Propagation from a conditioned bottle

[Robert Biasetti]

Wondering if anyone propagated yeast from a conditioned bottle. If so, how was it done? What were the steps for getting enough viable yeast to pitch into wort?

[Soup]

Never from a conditioned bottle (well maybe depending how long it was in the warehouse and on the shelf)/ Any way propogating from any bottle really would be the same.

I would setp up your starter for a week and a half so 1 cup DME (I used table sugar with good results) to 4 cups water.
Pitched yeatst after the water was cooled enough. I added a toothpick head sized drop of ovlive oil. This is suppose to help.
Ever three days I would cold crash it, siphon of the "pent" wort, and fresh wort. sinced you do not want to make beer but rather have the yeast reproduce, I added wort + an additonal half every time I stepped it up to try to intice the yeast to reproduce not just eat. so 1:4 sugar to water the first time, then 1.5:6, etc

My starter was done in a growler, no stir plate, but I did keep it on a heating pad, as unlike beer the fermentation temps do not matter as all you want to do is provide optimum reproductive conditions.

[Robert Biasetti]

Thanks Soup. What about reusing yeast cake...if a cake (first generation) was stored in the fridge, how long would it keep? I've read that it should be used within 2 weeks. I've also read that it can be used several months later as well. If it were used months later, would you make a starter from a portion of the cake to see if it was still viable?

[Soup]

I would make a starter with the intent just to wake up the yeast. I wouldn't expect the cake to grow much but start to get their appitite back and re-awakened.

I have several cakes in my fridge months old of VSS strains. These were made with yeast that I had kept for a year or so before brewing with. Each one sbegan with a starter. I have to imagine they will stuill be viable and once plan to bre with them again will do the above. But if the yeast cake was a common (1056, etc. I would consider just starting fresh with a new vial and a starter.