stevecaaster

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Hey all, I have been planning on reusing part of a yeast cake from a previous brew. I am planning on pulling the switch off in minimal time (racking off the old cake and pouring the new wort onto it). I have read a lot that pitching on an old yeast cake is considered overpitching. The cake is from a 1.067 steam style beer and I am pouring a 1.050 steam style beer onto it. (I want to re-do the Steam as my first is way out of the ABV guidelines for the style, its gunna be heavy but it will still be an awesome beer i think?)
MY question is, would it be advisable to scoop up only a cup or two of the old yeast cake, and pitch that into the new wort? I believe that would solve my overpitching problems, but I dont want to "Underpitch". Also, I definatly do not want to wash the yeast as I just dont have the time or patience. would tossing in 2 or 3 cups of the old yeast cake into a new and clean primary suffice??
Thanks a lot for the help guys! have a great day!

Joker

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I have poured the new brew on top of the complete yeast cake from a previous brew without any ill effects. You will want a blow off tube though.

conpewter

Recipes 

I think you'll be fine pitching onto the old yeast cake. It's hard for a homebrewer to overpitch. It's good you are doing the same style though, that way it won't matter about some crossover between the two.

Some would say that the yeast is too stressed by a 1.067 brew but you should have plenty of healthy yeast left over to do well on your next brew.

mrk305

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I actually do that fairly often. I take a spoon and a beer glass and scoop out 6 or 8 oz. of trub and add that when I pitch my yeast. Be ready for a fast ferment, and I would definetaly use a blow off hose.

malkore

Recipes 

It will be overpitching, however over pitching does not guarantee off flavors.

but you do need to keep tabs on it the first day or so. fermentation will be damn near explosive, even a 5 gal batch in a 7 gallon bucket can blow krausen out the airlock, or pop the lid off.

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david_42

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I only reduce the cake if it is more than 2 quarts. And that is strictly because of the location of the faucets in my fermenters, I don't want too much trub.

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Blender

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Generally you pitch a higher gravity wort on a smaller wort but I don't think it will make a great difference. I lost a 1\2 gallon of wort when I did this once because it was blowing off so explosively.

buraglio

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I pitched my milk stout directly onto the yeast cake of a porter and it turned out to be the best brew I think I've ever made. It did take off like a rocket, though.

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Revvy

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I'm going to do this for my next batch, and all the advice I've gotten from here is that you need to go "darker" for the second batch...otherwise, they say, you'll get the flavors of the previous batch. Ie. you wouldn't want to try to brew a pale ale on top of a yest cake used for a stout.

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Cheeto

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Blender

"Generally you pitch a higher gravity wort on a smaller wort but I don't think it will make a great difference. I lost a 1\2 gallon of wort when I did this once because it was blowing off so explosively"

I have a 1.052 on deck now and I am planing a 1.075, ? this would work on top of
the yeast cake from the 1.052?

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