Olemate Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I have used a stepped starter (500ml/1000ml/1500ml) to reactivate Coopers Commercial yeast from 3 x APA stubbies. As a result I have a very healthy covering of yeast which covers the bottom of my 3L flask. I did decant some wort off the yeast prior to each step up, So I have 1.5L wort on top of the yeast. Would it be OK to decant, say, 500ml wort, stir up the rest and pour into 2 x 500ml containers? Would I have enough viable yeast for 2 x 23L ale brews? Opinions, suggestions greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 If you had a 3L starter I would have said definitely. A 1.5L starter i would only use on one batch as I find the CCA is a yeast that does better slightly overpitched. But others would disagree with me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olemate Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Thanks mate, I'm a fan of overpitching. Perhaps I should grow it a little further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 (edited) +1 to what Greeny said. Harvest slurry from the full brew you pitch this into once it's fermented out. It will likely yield a good volume of viable yeast depending on what original gravity you pitch this stepped up starter into. Good luck with the brew. Lusty. Edited October 12, 2018 by Beerlust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 In my opinion you dont have enough for 2 brews. I would do 1 more round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 1 minute ago, Titan said: In my opinion you dont have enough for 2 brews. I would do 1 more round. Whoops, I missed reading that part. I agree with Titan & only use on one brew. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Fill a stubby or similar for a future brew. Assume you've used a stirplate to bring cell count up? By stepping up in 3 stages you'll have more cells than if you'd pitched directly into 1500 ml of wort. I store yeast in reagent bottles or vials for long term storage and being graduated I can easily read volume of clean yeast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I was looking into reagent bottles for this reason. Think I might grab a few when I’m in Perth next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olemate Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Thanks lads. I have 2 brews in FVs at the moment so I'll do as suggested and store in the fridge, then maybe use a small starter before pitching the lot into my next brew. Dang!! Reagent bottles, would have been a snack to "acquire" way back when I was working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Just on reactivating the CCA yeast again. I've done it twice before with great results. Made one up last nite with 6 pale stubbies, 600ml.of previously boiled water and 60g of sugar. Have realised this morning that I used castor sugar instead of normal table sugar. The plastic bottle hasn't firmed up at all after heaps of shaking and it doesn't appear that the yeast has reactivated at all. Should I add some more regular sugar and does castor sugar not work as well in these due to it being more refined? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 I thought caster sugar was just finely ground regular sugar. Could be wrong though. Give it a little bit more time to see. What date were the bottles in the 6 pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Not sure I've already thrown them in the recycling bin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elLachlano Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Yeah, if anything, 60g of caster suger would equal 60g normal sugar. The weight will be the same but volume would change due to it being more finely ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 48 minutes ago, karlos_1984 said: Not sure I've already thrown them in the recycling bin It may take longer if it was older bottles. You want as fresh as possible. Wait it out mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Yes, caster sugar is exactly the same as normal table sugar, just more finely ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 There seems to be a bit of activity this afternoon. It's releasing gas when I crack the lid after shaking so it appears something is happening. Looks a lot darker than the last 2 batches of yeast I've done. Maybe it was an older 6 pack after all ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I pitched this batch of yeast yesterday morning about 10am, at 18 degrees. Fridge was set to 18, had a hit water bottle in there overnight but it dropped to 16.9 degrees. Have put another hot bottle in this morning to bring it back up to temp. Nil signs of any activity. How long until I should bite the bullet and chuck in some rehydrated lot yeast? I'd be surprised if this CCA yeast is gonna spark up anytime soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Wait till tomorrow morning. I think you will get up and see some activity. Just be careful next time to get the freshest bottles. It does make a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Is the fridge or the brew itself at 18? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Inkbird set to 18 degrees. Probe is up against the fv behind some stubby holder material, taped in place. Was back up to 18 degrees this morning after adding a hot water bottle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Cool. I sometimes find ale brews drop down below 18 during the lag phase, but usually only a degree or so. Once fermentation kicks off they go back to desired temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 It's held 18 degrees all day with the hot water bottle change over at about 9am. I think it's kicked off now, just went to change the hot water bottle and there's a couple pyramids of Krausen forming that weren't there this morning and I can see it bubbling away. Hopefully the heat from fermenting will last until Monday and my heat belt turns up in the post, the hot water bottle is a PITA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) Yeah I'm glad I don't really need heating here. Usually i use an Erlenmeyer flask of boiling water if I do. It'll maintain temp during active fermentation so you'll be right for a few days without any need for heating. Edited May 10, 2019 by Otto Von Blotto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughty Corner Brewing Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 A question for all of you CCA experts here. I’ve got my next three brews that I’d like to use the CCA yeast on. If I do a “normal” reactivation using the “skaken not stirred” method, is it possible to harvest from that, or should I just pitch all of it, then harvest from the trub of that for the next brew? The first one is only an 11l brew, the next couple are 23l batches. They are planned to increase in gravity slightly, but not by a huge margin. Adding a red back onto every batch just for yeast doesn’t make much sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 On 6/11/2019 at 3:15 PM, NewBrews said: ... or should I just pitch all of it, then harvest from the trub of that for the next brew? This. Has worked really well for me in the past. Cheers, John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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