Author Topic: Feeding Spent Yeast  (Read 2063 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline sc-bee

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 132
  • Thanked: 7 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: SC
Feeding Spent Yeast
« on: March 03, 2017, 03:11:28 pm »
I know this has been discussed several times and I have searched the threads. But I still have some questions and I may have missed the answers, highly likely but I did make an attempt.... :o

I have located a source of spent brewers yeast. I actaully called to try and see if they ordered 50lb bags of yeast for brewing and if could get on board the yeast wagon. Lets you know what I know about brewing cause it seems they order about a liter of yeast (starter) that from the way he described is a slurry/ liquid (I may have misunderstood the slurry part) but still a concentrated liter of starter that did about 35 brews. I told the brewer what I needed the yeast for and he offered me the spent yeast. I think he said about 3-4 gals every two weeks or so.

So from my search-
-So I have read dry it in the oven
-Dry it in a dehydrator
-Grind it too powder? How? Is anyone familiar with the form I will be getting? Does it need to be ground and if so how?
-After dried will it store in pails sealed for long periods? (As in prepare it now for next fall/winter)
-Can I sun dry it in the SC heat we will soon get?

So I am looking for detailed instruction on how to get get this stuff in a form bees can use. I am a bit slow so hand feed me.... right iddee  :yes: Is it worth the hassle sounds time consuming? And of course as iddee knows we have quite a bit of early pollen anyway...So just trying to evaluated the idea and process.

Thanks
Steve
 

Offline Mikey N.C.

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1393
  • Thanked: 76 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Cameron N.C.
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2017, 05:11:39 pm »
Is yeast what ya need? ????
Isn't that manmade for brew or natural like in the hive ?

Offline sc-bee

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 132
  • Thanked: 7 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: SC
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2017, 07:44:27 pm »
Is yeast what ya need? ????
Isn't that manmade for brew or natural like in the hive ?

 :eusa_think:  one of us missed something... probably me...

Offline Mikey N.C.

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1393
  • Thanked: 76 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Cameron N.C.
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2017, 08:14:49 pm »
 Im probably the one that misunderstood. I've made wine for years not using any yeast , don't get but 10 or 12 % if im lucky . T

Offline sc-bee

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 132
  • Thanked: 7 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: SC
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2017, 08:22:28 pm »
Im probably the one that misunderstood. I've made wine for years not using any yeast , don't get but 10 or 12 % if im lucky . T

Not a drinker here but don't you add yeast...this is a beer brewer. And don't wine have a packet of yeast?

https://www.google.com/search?q=wine+yeast&rlz=1C1AVNA_enUS726US726&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=700&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnrv7Z17vSAhUGPCYKHcj6BpgQ_AUIBygC

Offline Mikey N.C.

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1393
  • Thanked: 76 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Cameron N.C.
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2017, 09:56:32 pm »
Yes i think ya have to for beer. But I've seen. 55 gal drums. ( plastic blue drums)  stirred with boat paddle's an the natural yeast creates fermentation rite. ? After yeast is in fermentation it keeps multiplying till sugar is used up rite


with a piece of plywood on top

Offline Zweefer

  • Administrator
  • Gold Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 1816
  • Thanked: 161 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Eau Claire WI
Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2017, 10:28:34 pm »
Heathens, the lot of you!  :laugh:

To convert sugars into alcohol, yeast is needed. Different strains have different tolerances (amount of alcohol that can be produced before they die) with wine yeast in the higher range than beer.  Natural yeasts are present in most fruit as well, thus why some wine could be made without the addition of yeast (though NOT recommended) Beer yeast is traditionally sold as a liquid- yeast cells mixed with a food source that will keep until they are pitched into wort (beer) and can begin eating the sugar and multiplying.   You can also buy dry packets, but those must be rehydrated before adding to beer. Once they have finished with all the sugar, or reach their peak tolerance in alcohol, the yeast dies.  This is no longer of any use to a brewer, and is considered "spent yeast."  This will always be in a liquid, or slurry form, as it is the trub from the bottom of the beer. (Stuff that falls out, leaving the beer to be pulled off and bottled / kegged).
As far as how to dry, I would assume any method used to get the water content out before mold etc could set in would work.   I usually just toss my spent yeast, but have poured it into a simple container and left in sun before, and after it dried, the bees did take to it. 
If you look at the yeast, it should be pretty fine to begin with... shouldn't have to grind I wouldn't think...

Not sure if that helps clarify, or muddies the waters. :-\\
« Last Edit: March 03, 2017, 10:33:24 pm by Zweefer »
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
Henry David Thoreau

Offline sc-bee

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 132
  • Thanked: 7 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: SC
Re: Feeding Spent Yeast
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2017, 11:15:57 am »

Beer yeast is traditionally sold as a liquid- yeast cells mixed with a food source that will keep until they are pitched into wort (beer) and can begin eating the sugar and multiplying. 

As far as how to dry, I would assume any method used to get the water content out before mold etc could set in would work.   I usually just toss my spent yeast, but have poured it into a simple container and left in sun before, and after it dried, the bees did take to it. 
If you look at the yeast, it should be pretty fine to begin with... shouldn't have to grind I wouldn't think...

 Yea I knew they used yeast  ;) Thanks for the information on form (liquid solution with feed) because I just thought they bought huge bags of it, until I talked to the brewer.

I know iddee spent yeast but he had not commented and then I remembered he is at the joint SC-NC meeting. A gathering of the Southerns and the YANKS :laugh: You figure which one is the YANKS --- SOUTH Carolina or NORTH Carolina