Yeast Banking with Brewminaries

Yeast makes beer, but where does it come from? Most homebrewers buy packs of fresh yeast made by a manufacturer every time they brew, but that can get expensive, and some strains are only available at certain times of the year or even impossible to get unless you’re a pro. Some brewers capture wild yeast from the environment and use it to make new and funky beers, but over time the characteristics of the yeast can change and drift, leading to undesirable results. Both problems can be solved by building a frozen yeast bank, allowing you to store and use any variety of yeast you can capture or buy, year round.

Participants will:

• Learn about different methods of yeast preservation, both short and long term.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of yeast banking and freezing.
• Try out basic sterile transfer techniques.
• Freeze and store brewing yeast in sturdy, labeled tubes.

The Brewminaries is a homebrew club in Brooklyn focused on helping every member make better beer through experiments, collaborative brewing, and monthly meetings. They were founded in 2015, when brewers who regularly attended the local homebrew shop Bitter and Esters’ bottle swaps wanted to make better beer. Over the past five years the club has rapidly grown into the largest homebrew club in New York City.

COVID-19 Safety Notice:

If you are feeling unwell, suspect that you have been exposed to COVID-19 or have tested positive in the past 7 days, please do not attend and cancel your RSVP as soon as possible.

Meet the Instructor

Tim O'Neal, current science officer of the Brewminaries, NYCs largest homebrewing club. Tim works as a NYC public school teacher, and has taught biology at Brooklyn College.

Tim joined the Brewmies in late 2020, and this is his third (non-consecutive) term in the position. Tim grew up in a brewing household in the 80s. After an extended hiatus, he got back into brewing and other yeast-based activities during the pandemic. His interest in biology spurred him to first work in an infectious disease lab, and then to jump into science education at the middle school and college levels. In his spare time, he likes to bike around NY, maintain beehives at community gardens in Brooklyn, and pet his dog.