Anyone Dump on yeast in the secondary?

[Robar]

We talk about starters, washing yeast, pitching on a yeast cake and everything else except I never hear mention of one of my favorite practices. Pitching onto yeast that has settled out in the secondary. There is always some nice clean yeasties in the ring at the bottom of the carboy. Does anyone else do this?

 

[tx-brewer]

Why do you do this

 

[broadbill]

I'm sure many people do this, just like they do for yeast in their primary. The oft-cited con of this practice is that the secondary contains yeast that is less-prone to flocculation (which is why they didn't drop out in the primary). Yes it is cleaner stuff, but in theory you are selecting for yeast that don't drop out quickly enough.

 

[Robar]

I'm sure many people do this, just like they do for yeast in their primary. The oft-cited con of this practice is that the secondary contains yeast that is less-prone to flocculation (which is why they didn't drop out in the primary). Yes it is cleaner stuff, but in theory you are selecting for yeast that don't drop out quickly enough.

That is a different direction than I was looking at it. I figured that the ones still in suspension when I racked over were just good and healthy eaters. I haven't really notice a problem with my beer clearing when I do this, but now I'll be paying attention.

I've got one on S-04 that I brewed Tuesday afternoon (40 hours ago) churning and bubbling away at a room temp of 57 deg that I can keep an eye on for clarity problems.

 

[Robar]

Why do you do this

Because I though it was good way to reuse good clean healthy yeast.

 

[Nightbiker]

After racking from the primary (even if I don't opt for a secondary) I take a healthy measure of the primary yeast, wash it, take the cleaned yeast and will pitch THAT into the next batch if I'm doing multiple with the same yeast -though in truth if I was doing multiples I've dumped right onto the yeast cake (and had a heck of a blow-off for my troubles -in one such case when I was brewing up 60gal (total) for a motorcycle event, and we went away for an evening, we came home to find a heck of a mess on the ceiling, walls, and well, everywhere -and one really ticked off SWMBO... -and I knew better -yeah, I had a good sized tube but it still clogged -it was blowing off into a mason jar of water -which was also full of yeast by the time it was all said and done). Still, the job did get done (grin). WAY too quick a fermentation -one must be careful of that. I hoped it would also help to explain why I need larger vessels....

 

[masonsjax]

The only secondary I ever do is for huge dry hopping so the beer is not free of trub. I also would avoid the less flocculant yeast that would still be suspended in a secondary vessel.

 

[broadbill]

That is a different direction than I was looking at it. I figured that the ones still in suspension when I racked over were just good and healthy eaters. I haven't really notice a problem with my beer clearing when I do this, but now I'll be paying attention.

I've got one on S-04 that I brewed Tuesday afternoon (40 hours ago) churning and bubbling away at a room temp of 57 deg that I can keep an eye on for clarity problems.

There is the beer clarity issue, but those yeast cells still in suspension and active after transfer to secondary tend to be sluggish, slow fermeneters. By selecting for those fermenters, you could get sluggish, slow ferments. Also, you are selecting against those that did the majority of the fermenting (those left in primary), you might encounter underattenuation and off-flavors as a result.

Or so goes the theory....in practice you may not have any problems at all...

 

[danbe]

What about this? I often brew a week after i just brewed and will time my yeast pitch with transferring the first beer into secondary. instead of getting new yeast ill scrape the bottom of the primary and pitch thenew beer with about 3 heaping tablespoons of the yeast and settled stuffs on the bottom. Ive never had a bad result. I will only do this about 2 generations (ie three batches from one original yeast) I do this to save $$ and "use the good things god gives you"....which is an old saying in brewing....

Cheers
Danbe

 

[Yooper]

What about this? I often brew a week after i just brewed and will time my yeast pitch with transferring the first beer into secondary. instead of getting new yeast ill scrape the bottom of the primary and pitch thenew beer with about 3 heaping tablespoons of the yeast and settled stuffs on the bottom. Ive never had a bad result. I will only do this about 2 generations (ie three batches from one original yeast) I do this to save $$ and "use the good things god gives you"....which is an old saying in brewing....

Cheers
Danbe

Sure, I would say most brewers do a version of this. Instead of "about 3 heaping tablespoons", though, a proper yeast pitch is easily done by using a yeast calculator like mrmalty.com's pitching calculator. I pitch the recommended amount of slurry.

I also save the yeast cake, and put it in boiled mason jars in the fridge and then have yeast for about 20 batches total out of one jar, by doing this for one or two generations.

 

[danbe]

yeast pitch calculator seem way too technical for me.... describing tablespoons is as technical as i get in brewing... it there a thread on saving the yeast cake you described?

 

[masonsjax]

Just sanitize a mason jar and pour the yeast cake in, put the lid on and put the jar in the fridge. Voila! You now have yeast with which to make starters for future batches.

 

[danbe]

Perfect....another good reason to keg your beer and have a dedicated keg fridge.... now its a kegerator/yeast library!!!

 

[Robar]

I pretty much do all the above except washing. I often pitch on half a yeast cake left from the previous weeks brew in the primary. I also save yeast in sanitized or sterile jars as well. I just never realized that pitching on the secondary was selecting poor yeast. I have two batches from secondary yeast going right now so I'll have to pay close attention and see if I notice anything less than desirable. Thanks for all the input. Happy Thanksgiving!!