The Rinsing of Yeast

There are probably as many methods for doing this as there are brewers; this is my method. First of all, I reuse all of my yeasts, even the cheap US - 05. My reasoning for this is a) it makes propagating yeast for my next brew easier because of the number of yeasties produced during the fermentation process. And b) because the following generations of yeast are said to make better beer; at least to the fourth generation.

I start by having sterilized canned water ready as soon as fermentation comes to a stop. I boil and can it in mason jars every few months. As a note, because the water, mason jars, and lids are boiled for at least 15 minutes they are sterilized, not just sanitized.

I dump a half gallon mason jar in my primary, stir it up, and then lay the carboy on its side to allow it to settle for 15 minutes or so (sometimes up to 30 minutes depending on how distracted I get). I keep the sterilized lid on the mason jar during this time to keep any nasties from falling in.

I then decant (meaning to pour off the top portion while leaving the sediment behind) back into the half gallon mason jar. This will be cloudy with the aforementioned yeasties. I let this settle for another half hour, so that more undesirables can fall out of suspension, before decanting again into smaller sterilized mason jars.

I then put the yeast into my fridge where the yeast will all settle over the following week. Sometimes I'll transfer them into a smaller mason jar after they've all settled to save space, but I try to use them as quickly as possible. "The man" says to use it within a few weeks and I personally try not to let it sit for more than a few months. That being said, I have successfully revived Wyeast's Irish Ale after it sat dormant for almost a year.