What is a yeast cake? How and why to use it?

[akthor]

I read something about using a yeast cake to do a stout? I have a Nut Brown Ale that will be done in another couple weeks. I was wondering if I should use the yeast cake off of it for something?

I would like to do a stout.

I am unsure however of what exactly a yeast cake is and how to use it

 

[cheezydemon3]

Alright.

Head down, there may be a firestorm.

The cake is all of the yeast left after fermentation. There will be alot.

I use 1/4 of that cake to ferment my next batch instead of buying new yeast.

 

[lostboysbrew]

a yeast cake is the yeast from another beer. When you crash after primary and all the yeast settles to the bottom, it forms a cake of yeast. It is reclaimable and reusable. Depending what yeast you used for your brown, you could most definately use that yeast on your stout. After you rack your beer out of your fermenter, take a gallon freezer bag, and pour in the yeast, seal it up and keep it cold until you need it for the stout.

 

[37OliveStBrews]

Does that gallon zip lock bag need to be sanitized with star-sans or some other cleaner? I am interested is reusing a yeast cake as well. I have seen people do some pretty extravagant things to wash the yeast but I have also read were people have just racked on top of the yeast cake. I guess there is no wrong way. Or am I just wrong?
Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

You can harvest 1 cup of the slurry (left over yeast, beer and other crap at the bottom of your primary) and pitch that in a 5 gallon batch or you can wash your yeast and save it for future use.

This thread has a great write up on how to wash your yeast: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

 

[COLObrewer]

It depends how old the recipe is:

Old school:
Yeast cake: living yeast cells compressed with starch into a cake, for use in baking or brewing.

New School:
Yeast Cake: trub in the bottom of the fermentor.

 

[lostboysbrew]

Does that gallon zip lock bag need to be sanitized with star-sans or some other cleaner? I am interested is reusing a yeast cake as well. I have seen people do some pretty extravagant things to wash the yeast but I have also read were people have just racked on top of the yeast cake. I guess there is no wrong way. Or am I just wrong?
Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience.

I have never sanitized it. don't open the bag prior to using it, just open it right before you put the yeast in it. The bag itself is pretty sanitary as long as its not opened. I have yet to have a problem. Save a cup or two for a 5 gallon batch, a little more if you are using for a 10 gallon.

 

[akthor]

What about just racking on top of whats left in the fermenter? Anything wrong with that anything special you need to do?

 

[wbown]

That is what I have always done, just rack on top of old yeast cake. Usually done within a few hours of transferring the first beer to the secondary. I wonder what the effects are of over pitching, anyone??

 

[akthor]

I like the idea of not having to clean the fermenter I figure spray the inside down with starsan and the lid pour the wort in and put the lid on. Good idea? bad?

 

[boostsr20]

I like the idea of not having to clean the fermenter I figure spray the inside down with starsan and the lid pour the wort in and put the lid on. Good idea? bad?

I usually clean the lid if its a bucket, but otherwise, don't worry about the walls of the fermenter. rack right on top of it. I'd be prepared with a blow off tube because fermentation will start quickly. Also, because it starts so quickly from the healthy colony of yeasts, you need to keep a very close eye on the fermometer to make sure the temp doesn't spike too high. Have a water bath and ice bottles ready.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I dump 3/4 of the cake before dumping fresh wort in.

Whatever the effects of overpitching, that avoids them.