Pumpkin Ale Yeast Cake Question

[TenaciousJ]

Last weekend I made a pumpkin ale. I used canned pumpkin in the mash and the boil. After fermenting for a couple days, active fermentation has slowed and I can see I'll be losing at least a gallon due to pumpkin trub.

I pitched two vials of white labs British ale yeast. It's obvious that I have a healthy layer of yeast underneath the pumpkin trub.

My thought is to brew another pumpkin ale using less pumpkin and pitching it right onto the pumpkin trub/yeast cake of the first batch. Has anyone tried this? I'm certain the yeast will be enough to ferment the second batch. My hope is the pumpkin trub will actually help get a little more pumpkin flavor.

Thoughts? Has anyone done this? I know I can wash the yeast, but I'm hoping to utilize the pumpkin left from the first batch.

 

[Snotpoodle]

So you added the pumpkin into your primary vessel, and not into your mash?

 

[TenaciousJ]

No the pumpkin was used in the mash and boil. There is a thick layer of pumpkin trub. My question is would I get some pumpkin flavor if I pitched another 5 gallon batch on top of it after transferring the first batch.

 

[Snotpoodle]

In my experience (2 batches of Pumpkin Ale), the Pumpkin does not add any flavour at all, the flavour of pumpkin ales comes from the spice additions in the boil and in secondary.

I sincerely doubt you will get any pumpkin flavour, but if you added spices, you might get some flavour from those.

You'll definately have enough yeast for another batch, but I would say add more pumpkin and spices to be safe.
If you baked the pumpkin in the oven before popping in your mash, there is even less chance of it infusing flavour, as well as in your boil, as it would have converted starch's to sugars.