pitching on to yeast cake question

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crypt0

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Gents and ladies,

When people say they pitch onto a yeast cake, are they actually doing just that? Is there no sanitation or yeast slurry harnessing necessary between two batches if you're pitching onto a yeast cake you just racked off of? The reason I'm asking is I have 2 primaries full that are just about finished and I'm throwing the same beer on both of them when I rack off.
 
I just did this for the first time recently. I racked off as much as I could without sucking too much yeast, and then poured the next beer right on top. I didn't sanitize anything other than the equipment I used to transfer the first beer. I am drinking the second beer as we speak and it came out awesome. As a matter of fact, probably because of the quick start, the second beer was one of the cleanest tasting beers I have ever made.
 
yep, like he said. that's how i do it if i'm brewing similar to what is finishing. while i'm chilling a new brew, i keg what's ready, then put the top back on the fermenter. when the new brew is chilled a few minutes later, i drop it right on top of the yeast (same yeast, same fermenter, etc).
 
If your sanitation is strong you should be ok.
I have done it a couple times with grreat results.
Some people feel it is over pitching and may well be if you are under 1.050. I plan to pitch a 2.5 gallon batch of ~1.100 BW on a cake of 1056 from an ESB this weekend.
 
Cool. Thanks for the fast ass replies as always

This Cream of 3 Crops is not going to know what hit it ;)
 
I just tried this for the first time, using exactly the same procedure as airborneguy. My saison blew through from 1.05 to 1.011 in 48 hours. The hydrometer sample I tasted was definitely beer. It had some weird flavors, but I'm not certain yet whether that was issues with my mash, sanitation, overpitching as suggested above or just VERY young beer. I'll just have to let it sit awhile before passing judgment I think.
Anyway, tangents aside, directly pitching onto a yeast cake seems to work.
 
I've done it twice....when a beer called for the same yeast I just racked the original batch off and dumped the new wort right onto the cake at the bottom of the bucket. Trust me, there's not gonna be any doubt as to whether your yeast will take off on that second batch. It'll be "Houston, we have liftoff!".....and virtually at once.
 
Same for me as previous posters. Emptied out the carboy, then racked the new wort on the cake. One beer took off within a few hours, then other took a couple of days. Both beers, however, fermented faster and more completely than any of my previous batches. I'm getting much better FGs with these last 2 batches. One happy brewer so far with pitching on yeast cakes....
 
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