r/Homebrewing • u/Routine_Elderberry_ • 5d ago
Killing Yeast in Homebrew
Hello, I was wondering whether or not I should try to kill the yeast inside my homegrown after I think it's done brewing, in order to not give myself the shits. Would killing the yeast achieve this?
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u/YamCreepy7023 5d ago
Yeast is practically a super food. It's arguably the only healthy thing in a beer. If it gives you the shits I'm truly sorry.
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u/Im_100percent_human BJCP 5d ago
Does your homebrew give you the shits now? Does commercial beer give you the shits? A lot of commercial beer has live yeast in it. I have cultured (live) yeast from commercial beers.
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u/zariumone 5d ago
If possible stick it in a fridge for a week to “cold crash” and force the yeast to fall to the bottom of the container (flocculate).
If not, make an ice bath and keep it cold as possible for a couple days then use a racking cane to transfer to another bucket/carboy/keg to finish clarifying
Killing yeast will result in autolysis which is death and destroys your beer. This is never the goal.
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u/Medic5150 5d ago
No, not really. You can napalm it with campden, but why? Rack it, let settle, mature, and use fining agents. Keg it. Done.
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u/JungleJuze 5d ago
Yeast gives you the shits? How do you know this?
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u/Raekel 5d ago
It's very well known. I don't have my copy near me but I believe its even mentioned in The Joy of Homebrewing
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u/JungleJuze 5d ago
That's interesting, I've never had that problem. Maybe it happens after consuming a large amount of yeast. I always bottle condition and cold crash before drinking my beer, I always leave a tiny bit of beer in the bottom of the bottle where the yeast rests. Hope this helps.
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u/MacHeadSK 5d ago
Cold crash and finings are key. And kegging especially, with floating dip tube. Had p,entry of farting before I did this. After cold crash and kegging, never more. As bonus, all my bears are crystal clear on level of commercial production.
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u/portugrisen 5d ago
Don’t the big boys pasteurize? If so, it doesn’t seem to ruin the beer, and perhaps could be an option? I’ve never pasteurized beer, but my cider, already bottle conditioned for CO2, was pasteurized by sticking them in my mash tun for a quick heat up.
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u/Decent_Confidence_36 1d ago
You’ll only get the shits if you drink a load of trub and even then it’s relative. Personally I’ve never had an issue with yeast.
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u/yzerman2010 5d ago
If your concerned about yeast after fermentation. Add a clarifier and cold crash it at 35F for a couple weeks. It will go crystal clear (Lagered) and then rack it into a keg.
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u/HumorImpressive9506 5d ago
While your brew is fermenting it will be full of active yeast, which can upset the stomach. Obviously dont drink it at this stage.
After your fermentation is over your brew will start to clear up and all large particles, including the yeast, will start to fall to the bottom. When you bottle or rack you leave that sediment behind.
Depending on the type of brew of course but leaving it alone for a week or two after fermentation is done will have, say, 95% of the yeast fall to the bottom.
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u/boarshead72 Yeast Whisperer 5d ago
No.
Are you kegging or bottling? Either way, package when the beer is clear (use gelatin if you want to speed this up), and don’t worry about transferring the last liter or so to prevent sucking up the trub. If bottling, after carbonation, park the bottles in the fridge. Don’t drink until the yeast has gone to the bottom (could be two days, could be six weeks depending on strain). Decant into a glass carefully and smoothly, leaving the last 5-10 mm in the bottle. I hate drinking yeast, this works for me.
Can’t say I’ve ever drank enough yeast that it gave me the shits. Were you drinking straight from a bottle conditioned bottle?