Ideas for Windsor yeast cake?

I just brewed a kit beer I received for my birthday and am planning my next recipe. I used the Windsor yeast packet that came with the kit and I'm wondering what might be the best way to use the yeast cake. The kit was called Show Low Pale Ale and used Perle and Cascade hops. I've brewed several partial mash and AG recipes already so any suggestions welcomed.

Thanks

Fertilize your garden.

Not many fans of the Windsor here....

lol, thanks, I had the feeling. I've never used Windsor before and now I'm hoping for the best on this brew.

Do a mild. Ferment it at 70. You'll have a beer that's drinkable in a very short period. You could be drinking in 10 days if you keg.

Nothing wrong with Windsor - yes, it has lower attenuation that Nottingham. Attenuation is not the be-all and end all of making beer. Neither is a low FG. If they were, everybody would be brewing with EC1118, or one of those turbo yeasts...and plenty of corn, rice and cane sugar.

Beer should taste good, not just be alcoholic....

Ecnerwal said:

Nothing wrong with Windsor - yes, it has lower attenuation that Nottingham. Attenuation is not the be-all and end all of making beer.

Click to expand...

I had a very bad experience with Windsor, and I have not read any sparkling reviews either. WLP002, OTOH, has been very agreeable to me as a low-attenuating yeast.

Don't knock out onto the cake. That's overpitching. Overpitching is as bad as underpitching; it has a profoundly negative impact on yeast-flavor development.

Harvest some of your slurry and store it in a mason jar or something. No real need to wash it if you're going to use it right away; just get a good 8-10 fluid ounces of tan slurry that's not too chunky, store it under beer, and pitch what Mr Malty tells you under "Slurry".

Really. Knocking out onto a cake is such a bad idea, it boggles the mind how it became so popular. Let's see: Too much yeast for a healthy, quality ferment; putting fresh wort into fermenter full of nastiness; what conscientious brewer can think this is a good idea?

[shudder]

Bob

Windsor Yeast Cake... I was thinking of the same thing today on my way out the door to work.

I had brewed with Windsor for a few times. It always starts fast and agressives, finishes the primary in 2-3 days. The cake is always quite large in quantity.

Maybe a nice Barley wine or wheat wine. The quantity of yeast and its ability to contribute ester will be good for this style. The FG will be high so expect some sweetness in the beer.

Alright! Thanks for the help. Because of the amount of yeast I was thinking of making a bigger ale like a barley wine...anyone try this before with Windsor? How was it?

BigKahuna--thanks for the tip, a mild sounds excellent, especially for having on hand for holiday parties.

And because this is my first thread, I also would like to say I love HBT--it's helped me make some great beers so far and I give you all credit for advancing my brewing skills faster saving me from making some nasty mistakes. Cheers!