Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

I want to start washing too, but if I am going to be brewing something that uses the same yeast that I just used previously, why not just rack it on top of that yeast cake!

Travis:

Here's the basic method that I use to harvest & wash yeast, I think Papazian has a write up in one of his books, too:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yea...strated-41768/

The only difference is that I don't use mason jars to store my yeast, I use beer bottles topped with an airlock. They take up less room in the frig and I can keep them in a 6-pack holder. The advantage of this method is that the yeast goes dormant but stays fresh for up to...6?...months, I think. I've re-used yeast that was 12-18 months old before, it just takes the starter longer to get going.