How many generations?

[Billy Gimmick]

Hey howdy!

I heard Jamil say that re-pitching is awesome up to the 5th generation and then it falls off after that. Is this true for both ale and lager yeasts for the homebrewer?

Thanks BN

Billy

[thomscottson]

i usually don't repitch.

If I want to save some yeast for future brews I make a bigger starter and take some yeast off of that. I keep it in the fridge and then I make another starter before I use it.

[morticaixavier]

I'll repitch on occasion. usually because I am brewing a really big beer and want the cell count so I'll brew a smaller beer first and use part of the cake.

I've gone three generations with no problems. I only stopped because I didn't have anything else planned with the same yeast so it was more trouble to keep it than buy more later.

Pro brewers will often go many many generations (20+) although there is not always a good parallel with homebrewers.

Generally though, if you give your yeast the nutrients they need (lots of DAP and FAN) and are careful with sanitation you can safely repitch many more times.

I know a homebrewer that has been using the same culture repitched regularly for 20 plus years.

[dmtaylor]

I have never gone more than 3 generations... but one day I'll try it. It should work fine for many generations. Both lagers and ales. You can discard most of the yeast and just save a little from each batch, as opposed to racking on top of an entire yeast cake every time, which some people like to do but any nasty stuff isn't discarded when you do that. So just save a little and discard the rest, and roll.

[BDawg]

Most I went was 3 also, so I can't really help. I know that lots of guys use far more.

[Millhaus]

I am on my third generation of a lager yeast. I probably wont go another repitch as the next beer is going to be an ale.

One thing I like about repitching is that I am learning how this yeast acts in my fermentor. Really helpful for repeatability.

[Ozwald]

It depends on how you treat/rinse/clean your yeast. I've ventured into 20+ territory. It can be done. Rinsing correctly & nutrient are key along with the standards of good cleaning & sanitation. Harvesting from a solid, controlled ferment is pretty important too.

The fail safe I used was to harvest, rinse & separate into 2 cultures. Grow them both back up & repeat. You'll have several branches going from the original strain. Some aren't going to do well & you get rid of them. I came up with a system to keep track of which branch & generation each strain was, just to keep them all straight.

If you're looking for the easy way to do it, buy a new vial every couple of gens.

[Bad Goat Brewing]

If you listen to the first Anchor Brewing show I believe Anchor said they had not bought/cultured a new yeast pitch in 20 years. They just acid washed and reused. I myself have never used more than three generations in a row, but that's only becuase I brew often enough to keep the yeast fresh.