pitching onto a yeast cake question...

[comj49]

I am planning on pitching an IPA onto a yeast cake from a blonde ale, and would like to avoid the possibility of using a blow-off tube, since I will be using a bucket and am not quite sure how to fashion a blow-off tube. Can i just scoop out most of the trub and leave 1/2 of the yeast cake to pitch onto? Would that help with the possibility of fast, aggressive fermentation? The IPA will have a larger OG then the Blonde, in case it makes a difference.

 

[Soulive]

You're not sure how to fashion a blowoff? What do you use to cover the top of your fermenter?

 

[comj49]

The top of the bucket just has that small hole for the gromet and airlock. Would that be big enough for tubing? How would it seal?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Go here to calculate how much slurry to repitch. I can't guarantee that you won't need a blowoff, but pitching the proper amount of yeast will certainly help your beer.

 

[goplayoutside]

You might also just be fine with the airlock -- there is a lot of space in those buckets.

If you are concerned about blowoff, just take a piece of siphon hose that fits more or less tightly to the hole in the bucket lid, stick it in there, and run it down into an empty 2l soda bottle about 1/2 full w/ water. If it makes you feel a little better you can toss a little bleach in the blowoff bottle. As long as you strained your hops out (use leaf hops to make this easier), that should be enough room for the blow-off to work. You can use some duct tape to hold the tube into the lid if you think it's needed.

I have set up blowoff tubes on them before and didn't get much bubbling, sometimes the same is true with airlocks. All it means is that maybe the seal around the bucket lid is not completely airtight and your fermentation is not quite "closed," i.e. you have a tiny leak someplace where gas is bleeding off. If that happens don't worry, as long as the fermentation is active there will be positive pressure (gas will only go out, no germs in), and after that your beer will be booze so it will be difficult for nasties to infect. Pitching onto a yeast cake is great because you will get a fast take-off to your ferment, minimizing the time when your beer is most vulnerable to infection (i.e. before the start of active fermentation).

 

[Calico Jack]

I'd use a blowoff as you'll get nice healthy fermentation from a yeast cake. Just get the proper size tubing and stick it in the hole on the bucket lid--i've done it before, but can't remember the correct tubing gauge off the top of my head.

 

[steelerguy]

After having just pitched wort onto a yeast cake for the first time I would highly recommend the use of a blow off tube. I blew through the airlock in less than 12 hours and then had to fashion something hastily before work. That night it looked like it had calmed down so I replaced it with an airlock. Within a couple hours it had blown through the airlock again.

Just use a blow off tube to avoid the mess and hassle. I'm sure a quick trip to HD or Lowe's will be all it takes to find some tubing that works.

 

[comj49]

I guess my point of the post was to see if anyone has scooped out most of the yeast before pitching onto the cake to avoid having to use a blow-off tube. I have also read about overpitching being a problem, so i was hoping to avoid both problems.

 

[INeedANewHobby]

I would not scoop out any of the cake, it is a perfect time for contamination to occur. You could easily ruin the batch before it even starts to ferment. Will it still be beer? Yes. Could is be bad (turbid/cloudy, acidic, musty, astringent, etc) beer due to infection? Yes.

 

[Haterade]

I've pitched on cakes a few times with mixed results. Right now my procedure is to wash my yeast. There are a quite a few threads on yeast washing. Essentially, you get a few sanitized mason jars and transfer the yeast/trub to one, let it settle and then decant the good stuff (non-trub) to the other. Let it settle again, decant the brew and you're left with a nice layer of yeast to make a starter with... or just be lazy like me and pour in some purified water, slosh it around and pitch it. If you're not going to wait for a starter you can do this whole thing in just a couple of hours and it will last for a while in the fridge. If you can wait a few hours you can wash the yeast and sanitize all your equipment while you wait...

And blowoff tubes are easy. I think I use 3/8" for mine. Just run the tube from the bucket grommet into a bottle with sanitized/starsan water. I actually use them more often than airlocks now since I fill my buckets almost to the brim (more beer). Only things that really get crazy are hefes/wits... at least in my experience.

 

[Fingers]

I've pitched on cakes a few times with mixed results. Right now my procedure is to wash my yeast. There are a quite a few threads on yeast washing. Essentially, you get a few sanitized mason jars and transfer the yeast/trub to one, let it settle and then decant the good stuff (non-trub) to the other. Let it settle again, decant the brew and you're left with a nice layer of yeast to make a starter with... or just be lazy like me and pour in some purified water, slosh it around and pitch it. If you're not going to wait for a starter you can do this whole thing in just a couple of hours and it will last for a while in the fridge. If you can wait a few hours you can wash the yeast and sanitize all your equipment while you wait...

And blowoff tubes are easy. I think I use 3/8" for mine. Just run the tube from the bucket grommet into a bottle with sanitized/starsan water. I actually use them more often than airlocks now since I fill my buckets almost to the brim (more beer). Only things that really get crazy are hefes/wits... at least in my experience.

I rarely pitch on the yeast cake. I wash my yeast as Haterade suggests. You can get a more accurate pitch and you can wash out the old hops residue from the last batch. It doesn't take long and the results are whatever you want them to be. You also don't have to worry about racking off the cake on the same day you're brewing.