole thing. However, if you do it the night before, then the yeast will be on the bottom and beer/water will be on the top. Then you can dump out the water, and dump in as much of the yeast as you like.

[MrStillton]

@donosborn

in the video you say the yeast stay on top. what is the meaning of "cleaning" if you pitch the whole thing anyway?

i thought this method was done to get the good live yeast, and thus getting the best yeast (that survived the last batch best)

[donosborn]

@MrStillton If you are pitching the whole thing,then yes, there is no purpose to cleaning it. I was referring to the OPTION of cleaning or washing the yeast to end up with a higher percentage of "only" yeast and not some of the trub. But most of the time when I do this, I just pitch the whole thing.

[MrStillton]

@donosborn ok, but your response to titrationss indicate that you throw out the yeast and pitch the "sludge"?

"However, if you do it the night before, then the yeast will be on the bottom and beer/water will be on the top. Then you can dump out the water, and dump in as much of the yeast as you like. "

to make a long question short.. should i pitch the bottom "sludge" or the "beer water"?

[donosborn]

@MrStillton I guess it depends on how much volume you want in your carboy. That is, if you ended the day with 5 gallons of wort, I would dump out the beer/water and only pitch the yeast. However, if you ended with 4.75 gallons and you have 1/4-1/2 gallon of beer/water and yeast, then maybe you just pitch the whole thing.  But in general, dumping out the beer/water and only pitching the yeast is probably the preferred approach.

[fuck5ofu]

saving money is never a bad thing. i will try this.

[metallicakicksass100]

You rock bro! Good to see the knowlege is being spread around. I am an avid homebrewer myself and I've heard of this technique but never used it. Good things to know here man.

[rogue1ntegrity]

Thanks for all the videos. This worked well for me, however the fermentation tends to be quite violent.

[psbauman]

Love the Flaming Lips moment ;)

[donosborn]

@psbauman thanks man.

[bjcpc0337]

Pretty straight forward and clear, nice vid. I may try this after my next batch.

[mavallarino]

I think the baby said, "Gimme a cold one paps!"

Great DIY techniques! Your videos are fantastic.

what syphon are you using at 5:00? How and where do you store the yeast after it has been collected?

[donosborn]

@mavallarino It's just a racking cane with the orange cap on the top that allows you to blow into the cap and forcing the beer out, thus starting the siphon. Nothing fancy. As for storing, I just store it for a few days at most normally if I am brewing with it soon (I try to time my brew days that way if I am using the yeast from one batch in the next). Just keep it in the fridge. cheers.

[mavallarino]

@donosborn I was interested in seeing the mechanism. I also use a racking cane with a pump but I don't consider it 100% sanitary. I'm always interested in finding new methods. Thanks and cheers!

[cchotz]

I've never tried this before. I would think using even a small amount of that would cause off flavors in your beer. I know you said use the yeast from a lighter beer into a darker beer. But you still don't get flavors from your first beer throwing off the second?

[donosborn]

@cchotz Good question. I, and I think most people who practice general good cleanliness and sanitation while doing this method, would say no, you do not get off flavors. You could even plan ahead and make sure that you have even less trub going INTO the primary fermenter from the first batch. Or you can also 'wash' the yeast. I have some info on that on my website. donosborn (dot) com and look for Yeast Harvest on the Homebrew Archive page (or send me a message). cheers.

[donosborn]

@cchotz Duh - or you could just check the details underneath the video for links. :)

[dongrahamleone]

Dude... ..thanks a bunch! I have been wondering how to do this and now I know because of you. Keep up the great work!

Do you happen to have any videos on all-grain brewing?

[donosborn]

@dongrahamleone Glad you liked it. yes I do! Search for "donosborn easy all grain" and you should find it. 

[dongrahamleone]

@donosborn Thanks again. I've been reading your website, etc. and I think I'm going to build your cooler rig. That's perfect for me. Just a side question, how many cycles can you go with the same original yeast? I'm guessing it's either once or twice or infinitely.

[donosborn]

@dongrahamleone  I usually only re-use yeast once. You could use it a 3rd time I suppose but I don't know if you would want to go much more than that unless you are doing a thorough washing process.

[Intoxilyzer5000]

I'm so glad there are people like you that post videos on YT. Informative and interesting Thank you.

[donosborn]

@Intoxilyzer5000  You're very welcome. cheers.

[NBABUCKS1]

Phish - Salt Lake City :) Rewarded thier fans for not skipping Salt Lake!

[donosborn]

@NBABUCKS1 Exactly! Thanks for mentioning it. :) You got it. I sampled the Flaming Lips cover version and.... wasn't really digging it. I only got a couple songs into it. I need to give it a listen sometime though. cheers.

[hoppkins]

Did you add any sugars to keep the yeast going?

Thanks

[donosborn]

@hoppkins Nope. Normally if I am harvesting it like this I am going to be pitching it the next day or so into a new batch.

[bigfatkeeper]

Don,

Yeah, I'm an idiot. Thanks for the info.

[bigfatkeeper]

Don,

First, can I trade you a copy of Les Claypool's Frog brigade covering Animals for a copy of that Flaming lips? Awesome! Second, what if I didn't filter my hops real well when starting primary ferm? Can I filter it out when pouring into the growler?

[donosborn]

The Flaming Lips thing is happening this summer, so it has not happened yet. I am not sure how you would filter the hops out w/o taking out the yeast too. But you could "wash" the yeast/hop mixture and that might do it. Click on the links in "more info" on video description to see how. cheers.

[croixboy96]

@bigfatkeeper

That might be Phish November 2, 1998. They covered Dark Side of the Moon and and it sounds like them. Maybe Don could confirm.

[TheLaughableNews]

Cool vid!  Thanks for the help. I'm just starting this procedure and this video will really help.

Quick question - do you just pour the yeast off the top after, or do you need to siphon in out?

[donosborn]

You can just pour. No need to siphon. But click the links in the description to see what it looks like the next day. You pour off the wort/beer on top, and then you can just pitch the yeast slurry. cheers.

[MustachioEdd]

Now this video I did like.  Well paced, informative and interesting.

[CorriganDoug]

Hi Don ,how long can you store that yeast and How do you be shure its good for next time before you pitch it.and is a yeast stirrer nessecary or just a gismo evryone wants

so theoretically one should only need to buy one pack of yeast and never buy any more the rest of your life ??

[donosborn]

If you are only doing like I do above, I'd say 1-2 weeks. If you want to save it for longer, see the links I posted for how to "wash it the Wyeast way." You can save it that way for a couple months I'd think. A yeast stirrer is not a necessary gadget, no. But it is fun to make and does help with yeast growth. You don't want to keep re-using yeast indefinitely as it will get contaminated and eventually change. I only use it twice or possibly up to 3 times.

[moedogger21]

i have seen that kegerator before!

[Nospherith]

Good to see a step-by-step video on how it's done. Would have been epic if you included separation of yeast from trub, but the awesome Sub Pop Records sticker makes up for it.

[unfun72]

been waiting for you to post a video showing this.. good job man.

[texabamabrackish]

Don, do you shake it / agitate the growler right before pitching into your Friday brew? Or just pour off the top half straight out of the fridge?

[donosborn]

@texabamabrackish I pour off the water (see the pic I linked in the description) and then pour the yeast in.

[texabamabrackish]

"Let's just keep it rollin'!"

[pj065724]

Beautious soundtrack!

Thanks for the edumacation.

[xxparsley]

1:08, and the next sixteen seconds.... Don, thanks for these videos. The only reason I brew all grain is because of your all grain how to. Now it looks like I am going to be harvesting yeast. Word.

[texabamabrackish]

Dude, hair's getting long again. And you're rockin' the awesome shirt. I like how you pour out four beauties for the session. I want to try your Surly, too. I'm going to bottle mine hopefully this weekend or upcoming week. Nice wink at 1:24! And we get to see Sawyer rockin' the boil!

Thanks for another highly info-taining video. I'm going to have to recruit you!

[tpm369]

nice, Thanks