Thanks guys! Does it have to be the same type of beer? Im doing a blonde right now, I did strain the trub but there's all kinds of cold break in there. My next will be an American ale that's supposed to be very clear and light. They use the same type of yeast.. Will pitching on that cake cloud my next beer or change the flavor?
Also, can you save the Cake in the fridge or freezer? How long is it viable?
I have pitched directly on a yeast cake several times on consecutive batches with no problems. I have also poured the entire cake in a large mason jar and kept it in the fridge for almost a week before washing the yeast out. My harvested yeast have been reused as long as 5 months later in the fridge with no problems at all.
I have had no problems yet pitching similar beers onto yeast cakes. However, potential off-flavors could be caused by stressed yeast. The concept is that these yeasties have grown accustomed to living in X% alcohol that was created using amount of sugar Y. Putting a higher gravity wort on top of these guys may potentially cause problems. IBUs as were mentioned as well; obviously there is some beer remaining in that cake, and quite likely some hop material. If the yeast cake is from an IPA with 60 IBUs and you are pitching a pale on top with only 30 IBUs, be prepared for the IPA's flavor to taint the pale.what are the negative effects of pitching a beer of similar ABV and OG on the yeast cake?
Will this reduce the clarity of the beer?
Can someone explain the science to me on this? Why is a Yeast Cake viable after a beer has been sitting on it for potentially months, unrefrigerated, but as soon as the beer is mostly racked off of it, it's only viable for a few weeks, and must be refrigerated?
I'm missing something here...
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