Re-using Yeast After SHTF

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AkCoyote
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Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by AkCoyote »

Hypothetical question. Suppose something happens and Sh*t Hits the Fan and the world ends as we know it. Besides toilet paper, booze is going to be the next thing sought after and we who brew will do just fine when it comes to bartering. Water and grain shouldn't be a problem but yeast is another matter. Unless you are experienced working in a lab and can cultivate your own yeasts, that is the one thing that you will probably run out of. Now I do thin mash continous whiskey mashes all the time and can run 10 batches with no problem. Question is, if necessary, how long do you think that this could continue and would it be possible to freeze some of the wash and re-generate the yeast? Does anyone know of any research on this?
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Im gone »

Yeast is everywhere and people still continue to ferment beverages using wild yeast. You can carefully prepare yeast slants that will keep indefinitely in a laboratory grade freezer.

If you are interested in getting into details about yeast, check out Chris White and Jamil Zainashef's book, "Yeast: A practical guide to beer fermentation."

In short - In the case of a zombie apocalypse, no, yeast will not be a problem.

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AkCoyote
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by AkCoyote »

I not overly concerned about zombies but I live in Alaska and laboratory grade freezers aren't that common and when I say 'SHTF', I'm assuming that there is no power or other creature comfort for a long period of time.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Im gone »

:) In the case that you will not be able to get store bought yeast, there is plenty of wild yeast that will work. Throw fruit and leaves in your wash. Both are covered in yeast. Fermentation will be slower, but it will work.

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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Im gone »

I guess I may be avoiding the question.
You can reuse and propagate your yeast for a very long time, but, it will not stay the same. The yeast will mutate over time without a preserved standard to go back to. So yes, you can keep it alive and usable, but it will change over time.

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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Prairiepiss »

Some say yeast will mutate over so many generations. Some say they don't. Some say they don't work as good in later generations. Some say they work just as good.

Good thing wild yeast will be around. Just in case.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Dnderhead »

from my understanding yeast changes constantly.as soon as it hits the wash it changes .
some say the yeast is "acquainting its self"with its environment.years ago i used "wild" yeast that seem to git better with use..if it did or not I dont know.or maybe just the strongest survive?
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

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Last edited by mash rookie on Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Prairiepiss »

Was that really necessary? :wtf:

And people wonder why we don't have many female members.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by mash rookie »

Prairiepiss wrote:Was that really necessary? :wtf:

And people wonder why we don't have many female members.
Actually it was distastefull although a true story. I have deleted it. This was a case where your oppinion was waranted. Is it really necessary the other 20 times a day? On every post and subject? WTF
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Durace11 »

If you want to culture your own wild yeast in your area, one of my beer brewing buddies tried this at his home and it worked in 1 out of 3 tests, try this.

Make a starter, fill a few bowls about half an inch deep with the starter fluid, cover them with a hop or grain bag so the yeast can float through but bugs cannot just drop in and drink it all up, label the bowls according to when location you choose to put them and place them around the house, barn, garden or whatever. Leave them out for 24 hours or more. Once they start to show signs of fermentation, being them back inside and add them to a jug of a larger starter(seperate starter jugs). As they ferment give them a smell once a day to see if they start to produce off smells. If any of them smell bad dump them, if they are fermenting and smell good or decent, you probably captured a wild yeast that would be good for brewing. Ramp up any good starters and try a full ferment.

My buddy ended up fermenting a Pale Ale using his wild yeast. He went light on the hops so the yeast would show it's full charactistics and it was pretty good.
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AkCoyote
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by AkCoyote »

Thanks everyone. I have a thin mash, a sour mash and some sugar with turbo yeast fermenting now. I think I'll just let them go for awhile (new batches of course) and see what happens.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by 2_Smithereenz »

This is a very interesting topic and a scenario like AKCoyote described isn't out of the realm of possibility. I mean, nobody wants to think about it but I'm sure we all think about a SHTF episode to some degree. Since bakers yeast is reasonably cheap would it keep in storage if a fella was to stock up on it? I've read that it does half a shelf life and after awhile it loses it's punk, but what about vacuum sealing it in bags and freezing it? Course when the electric went out it would thaw. Hmm.... :econfused:

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread and see what kind of ideas pop up.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by jholmz »

watched a discovery channel special on Jim Beam last night and they stated that every batch of Beam ever made was from the original strain of yeast preserved and carried on so logically someone could do the same
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by bellybuster »

being an all grain brewer yeast is expensive, different strains, different flavours. I got sick of spending all that money on yeast so started freezing yeast in glycerin. It protects the cell walls from rupturing during freezing. I have yeasts that Ive been using for many years, all from a single package of liquid yeast.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Andy Capp »

The bakers yeast i'm using now is 12 months out of date. It was 2 months in date when i bought it and i've kept it in the fridge ever since. It still kicks into gear no problems at all.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Dave73 »

This may be a dumb question but if we didnt have yeast couldnt we just use malted grains instead?
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Prairiepiss »

Dave73 wrote:This may be a dumb question but if we didnt have yeast couldnt we just use malted grains instead?
Malted grains are not yeast. The malt may have wild yeast on it. But more them likely it would get started from the wild yeast available in your environment. Because mashing temps would likely kill any yeast found on the malted grains. Wild yeast are all around us.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Dave73 »

is the same true for sprouted corn?
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by bellybuster »

corn is well known for having wild yeasties but as previously said, mashing temps will kill it.
It could easily be cultured but why?
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Dave73 »

Ok, I was just wondering. Im probably not understanding the full implications with not having manufactured yeast my thinking is it wouldnt matter as long as we can get our mash workin lol.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Prairiepiss »

Wild yeast is usually but not always. Not as strong as bought yeast. Tend to work slower. And not real good on high gravity ferments. And its a luck of the draw if you can get them to work. And work good. The flavor profile may not always be the same either. And if the wild yeast doesn't take hold quick. It leaves it susceptible to infections.

I think your cornfusion comes from some older less knowledgeable accounts found throughout the net. In order for you to have a ferment. You have to have yeast. They are what eats the sugar and piss out alcohol and fart CO2. Without yeast bacteria will take over. There are many ways to get yeast into your ferment. But the most reliable is store bought. Or from a starter culture you know has good working yeast in it.

Sprouted corn only has yeast on it because. It picked it up from its surroundings. Sprouting corn or any other grain doesn't produce yeast. They are just present all around us. Some are good some are bad.
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by Dave73 »

thanks for the clarification there. I never really paid it much attention before but Im trying to learn more. I always just did the same recipe the same way all the time LOL. Its time to broaden my horizons
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Re: Re-using Yeast After SHTF

Post by GuyFawkes »

After SHTF I think yeast may be the least of your worries. People are talking about having no power so you can't freeze em...... well okay, no power also means no pumps, no electric elements, no other electric accessories you use on your still. Unless you plan on running your still from firewood and have a worm condenser and year round access to water cool enough to suit your needs, you couldn't still at all.

I would say you either need a source of electric power after SHTF, or you're sunk from the start. If you can manage a power supply (be it solar, wind, whatever) then you can freeze your yeast.

Still, it still leaves the issue of what you're going to get sugar from. Unless you're a sugarcane or corn farmer, you are not going to have ready access to enough fermentables for long.

It's not a quick, simple fix. The issue of "prepping" isn't as easy-peesy as the TV shows want you to think. In the actual event of a catastrophe, those who survive will have a deep wealth of knowledge to rely on..... gathering up crap you think you'll need is just horse manure companies selling aforementioned crap want you to think. In my opinion, either be damn sure SHTF is coming and at that point totally invest in prepping, or don't bother, because if you half-ass it you're just wasting your time.
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