Yeast Cake

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kmlavoy

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I keep seeing mentions of people pitching on to a "yeast cake" from a previous batch.

Is this simply where they have siphoned off a beer out of the primary, and then put a new brew right in on top of the trub layer? That seems a trifle dangerous on the sanitation front, but so many blogs I read talk about it, so it must work.

Right?
 
That's correct. If you syphoned properly out of primary and popped the lid directly back on and sealed it back up with an airlock there's really no (well, minimal) risk.

I've waited 2 or 3 days before brewing and racking onto the yeast cake with no issues. I recall some people saying they waited up to 2 weeks but I'm not that brave. :D
 
You don't want to siphon off so much of the first batch that the yeast dry out.

Visualize a "yeast wetland" instead of a "yeast cake" maybe.

As long as your technique is good- sorry, technical nurse speak mumbo jumbo - as long as you don't contaminate the vessel you will be fine.
 
If I wasn't pitching onto it right away, I always dumped it into a sanitized jar, covered it, and put it in the fridge.
 
Be prepared for extremely fast fermentation. I am still amazed how quick it takes off and how vigorous it is. Give it a try:mug:
 
ScoutMan said:
Be prepared for extremely fast fermentation. I am still amazed how quick it takes off and how vigorous it is. Give it a try:mug:
Click to expand...

The last time I did that my airlock was rattling withing 15 minutes. I rigged a blowoff tube for that one !!
 
I did it once and lost a 1\2 gallon of beer due to the blowoff. The wort was fermenting in less than an hour.
 
I did that with my last batch... and got this after about an hour... It was shooting out like crazy. My buddy and I were a little :drunk: on my previous batch by then, and were laughing our ass off. After it stopped foaming, I cleaned the airlock and put it back, apparently it got mad again that night, clogged the airlock and blew the thing straight off. :rockin: Fun times.

14379-IMG_0038.JPG
 
Deofol said:
I did that with my last batch... and got this after about an hour... It was shooting out like crazy. My buddy and I were a little :drunk: on my previous batch by then, and were laughing our ass off. After it stopped foaming, I cleaned the airlock and put it back, apparently it got mad again that night, clogged the airlock and blew the thing straight off. :rockin: Fun times.
Click to expand...
I usually make 3 batches of hefe on the same yeast package when I make them so the last 2 batches are on a yeast cake. Tons of wheat malt + yeast cake == BIG MESS if you're not prepared with a blow-off tube. :D
 
Deofol said:
I did that with my last batch... and got this after about an hour... It was shooting out like crazy. My buddy and I were a little :drunk: on my previous batch by then, and were laughing our ass off. After it stopped foaming, I cleaned the airlock and put it back, apparently it got mad again that night, clogged the airlock and blew the thing straight off. :rockin: Fun times.

14379-IMG_0038.JPG
Click to expand...

Ha!! Gotta dig that paper towel roll around the caboy....or is that toilet paper?!?!
 

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