Pitching onto Yeast Cake Question

Is there an optimal time to do this? In other words, do I need to wait until the yeast has fallen and the krausen has dissipated prior to racking one beer off of a yeast cake and throwing another one on it?

I have a pale ale that has been in primary for a week (OG 1.070), but it is still bubbling regularly. Is it too early to rack it to secondary and throw another beer in my primary? I haven't done a gravity reading - as I never do this when my beer is still in primary.

When your first beer is done, rack it then reuse the yeast cake...don't hurry the first just to get the second beer on the yeast cake earlier. If your first one is still bubbling, then it's not ready.

While pitching on the cake is a great way to do high gravity ales, don't risk messing up the first batch. Wait until it's done. The enormous amount of yeast in the cake makes exact timing a non-issue.

Thanks for the great info, guys . . . but this means that I can't brew today . . . .

I third their commentary. I just did this with my porter from the IPA slurry. Went from 1.065 to 1.010 in less than 3 days. Amazing...

we rack off and either keg or secondary after a week if we have another batch ready, go ahead and brew!!!

i agree that it isn't worth ruining the first batch, but it don't hurt to secondary.

we work with ten gallon batches so usually we'll only rack one carboy and split the yeast--still more than enough.

I have a nut brown that has been in primary for almost two weeks. not bubbling much if at all..

i just got my order in from morebeer.com and I forgot to order yeast with my porter kit (doh!)

i am about to bottle the nut brown tonight.. would it be ok to just rack straight onto the trub/cake that is left after i bottle the nut brown ale or has the yeast already gone to glory??

speedy responses are appreciated

cheers..
ws

no worries..
http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5703&page=3&highlight=racking+yeast+cake

a post in there says there was no problem after racking onto a yeast cake after it sat in an empty primary for two weeks..

i'm brewing tonight!!

woohoo

ws

wow... LOONG brewing/bottling session.

If i'd planed out my moves ahead of time i probably would have been better off.

Woke up this morning and my rigged up blowoff tube was "glug, glug, glug, glug.. ing" had plenty of room till the top of the carboy.

life is good!

ws

While this thread is here - I just pitched my last batch on top of a yeast cake. Could I do the same with my next batch? I.E. pitch my next batch onto the second generation of yeast? Or is the risk of infection (mutation?) too high?

As long as everything is kept sanitary then it should be no problem to pitch your wort into a yeast cake for another kick at the bucket. Remember, each use mutates the strain