Whether you are just starting out or want some tips to improve your process, here is GigaYeast's brief guide to harvesting, storing, and re-pitching yeast like a pro.

GigaYeast (Sponsored) Feb 27, 2020 - 8 min read

One of the biggest steps a brewer can take toward better beer and business is to routinely re-pitch yeast. Optimal pitch rates of healthy yeast protect your beer from spoilers, ensuring beer remains consistent and free of off-flavors. It also makes good business sense. Averaging the cost of a single lab pitch across seven to 10 brews will reduce the cost of yeast to just $35–$45 per batch for a 10-barrel brewery, or less than one-tenth the cost of malt alone. Whether you are just starting out or want some tips to improve your process, here is our little guide to harvesting, storing, and re-pitching yeast like a pro.

To get the biggest yield of healthy yeast, follow these tips:

Many brewers dry hop near the end of fermentation. Although harvesting yeast after dry hopping is not a good option, try lowering the temperature to 60°F (15°C) for 24 hours and harvesting before dry hopping. This method works well enough to re-pitch several times, but pay close attention as the quality and quantity of yeast can be affected by harvesting without a proper cold crash.

There are many options for yeast storage vessels (referred to as a yeast brink). A brink can be as simple as a bucket or a keg modified to have a 4-inch TC port for easy access and a 1.5-inch TC port for pitching. Using a standard keg may seem appealing, but trying to pitch yeast through a ball lock or similar keg valve will lead to clogging and frustration. Regardless of your choice, make sure your yeast brink has the core attributes listed below:

Below are three options for ensuring a consistent pitch rate of your harvested yeast. All of them assume that an average yeast slurry harvested from beer is 1–2 billion cells per ml and 90 percent viable. Of course, the ideal pitch rate depends on the beer style, yeast strain, and your process, so use the numbers below as a starting point. Once you get it dialed in, you can stick with it for consistent fermentation.

GigaYeast, Inc. was founded in 2011 to produce perfect yeast for brewers. And by perfect we mean the right yeast, the right pitch rate, and no contamination. We are known for the best customer service in the industry and providing free education to brewers on all things fermentation. Visit us at GigaYeast.Com to learn more.

In The Cellar columnist Patrick Dawson doesn’t just brew beers to age, as evidenced by this flavorful fruit-forward IPA that he’s designed and brewed.

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