Bluestone liquid yeast

[Spursman]

Just read an article about this company who make various strains in Melbourne. Packs are said to be around $20 and are claimed to be reusable up to 10 brews.

I would like to support Aussie business and would be keen to hear if any of our fraternity have tried these packs and results.

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

Yeah have seen them stocked at a few places. Haven't used one yet. But good to see an aussie company going against the White Labs, Wyeasts and Imperials of the world. Not sure if they are any different strains from the ones the big guys have in there range. Repitchable up to 10 times is interesting. Seems to be saying there's is higher purity or something. Anyway you can repitch any yeast 10 times if you look after it correctly.

[Tricky Micky]

Interesting. 

https://bluestoneyeast.com.au/home-brewer/

10 X uses sounds a lot to me, but then again I've been having trouble re-pitching just the once. 

[terminal2k]

They gave a bunch to our homebrew club and the beers I got to taste in which it was were pretty good.

[Nannaspeed]

Drinking a pilsner now, fourth beer from the original Pilsen pack, no starter required, solid ferments and consistent 1009 finishes. 3 jars of slurry, about 750ml total for the 3 after original pack direct pitch. Loving this yeast for rich, malty lagers but will try their Stuttgart for summer lagers, hopefully fermenting down to FG1006, crisp and refreshing.

On my third use of San Diego American Ale. Really happy with it. I'd eventually gone off US-05 and was a Nottingham fan for ages, but these current beers- a summer ale with lots of wheat and medium hopage rates, a Pale ale with lots of Amarillo and Simcoe and a super tasty highly hopped West Coast IPA have me sold. 150ml slurry pitches for beers 2 and 3, fast and faultless. 

Made in Melbourne by two brothers with ideal working backgrounds to understand and succeed in this business, fast and hopefully refrigerated transport around the country, a heap of choice for us and the pro brewers, awesome.

[Spursman]

On 12/21/2022 at 6:08 PM, Nannaspeed said:

Drinking a pilsner now, fourth beer from the original Pilsen pack, no starter required, solid ferments and consistent 1009 finishes. 3 jars of slurry, about 750ml total for the 3 after original pack direct pitch. Loving this yeast for rich, malty lagers but will try their Stuttgart for summer lagers, hopefully fermenting down to FG1006, crisp and refreshing.

On my third use of San Diego American Ale. Really happy with it. I'd eventually gone off US-05 and was a Nottingham fan for ages, but these current beers- a summer ale with lots of wheat and medium hopage rates, a Pale ale with lots of Amarillo and Simcoe and a super tasty highly hopped West Coast IPA have me sold. 150ml slurry pitches for beers 2 and 3, fast and faultless. 

Made in Melbourne by two brothers with ideal working backgrounds to understand and succeed in this business, fast and hopefully refrigerated transport around the country, a heap of choice for us and the pro brewers, awesome.

Great to hear. 

Sent them an email asking who stocks their stuff on the Sunshine Coast but didn't get reply. 

[Spursman]

On 12/21/2022 at 6:08 PM, Nannaspeed said:

Drinking a pilsner now, fourth beer from the original Pilsen pack, no starter required, solid ferments and consistent 1009 finishes. 3 jars of slurry, about 750ml total for the 3 after original pack direct pitch. Loving this yeast for rich, malty lagers but will try their Stuttgart for summer lagers, hopefully fermenting down to FG1006, crisp and refreshing.

On my third use of San Diego American Ale. Really happy with it. I'd eventually gone off US-05 and was a Nottingham fan for ages, but these current beers- a summer ale with lots of wheat and medium hopage rates, a Pale ale with lots of Amarillo and Simcoe and a super tasty highly hopped West Coast IPA have me sold. 150ml slurry pitches for beers 2 and 3, fast and faultless. 

Made in Melbourne by two brothers with ideal working backgrounds to understand and succeed in this business, fast and hopefully refrigerated transport around the country, a heap of choice for us and the pro brewers, awesome.

Question for you. Are you washing the trub before reusing?

[Nannaspeed]

No washing. I leave a layer of beer in the fermenter (approx. 10mm) and swirl to mix. Most of the yeast will lift before the whole lot gets mixed in and it should be the consistency of cream, pouring slowly through the tap. I use graduated 500ml jars, filled to the top, lid on but not fully tightened, straight to the back of the shed fridge. When they settle there is usually 250ml of yeast slurry with beer on top. Next use, pour off most of the beer, smell it's ok and pitch. All 3 for lager yeast. (Coopers fermenters, 21lt. batches usually 1044 to 1050 OG). I've kept Lager yeast (W34/70 and Diamond) and direct pitched 3 months later which is longer than recommended, not ideal but has been faultless for me.

Ale yeasts I try and re-use within 6 weeks. After that I chuck and start a new pack or make a starter. At similar OG to above, and if only 2 or 3 weeks old, 100ml to 150ml is heaps of slurry (doesn't look like enough, and it took me a while to trust it would be). I know that more is getting into way overpitch range, with bland, washed out cloudy beer I don't enjoy. I've found the second to fifth use to be the best beers of the run. I will try the Bluestone for longer maybe....

The jars are dedicated for this job, spotlessly clean and sanitised, not just an old vegemite jar from under the sink. Labeled and dated, this works really well for me. Zero issues over 5 years. The only bad batches I've had have both been with new packs of dried yeast.

 

[Spursman]

2 hours ago, Nannaspeed said:

No washing. I leave a layer of beer in the fermenter (approx. 10mm) and swirl to mix. Most of the yeast will lift before the whole lot gets mixed in and it should be the consistency of cream, pouring slowly through the tap. I use graduated 500ml jars, filled to the top, lid on but not fully tightened, straight to the back of the shed fridge. When they settle there is usually 250ml of yeast slurry with beer on top. Next use, pour off most of the beer, smell it's ok and pitch. All 3 for lager yeast. (Coopers fermenters, 21lt. batches usually 1044 to 1050 OG). I've kept Lager yeast (W34/70 and Diamond) and direct pitched 3 months later which is longer than recommended, not ideal but has been faultless for me.

Ale yeasts I try and re-use within 6 weeks. After that I chuck and start a new pack or make a starter. At similar OG to above, and if only 2 or 3 weeks old, 100ml to 150ml is heaps of slurry (doesn't look like enough, and it took me a while to trust it would be). I know that more is getting into way overpitch range, with bland, washed out cloudy beer I don't enjoy. I've found the second to fifth use to be the best beers of the run. I will try the Bluestone for longer maybe....

The jars are dedicated for this job, spotlessly clean and sanitised, not just an old vegemite jar from under the sink. Labeled and dated, this works really well for me. Zero issues over 5 years. The only bad batches I've had have both been with new packs of dried yeast.

 

Big thanks for the detailed description.

Just gotta find a stockist now!

[Shamus O'Sean]

10 hours ago, Spursman said:

Just gotta find a stockist now!

Keg King is one.

[Marty_G]

On 12/23/2022 at 11:30 AM, Spursman said:

Big thanks for the detailed description.

Just gotta find a stockist now!

Pretty sure "Hoppy Days" at Virginia stock it. 

 

[Spursman]

On 12/23/2022 at 9:06 AM, Nannaspeed said:

No washing. I leave a layer of beer in the fermenter (approx. 10mm) and swirl to mix. Most of the yeast will lift before the whole lot gets mixed in and it should be the consistency of cream, pouring slowly through the tap. I use graduated 500ml jars, filled to the top, lid on but not fully tightened, straight to the back of the shed fridge. When they settle there is usually 250ml of yeast slurry with beer on top. Next use, pour off most of the beer, smell it's ok and pitch. All 3 for lager yeast. (Coopers fermenters, 21lt. batches usually 1044 to 1050 OG). I've kept Lager yeast (W34/70 and Diamond) and direct pitched 3 months later which is longer than recommended, not ideal but has been faultless for me.

Ale yeasts I try and re-use within 6 weeks. After that I chuck and start a new pack or make a starter. At similar OG to above, and if only 2 or 3 weeks old, 100ml to 150ml is heaps of slurry (doesn't look like enough, and it took me a while to trust it would be). I know that more is getting into way overpitch range, with bland, washed out cloudy beer I don't enjoy. I've found the second to fifth use to be the best beers of the run. I will try the Bluestone for longer maybe....

The jars are dedicated for this job, spotlessly clean and sanitised, not just an old vegemite jar from under the sink. Labeled and dated, this works really well for me. Zero issues over 5 years. The only bad batches I've had have both been with new packs of dried yeast.

 

Thanks again for the info. I've just started a lager wort with Morgans Premium Lager Yeast which I intend to reuse. You mention swirling the trub and that most yeast lifts off before the whole lot gets mixed. Is it an issue if the whole trub ends up in the slurry or should I try to just get the top layer only?

[Nannaspeed]

No problem with a bit of trub in the mix.

[Shamus O'Sean]

5 hours ago, Spursman said:

Thanks again for the info. I've just started a lager wort with Morgans Premium Lager Yeast which I intend to reuse. You mention swirling the trub and that most yeast lifts off before the whole lot gets mixed. Is it an issue if the whole trub ends up in the slurry or should I try to just get the top layer only?

No problems if you get trub in there.  I swirl the whole lot up and pour out the fermenter tap into 3 Mason jars.  That’s enough for three new brews.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Shamus O'Sean

[Spursman]

2 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

No problems if you get trub in there.  I swirl the whole lot up and pour out the fermenter tap into 3 Mason jars.  That’s enough for three new brews.

I've got a 1.5 litre mason jar which, I guess, I could fill on it's own and pitch the whole lot back into the next lager. 

Kinda like doing a "dirty batch" really.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

7 hours ago, Spursman said:

Thanks again for the info. I've just started a lager wort with Morgans Premium Lager Yeast which I intend to reuse. You mention swirling the trub and that most yeast lifts off before the whole lot gets mixed. Is it an issue if the whole trub ends up in the slurry or should I try to just get the top layer only?

What temp did you brew it at? Just for the record no morgans tin contains a true lager strain of yeast.

[Spursman]

1 minute ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

What temp did you brew it at? Just for the record no morgans tin contains a true lager strain of yeast.

Not Morgans. I used a Coopers Canadian Blonde with the Morgans yeast. Pitched at 18° then gradually reduced to 13° over 24 hrs.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

36 minutes ago, Spursman said:

Not Morgans. I used a Coopers Canadian Blonde with the Morgans yeast. Pitched at 18° then gradually reduced to 13° over 24 hrs.

ok so morgans not mangrove jacks? Did it ferment out completely? unless things have changed I was told only 12 months ago that there was no true lager strain of morgans yeast. Not even hybrid they were all straight ale strains.

I was making enquiries about their ginger beer kits and finally got a hold of someone from the company so found out as much as I could.

Edit you just started this brew? think you may get away with 16 degrees but at 13 I think you will stall unless ramp it back up. Unless you have done this with this yeast before I think you better turn temp back up its an ale strain.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Uhtred Of Beddanburg

[Spursman]

Well the packet said Premium Lager yeast.  Recommended range 12 to 18°.  Seems like lager to me.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

1 minute ago, Spursman said:

Well the packet said Premium Lager yeast.  Recommended range 12 to 18°.  Seems like lager to me.

From a  tin of their goo? If not disregard this I was only trying to help if that's the recommended temp on packet go for it. 

They obviously sell yeast seperate from the tins or have gone the other way than coopers and started adding lager yeast not removing. Happy brewing

[Spursman]

Just now, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

From a  tin of their goo? If not disregard this I was only trying to help if that's the recommended temp on packet go for it. 

They obviously sell yeast seperate from the tins or have gone the other way than coopers and started adding lager yeast not removing. Happy brewing

Not from the tin. Bought separately off the shelf.

Thanks for your concerns about this. I could have been up poop Creek if you happened to be correct.

Canadian Blonde is my favourite kit but, being curious, I wanted to see if a better yeast would make a better beer.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

48 minutes ago, Spursman said:

Not from the tin. Bought separately off the shelf.

Thanks for your concerns about this. I could have been up poop Creek if you happened to be correct.

Canadian Blonde is my favourite kit but, being curious, I wanted to see if a better yeast would make a better beer.

yes it goes well with a lager yeast after a bit of age have done it myself. Just for future reference there Is no morgans kit with a lager yeast in the tin if you do grab one. 

 

[Spursman]

On 1/4/2023 at 6:22 PM, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

yes it goes well with a lager yeast after a bit of age have done it myself. Just for future reference there Is no morgans kit with a lager yeast in the tin if you do grab one. 

 

Thanks mate. 

All brewers should take note of Uhtred. His mum was a Viking shield maiden queen who knew a bit about brewing, aptly named Lagertha.

Legend has it she also refined the wild yeast from her husbands jocks to create a fast acting strain. All because her husband demanded "make me some beer Kviek smart!"

 

[Spursman]

On 12/23/2022 at 9:06 AM, Nannaspeed said:

Ale yeasts I try and re-use within 6 weeks. After that I chuck and start a new pack or make a starter. At similar OG to above, and if only 2 or 3 weeks old, 100ml to 150ml is heaps of slurry (doesn't look like enough, and it took me a while to trust it would be). I know that more is getting into way overpitch range, with bland, washed out cloudy beer

Nannaspeed - thanks for your instructions they worked great for the lagers. I'm now onto Australian Pale Ales. Just confirming that I only need up to 150mm for each reuse collected from the previous brews not the original slurry ?