Using yeast from (another brewery's) beer?

[cyanide]

If I make a style similar to an imported bock that was non-pasteurized and carbonated in the bottle, but stored at room temperature, would I be able to dumb the bottom half of it in my wort and lager with it? Anyone try this?

Buying a single bottle and using their yeast seems the smart way to go...

[danno]

culturing a starter from a bottle is a hit or miss strategy, there's not a lot of yeast there, so you'll need to make a small starter, pour in the yeast dregs from the bottle, and basically hope it multiplies. I've never done this, but from what I've read, it's a 50-50 proposition that it will work. If it does take off, you'll need to step up the resultant yeast several times to get enough for a whole batch...

another thing you may want to research, some breweries use a different yeast to carbonate than they used to ferment, so you may not get what you were looking for in the first place...

[brewmonkey]

I would also check to see if they pitched a different yeast for bottling then they used for fermentation.

[wortchillergoal]

Brewmonkey, another brewer told me that some breweries coat their glass to prevent yeast harvest. Is this true?

[Stodbrew]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
Brewmonkey, another brewer told me that some breweries coat their glass to prevent yeast harvest. Is this true?


That's interesting, I've never heard of that. Like Brewmonkey said, I have heard of breweries using a different yeast strain for bottle conditioning so you can't harvest their yeast. But I've never heard of coating glass. Hmmm.....

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by Stodbrew
That's interesting, I've never heard of that. Like Brewmonkey said, I have heard of breweries using a different yeast strain for bottle conditioning so you can't harvest their yeast. But I've never heard of coating glass. Hmmm.....

Stodbrew, forgive me for leaving your name off the question. The gent who told me this was the owner of Middle Ages Brewery. I believe an well educated beer judge/homebrewer told me the same also.

[Stodbrew]

No worries! :D

It's certainly possible, I suppose. I've just never heard of it. I'm trying to wrap my brain about how that would work, without indroducing something that would ultimately, IMO, be detrimental to the beer.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by Stodbrew
No worries! :D

It's certainly possible, I suppose. I've just never heard of it. I'm trying to wrap my brain about how that would work, without indroducing something that would ultimately, IMO, be detrimental to the beer.

That is what I believe also. I wonder if it is just a rumor started by some brewery to protect their yeast.

[Stodbrew]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
That is what I believe also. I wonder if it is just a rumor started by some brewery to protect their yeast.


That certainly could be.

[brewmonkey]

I also have not heard of this and wonder what they would be able to use that would not also harm the product.

[Fast_Eddy]

Could you guys elucidate? Are you talking about some coating that would kill the yeast?? What would the coating do?

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
Could you guys elucidate? Are you talking about some coating that would kill the yeast?? What would the coating do?

As I understand it, the glass is coated so as to attract the yeast to it. They will stick to the glass so that you can not harvest enough to get a starter.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
As I understand it, the glass is coated so as to attract the yeast to it. They will stick to the glass so that you can not harvest enough to get a starter.

Oh it's an adsorption approach...

[cyanide]

You couldn't really attack the yeast without causing them to die and foul up your beer though...

It really doesn't make any sense, there is somuch yeast in the bottle that only a minute fraction would touch the walls of the bottle.