McMullan
wort maker
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2015
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Just thought I'd share this, in case anyone wants to try something similar. I usually top-crop ale yeast. Harvesting lager yeast for repitching is something new for me. I'm hoping to get a better fermentation repitching more healthy yeast
So, I don't drink much lager, but I've been enjoying a personal challenge to make some I'd be happy to serve, especially during the hot summer months. Basically, I've been brewing half batches and fermenting them in what were redundant 19L corny kegs. After transferring the beer to a 9L keg for lagering, the remaining small volume of beer was tapped off until the keg 'blew'. I gave the keg a good swirl then put it on its side, tilted towards the top with the gas post at 6 o'clock. Left it sitting there for a while, maybe 30 minutes or so, before connecting a collection bottle. I use a floating dip tube for beer out and a shortened gas dip tube so I can drain all sanitiser from the keg. I realised the shortened gas dip tube is going to help collect yeast slurry, too. Well, some pictures explain it better:
Concentrated active yeast slurry under CO2 (no oxygen) stored in the fridge, ready for repitching tomorrow.
So, I don't drink much lager, but I've been enjoying a personal challenge to make some I'd be happy to serve, especially during the hot summer months. Basically, I've been brewing half batches and fermenting them in what were redundant 19L corny kegs. After transferring the beer to a 9L keg for lagering, the remaining small volume of beer was tapped off until the keg 'blew'. I gave the keg a good swirl then put it on its side, tilted towards the top with the gas post at 6 o'clock. Left it sitting there for a while, maybe 30 minutes or so, before connecting a collection bottle. I use a floating dip tube for beer out and a shortened gas dip tube so I can drain all sanitiser from the keg. I realised the shortened gas dip tube is going to help collect yeast slurry, too. Well, some pictures explain it better:
Concentrated active yeast slurry under CO2 (no oxygen) stored in the fridge, ready for repitching tomorrow.