Yeast

Introduction

Yeast is easily one of the most important flavor contributor for most beers. If you use the wrong yeast, you are not likely to get the results you're looking for (unless you get there by accident, or, if you really know what you're doing, and you're intentionally aiming for a variant of a more "standad" beer style, by design).

Remember: Brewers don't make beer...YEAST makes beer. Brewers basically just put everything in the right place at the right time for the yeasties to make what the brewer is aiming for. (Ok, that's a bit of an oversimplification, but as a very general concept, it is true.)

My Yeast Bank: RIP

I used to have an extensive yeast bank. Too extensive, in fact, for me to manage properly after my first cancer destroyed my energy levels. I couldn't keep the slants up-to-date, and it eventually just ended up a total loss. I may revive it at some point, but for now, I'm checking out some of the Wyeast strains to see how they compare with the old Brewtek strains. If I'm not satisfied with the Wyeast equivalents (specifically for CL-170, CL-200, CL-450, CL-690, and CL-920), I might be looking to restart it with only those Brewtek strains. So if you have all of those, and are willing to send me a master slant of any/all of them, please contact me at jtmp2 AT outlook DOT com. No, this is not my normal e-mail address, but it's so heavily filtered against spam, I might miss your e-mail.

Major Topics Covered Here

• Yeast Strains and Yeast Labs

• Using Yeast For Brewing - HOW you use yeast is just as important as choosing the right yeast. This section gives an overview of the life stages of yeast, things that impair the yeast's health (and thus, have a negative impact on your beer), and finally, how much yeast you should pitch into your batch of beer.

• "Yeast Nutrients Make Fermentations Better" by Christopher White, Ph.D., from White Labs. (7/9/2008)
  (local copy) In this document, White describes why you SHOULD be using yeast nutrients. Basically, while you can usually get an adequate fermentation (with the odd stuck fermentation here or there), you can get better, faster, cleaner, better-attenuated fermentations, avoid stuck fermentations, and have healthier, more viable yeast, by the simple addition of a small quantity of inexpensive yeast nutrients.

• Basic Stuff You'll Need For Yeast Culturing

• Making Starter Wort - Before you can make any yeast starters, you will need some starter wort. You can print this section out as an instruction sheet to work off of.

• Making Yeast Starters:
  • Making Yeast Starters From Wyeast/White Labs Packs/Vials
  • Procudure for Starting Yeast from Slants

• Maintaining Your Own Yeast Bank - you can save money on yeast, have more (and probably better) choices, and ultimately, brew better beer. Keeping your own yeast bank, or using a club yeast bank, etc., is a great way to improve your beers and save money at the same time.

• Making Agar Media for Yeast Culturing

References on Yeast, Yeast Culturing, and Yeast Maintenance

• Yeast Culturing Practices for Small-Scale Brewers (Karl King, Brewing Techniques, May/June 1994 issue) - This is a good overview of brewing using yeast smack packs (etc.), yeast from slants, and has a paragraph or two on making your own agar plates and slants.
• "Characteristic Flavors From Yeast (And Their Relationship to World Beer Styles)" - This is an old (about 10 years old) document that I wrote during a local BJCP study group. It covers the basic concepts at a relatively simple level (i.e., no organic chemistry).
• Making Plates [and] Slants from German Brewing Techniques - This is a GREAT step-by-step reference on making plates and slants.
• Yeast Propagation and Maintenance: Principles and Practices (formerly Guide to Yeast Culturing for Homebrewers) (MB Raines, Ph.D., Maltose Falcons Home Brewing Society, Los Angeles) - Explains everything from what yeast is to its life cycle to yeast culturing, media preparation, and so on. This one document probably covers everything I was going to write on, and more....
• Yeast Supplemental Material - From the American Brewer's Guild - includes general information in yeast handling, yeast harvesting, etc.
• Yeast In Brewing from ProBrewer.com; by Sylvie Van Zandycke, PhD, Lallemand Brewing.
• Simple Detection of Wild Yeast and Yeast Stability (Rodney L. Morris, Brewing Techniques, May/June 1994 issue).

Contact: spooky130u AT gmail DOT com.