Beer Forum

I was looking for a mini conical to use with my yeast starters (like a mini V-Vessel) when I cam across a cheap option that seems to work perfect. I use a 1L Dr Pepper bottle (style w/~60 sloping neck), a “tornado tube” (connects 2 soda bottles together), and an empty White Labs tube.

Here’s how I do it. I make my starter and put it on the stir plate until its done fermenting. Then I connect the soda bottle to the empty white labs vial via the tornado tube. I pour my starter into the Dr p. bottle using a funnel and a small hole drilled in the bottom of the soda bottle and put it into the fridge. All the yeast settles into the white labs vial. I use my flask to hold my mini conical upright in the fridge (soda bottle upside down w/vial right side up in the flask). Then to remove the yeast, I unscrew the soda bottle (over the sink, ask me how I know) from the tornado tube (it can be a mess if not done quickly) pour a little liquid out of the tornado tube so the liquid level is below the mouth of the vial, unscrew the tornado tube and cap with the orig. white labs cap.
Now I have a full vial of yeast to pitch into a small starter to wake them up for the next batch, or I can store a lot of yeast in a small space without loosing a lot of it when trying to decant. I can also get a good measurement of how much yeast I am actually pitching.
Sorry All for the long post but this is some thing that has made it a lot easier for me to store yeast!!

If anyone has any questions I will post pictures.
Also, if anyone knows of a ball valve that can be screwed onto soda bottle threads pls let me know.

not sure what you want the ball valve for, but why not use an in-line plastic ball valve with flare ends that you can hose clamp onto your "tornado" hose? http://morebeer.com/view_product/18869/

The tornado tube is like a plastic fpt x fpt fitting but it is soda bottle threads not female pipe. i cant attach any hose to it.

I would like to have a ball valve so i can close it after my yeast has settled out and then pour off the liquid (keeping the yeast trapped in the vial) instead of having to try to unscrew the soda bottle and having it dump all over my hands.

Im looking to do a mini v vessel type thing just for yeast seperation.

the yellow tube in this picture is what he is talking about. This Idea is pure genius. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/1507.

ah, so it's literally a tornado tube. neat.

What about a garden hose, type fitting?. One side of the fitting is threaded, and the other is flared. Maybe the 1/2" would fit a soda bottle thread?
http://www.doityourself.com/invt/0267922

Then you could use 2 of these, with a hose and flared ball valve in between.

I'm interested in seeing some pictures of this thing in action. Do you have any idea of the cell density in the white labs tube when this process is done?