Yeast

The Yeast module connects what brewers do on the brew deck and in the cellar with the inventory and lineage records that BrewKeeper keeps behind the scenes.

Production > Yeast

What Yeast Tracks

Lineages

The parent record for a yeast strain as it moves through pitches, harvests, and reuse.

Generations

Each pitched or harvested yeast instance, linked back to its source generation where applicable.

Brinks

Physical yeast containers that can hold harvested yeast or propagation wort.

Prerequisites

Before you start

• Enable the brewery setting Re-uses Yeast.
• Create a yeast raw material with inventory and link it to a yeast strain.
• Select one or more yeast strains on the recipe’s whirlpool/knockout page.
• Add a Harvest Yeast cellar task to the recipe if the brewer plans to crop or harvest yeast after fermentation.
• Register yeast brinks on Production > Yeast before they receive harvested yeast or propagation wort.
• Use batch schedule yeast quantity or instruction notes for planning only. They are not lineage data.

Pitching New Yeast at Knockout

Use this workflow when pitching yeast from raw material inventory into a batch for the first time.

1. Register yeast as a raw material and link it to a yeast strain.
2. Add that yeast strain to a recipe.
3. Brew the recipe.
4. During knockout, choose Pitch yeast > New.
5. Select yeast raw material lots and amounts for the recipe strain. Add optional substitutions if required.
6. Complete knockout.

Completing knockout:

• - Removes the selected yeast raw materials from inventory.
• + Creates a new yeast lineage.
• + Creates the first pitched yeast generation.
• ↔ Links that generation to the batch.

After knockout

The batch moves into the cellar. On Production > Yeast > Lineages, fill in post-knockout enrichment such as the generation name. Future fields may include generation number, cell count, viability, vitality, and cost details.

Add Yeast Field Reference

Use these fields to describe the yeast generation after it has been added:

• Generation name: Optional working name for this pitched yeast generation. Add this after knockout when the generation record exists.
• Generation: Numeric generation shown in the yeast genealogy, such as first generation or second generation. TO BE CONFIRMED.
• Branch: Branch number used to distinguish split or diverged parts of the same yeast lineage. TO BE CONFIRMED.
• Expected pitches: Planned number of times this yeast is expected to be pitched. This is planning information for the Yeast module only and does not change batch raw-material cost.
• Cell count: Lab cell count measurement for the yeast generation, shown in scientific notation in genealogy detail.
• Viability: Percentage of living cells in the yeast sample, shown with 1 decimal place in genealogy detail.
• Vitality: Cellometer vitality percentage. This field is only shown when the brewery uses a cellometer.
• Mean cell diameter: Cellometer mean cell diameter measurement in microns. This field is only shown when the brewery uses a cellometer.
• Notes: Freeform notes for observations or context about this yeast generation. TO BE CONFIRMED.

Harvesting Pitched Yeast during Fermentation

Use this workflow when a batch has a pitched yeast generation and the brewer wants to harvest it into one or more brinks.

1. Confirm the batch has an existing pitched yeast generation from either a new or harvested pitch.
2. Let the batch reach the Harvest Yeast cellar task.
3. Open the harvest task and choose one or more receiving brinks.
4. Enter volume, temperature, and optionally generation name or notes for each receiving brink.
5. Confirm each receiving brink is empty.
6. Complete the harvest task.

Completing the harvest:

• - Reduces available volume from the batch’s pitched generation.
• + Creates one harvested generation per receiving brink.
• ↔ Links each harvested generation back to the pitched batch generation.
• ↔ Shows the brinks as holding current yeast inventory on the Yeast page.

Receiving brinks must be empty

Harvesting creates current yeast inventory in the receiving brink. BrewKeeper requires each receiving brink to be empty before it can receive a harvested generation.

Pitching Harvested Yeast at Knockout

Use this workflow when a future batch reuses harvested yeast from registered brinks.

1. Brew a future batch using a recipe with the matching yeast strain.
2. During knockout, choose Pitch yeast > Harvested.
3. Select one or more source brinks or generations and enter source volumes.
4. If multiple sources are mixed, choose the primary source generation.
5. Complete knockout.

Completing knockout:

• - Reduces current volume from the selected harvested generations.
• + Creates a new pitched generation linked to the target batch.
• ↔ Links the new generation to the selected source generations.
• + Increments the lineage pitch count based on the target batch’s turn count.

Propagation

During knockout, users can transfer uninoculated wort into propagation brinks. This currently records the brink destination volumes only.

Lineage starts after inoculation

The missing next workflow is handled from the Yeast module: the user inoculates propagation wort with new or harvested yeast. BrewKeeper should only create or branch yeast lineage records for propagated yeast after inoculation.