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Measuring gravity and stopping at the right time

Couldn't you just crash cool and collect the yeast? I just made a starter of Kolsch yeast and after 3 days in the fridge I am pretty sure most of the yeast is in the bottom.
 
grathan said:
Couldn't you just crash cool and collect the yeast? I just made a starter of Kolsch yeast and after 3 days in the fridge I am pretty sure most of the yeast is in the bottom.

In theory, yes.  In practice, some yeasts are very resistant to crashing.  Many of these yeasts require very low temps (28-30F) in order to actually drop out.  Not everyone can get their beer that cold....I can't.  I have a cold-room that I keep at 45F.  I do all my fermentation in this room, and store my kegs in there too.  I do not have a freezer. 

A belgian blonde that I just finished using WLP500 never did floc out.  I left it for 4 weeks.  And, I swear it was just as cloudy after 4 weeks as it was during active fermentation.  I finally kegged it with gelatin to drop the yeast. 

Kolsch yeast is not as resistant as WLP500.  But, clarifying a starter in a flask is much easier than clarifying a 5 gallon fermenter.  The inverted cone of a flask helps to restrict vertical circulation.  Plus, the starter is only a couple inches deep...not the 18-24" of a fermentation.  The deeper the vessel the longer it takes to clear. 


 
Beerfun: Great Post!!!
I have a question as to how you maximize your generations of yeast. Do you wash after a fermentation? Or do you separate a starter?
 
MikeinRH said:
Beerfun: Great Post!!!
I have a question as to how you maximize your generations of yeast. Do you wash after a fermentation? Or do you separate a starter?

No to both of those questions. I don't have a lab (or even space for one), either. It would be easier and more reliable, if I did. Plus I'd get at least twice as many generations. Once a fresh pitch is used, it never sees open air again. It is aseptically transferred from batch to storage and back into the next batch.

Here are my control points

A: Sanitation at every stage.
B: Most of the trub is bypassed, leaving clear wort going to the fermenter (see the pic)
C: Yeast nutrient in every batch (high zinc)
D: Harvesting the creamiest, healthiest portion of the yeast cake from the cone
E: Lots of O2
F: pH monitoring of fermentation
G: Limiting my selection to one ale and one lager strain
H: Both beer and yeast are kept at proper temperatures for their stage of the process

*pic came out sideways. Sight glass should be on the bottom and the fermenter cone is on top.
 

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Take the advice of the original response. You never want to stop a fermentation. the yeast needs time to go back and clean up all the off flavors they produced during the primary fermentation. You can control the final gravity/ abv of the beer by adjusting mash temps and picking yeast strains that attenuate to the level you desire. Sounds like you need to pick up a copy of John Palmers "How to brew" and read it cover to cover.
 
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