Autolysis on yeast cake?

[dontman]

I have a Belgian wit getting close to fermentation completion. This has been a very slow fermentation and has been in primary for 3 weeks now. The krausen is just now falling back into the beer. I figure two more weeks to clean up and then straight to bottle.

The question I have is if I have to worry about autolysis on this yeast cake since it will be 5 weeks old when I pitch on it. Do I need to wash it to use again? I was planning to just pitch right on top of it immediately post bottling of the first batch.

 

[Revvy]

I miss read, you're planning to pitch on a 3-4 week old yeast?

I would wash it....You want to make the yeast as helathy as possible....(this isn't about autolysis, just making them happy and ready to work for you.)

Just do a quick and dirty washing with a gallon of preboiled or distilled water...Pour half on the cake, let it settle for 20 minutes, pour off, and rinse with the other half gallon, then pitch your beer right on top of it...You could do this while the worts boiling or cooking....

 

[BarleyWater]

I wouldn't worry about autolysis, but I would suggest washing the yeast, especially with a Belgian.

Using the entire yeast cake can lead to overpitching, which can leave you beer flavorless and devoid of any of the esters that are desired by a Beligian yeast strain. I would recomend always, not necesarilly washing, but at least using the proper amount of yeast for a batch, and not just using an entire yeast cake (unless of course it is warranted).

If you need to know the proper pitch rate, you can find out here. Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

 

[BarleyWater]

No autolysis is a bogeyman to the home brewer many of us leave our beers on the yeast cake for upwards of a month and it improves our beer.

Autolysis is one of those things that is of comcern to commercial lager producers, not homebrewers....in fact John Palmer sticks it in the lager section (which very few people who freak out about it seem to notice...now do they notice the last paragragh either...



In other words, Relax, your beer will be fine...it's stronger than most people think...if we're talking sevral months that's another story...but three weeks...no, I wouldn't even consider racking something off primary before three weeks...And you're doing a belgian triple???? Yeah, you got time...considering you will be secondaring it or bottle conditioning it for several months...I'd leave it in primary for a month minimum to clean itself up after fermentation, then bottle it for 3-6 months, myself.

He's actually doing a wit, but still, there is no worries of autolysis.

 

[dontman]

Thanks for the fast replies. I realize now that it is not at all clear that I meant for when I pitch a second batch onto the cake after I bottle the first batch. By the time that batch is done it would be on 10 week or older yeast.

I will take the advice of washing it though to get the pitch rate correct. I want those esters working for me on the next batch too.

 

[Gordie]

I'm not sure I understand if the yeast has been under beer for 10 weeks or for only part of that 10 weeks. If its sitting around after you racked the beer off it for any significant time, you're certainly going to want to wash it and it would be a real good idea to use a starter and check viability. If its in rough shape, you may need to step it up. If its been dormant under the beer, you're probably fine just washing it. In any event, autolysis isn't a concern.

 

[TeleTwanger]

autolysis is only a concern when yeast is left with no food for a long time (+2 months) your concern is yeast viability.

 

[PseudoChef]

I miss read, you're planning to pitch on a 3-4 week old yeast?

I would wash it....You want to make the yeast as helathy as possible....(this isn't about autolysis, just making them happy and ready to work for you.)

Just do a quick and dirty washing with a gallon of preboiled or distilled water...Pour half on the cake, let it settle for 20 minutes, pour off, and rinse with the other half gallon, then pitch your beer right on top of it...You could do this while the worts boiling or cooking....

Are you saying do the washing right in the carboy?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I think he is talking about rinsing the bed with 1/2 gal of boiled/cooled water, pouring it out to a sanatized container, letting it settle, then washing to yet another container and washing again with the second half gallon.
If you have not washed yeast before, this link is great.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/
I usually add some wort after the last washing, then I use cleaned old 16 oz soda PET bottles to store the washed yeast in the fridge. Then I just take them out of the Fridg around 8 hours before I pitch and let them come to life. Always end up pitching very active and happy yeast.
Hope this helps.

 

[Revvy]

I think he is talking about rinsing the bed with 1/2 gal of boiled/cooled water, pouring it out to a sanatized container, letting it settle, then washing to yet another container and washing again with the second half gallon.

Yes, usually into a sanitized container...I have 2 -1 gallon mason jars for this purpose...but in a pinch I have actually done it right in the carboy it's not as "perfect" as doing it into another container, but it will get off the excess hops and a lot of the trub from the previous beer. That's why I referred to it as a "quick and dirty rinse."