Yeast Starter, Yeast Propogation, & Bottle Culturing Part 2

In the second of a two part series, we describe how to pitch a packet of yeast to a yeast starter, then culture a sample of that yeast by streaking it on to a plate. We then innoculate a 10ml sample of starter wort with a single colony of cultured yeast. Finally we pitch the dregs of a La Fin du Mond bottle in hopes of propogating that yeast strain.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Yeast
• Starter
• Beer
• Brewing
• Bottle
• Culture
• Propogation

[airscrew1]

Good video but maybe next time show some close ups of the petri dishes. I used to culture Mushroom spores and that is far more difficult than culturing yeast. To be honest I'm more sloppy than you when propagating yeast but I never get a bad batch of beer.

[subasavage]

@airscrew1 This is but one of many (infinite?) ways to "skin the cat", as they say. I have had VERY good results with this method so I thought I would share. As with everything in life, this is but a tool you can choose to use, or not, for your practices (YMMV!). Happy brewing.

[Aargh28]

Thanks a lot for posting these videos. I brew a lot of mead and I've been wanting to maintain my own yeast cultures for quite a long time. Your methods put home yeast culturing into reach for a much wider range of people. In my previous lab experience it has always seemed like these procedures couldn't be done without very expensive hoods/storage devices.

[subasavage]

@Aargh28 Many thanks for the kind words! I am certainly honored to be of (albeit small) assistance in promoting excellent fermented beverage production. Cheers!

[JustWonderingHowToDo]

On 4:50 you talked about 'bio'-starter wort. What exactly is this?

When you have fermentation in that little 10 ml tube, how to you step it up to get for example a 2 liter starter.

[subasavage]

@JustWonderingHowToDo Sorry for the confusion, I said "vial" of starter wort (the 10 ml tube). My standard procedure is to let the 10 ml vial sit for 2 days (maybe only 36 hours if you see clear activity). Check for activity by giving it a single shake and then slightly opening the top (careful here - it may try to gush out). From there I go to a 100 ml flask of wort for ~24 hours. Then I step up to a 1 liter flask (volume steps of 10x), again for 24 hours. Repeat to desired final volume.

[ENOCK360]

Love the video. I have been reading Yeast by Jamil Zaineshef and Chris White but it always helps to watch somebody show you how its done after reading about it.  I would love to see a full video of you stepping up a culture from 10mls to a 2 liter starter.

[AdamCanFly]

Wow! This is a great video! It seems like there is no limit to how deep one can go into this great hobby! I've done 5 all grain brews and I think one of my next steps will be reusing yeast. I'm going to favorite these videos for reference. Thanks for posting them!

[ninjaryder1st]

ahhh, good ole Malassezia fur fur.. environmental contaminant.... u should show us how to make plates and what ingredients you use.

[subasavage]

I would be open to it except I've made an international move (to Chile) and there is NO beer here whose yeast I want to culture. If you are used to doing a yeast starter and know how that starter changes "color" (to cloudy off-white) as more yeast are grown, you can use that same indicator when bottle culturing. Pitch dregs to ~100-200 ml starter wort and leave for 2 days. Then pitch to ~1L and look for the color change. If none, the yeast was not viable, otherwise, you're good to go!