Burton Union

[hopshead]

Ok, so here is a follow up question, is this merely a method to not loose beer during a blowoff? I am interested in harvesting yeast. In the diagram above, it looks like the line out of the union is slightly off the bottom. How would you harvest yeast? Would you wait till the fermentation is over and get whatever did not go back to the fermenter, below the bottom valve? Or am I missing something? I am might be a candidate for the short bus but I am not exactly sure how I could use this harvest yeast/super-yeast.

[Thirsty Boy]

Well, I actually meant that some sort of dip tube is necessary in the union. Otherwise you won't pick up the settled yeast.

Mylo

You aren't supposed to pick up the settled yeast - the yeast/beer slurry comes into the union as froth - the very active super yeast stays in suspension with the liquid - less active yeast, dead yeast and trub etc etc settles to bottom of the union while the froth simply turns back into a yeast beer slurry and flows back down the tube.

You harvest by simply diverting the flow from away returning to the fermentor, and into a collection vessel of some sort.

Unions are for top cropping yeast remember - that which settles all the way to the bottom isn't the stuff you want.