Culturing Yeast from High Alcohol Beer

It can be done. It just may take several generations to get good, healthy yeast. I'd start with 1.020 wort for the first generation, then 1.040 from there on out. Nutrient doesn't hurt either.

IIRC I've done this with RR beers using 3:1 wort to unfiltered apple juice. This was per the recommendation of Vinnie Cilurzo, their owner/brewer.

 

It's very possible that you will culture viable yeast, but unless you are sure that a yeast was not pitched strictly for carbonation, I wouldn't use it to ferment a clone. High alcohol beers that are bottle conditioned are often conditioned with yeast that was not used for the main fermentation. In fact many beers are conditioned using different strains than the primary one used for fermentation.

 

Any idea what strains would be used in this case? I'm assuming you'd need something that would ferment extremely clean (us05, wlp001, etc) but perhaps it's something different entirely?

 

Ideally you want a floculent strain with the capacity to condition. The beer is already fermented. Unless it is highly agressive it shouldnt change the beer's character.

 

I know I like to cut expences as much as the next guy when brewing. I think a lot of people forget that yeast is 6 bucks a pack (minus ordering online or gas to the LHBS). How much time, energy, apple juice, so on so forth is it worth to you?

 

People like trying different things. Oh yeah and a smack pack costs me $13

 

No kidding? I was recently in Ontario and with the dizzying array of taxes I was paying on everything, I thought you Canucks must be getting your smack packs for free.

 

It's unbelievable sometimes, but at least it's all "FREE". Seriously my car insurance which can only be purchased via the government monopoly is now being used to fund road repairs...

But at least the beer is cheap. No wait, it isn't. That's why I first started homebrewing and now do it because I can't find good examples of most styles. And to answer your other question, I don't believe there are restrictions on homebrewing, just distillation...

 

Depends on the strain. Brett, Lacto, Pedio, all $12 for a smack pack, but yogurt is only $0.70, and I can drink a great Brett only beer for nearly $12 and culture the yeast myself... at least that way I get a great beer with the yeast instead of a smelly foil package.

 

Where do you buy plain yogurt for $.70. I have to buy a bath tub full for $4! Granted I'd try to find a way to cook with it afterwards. Butter Chicken sounds pretty good for dinner tonight.

 

I get the single serving Zoi fat free for around that price @ Winco. Used it to make my own yogurt as well as to culture lacto for brewing. One big problem I had on the last culture was that I used straight sugar water and let it go at 110 but that yogurt has Sacc in it as well and it is straight nail polish remover. I'm probably going to culture the Lacto from Oakshire's Hellshire II since that has too be some crazy bacteria to hit that beer with as highly hopped it is as well as that high an alcohol.