Can I do this with yeast?

[celtic_dude]

I have 2 different beers in primaries at the moment. The first was brewed last friday and is happily bubbling away. The 2nd was brewed on sunday and there is no activity. I do understand it is still under 72 hours and you can never go by the airlock activity but when I go and take a hydro reading and there is no change. I am wondering when I go to rack the first, could I take the yeast from the bottom of the carboy and dump it into the other batch in my conical? They used different yeasts though? 1st batch~wyeast 1028 and the 2nd wyeast 1098. If so, what would the procedure be? Thanks

 

[dogbar]

Yeast have their own timetables and will bubble when they're ready to bubble. By the time you're racking the first batch, the second one will be fermenting happily.

I'd in fact bet at the latest you'll wake up to airlock activity in your second batch tomorrow morning.

If you want faster starts, you could make yeast starters ... but it would be extraordinarily hypocritical of me to suggest that

 

[jharres]

Isn't there a viability issue with starters as well? What I mean is that if you have a bigger beer (1.070 or larger), don't you run the risk of yeast dying out before it's done attacking all of the fermentables (i.e., stuck fermentation) if you don't use a starter, or is time to start the only benefit of a starter?

 

[Col224]

Just to support what dogbar said. I made a 48 hour yeast starter for my latest batch and I recently had to post a "Whoa. Violent Ferment" thread it went so fast. I would seriously suggest starters.....and blowoff tubes.

 

[Col224]

jharres, I posted before I read your question. I may be wrong(and one of the more experienced guys will correct me if I am), but by not making a starter you can overwork your yeast and produce off flavors.

 

[jharres]

Ah, good point on the stressed yeast. On the flip side though, at least according to Palmer, (How to Brew - By John Palmer), if you add too much yeast, you run the risk of producing fusel alcohols. My question then is, how much is too much?

 

[CBBaron]

Ah, good point on the stressed yeast. On the flip side though, at least according to Palmer, (How to Brew - By John Palmer), if you add too much yeast, you run the risk of producing fusel alcohols. My question then is, how much is too much?

It takes a ton of yeast to over pitch. Even reusing the yeast cake from a batch is usually going to be just fine. Thats like making a 5gal yeast starter.
Making a starter ensures you have a viable healthy population of yeast and reduces stress on the yeast, making for a cleaner beer that attenuates fully and rapidly. Under pitching a big beer can result in stressed yeast that. This can cause under attentuation problems as the yeast stop under high alcohol conditions. Healthy yeast will handle the additional stress of high alcohol better.

To the OP. You probably do not need to worry but you can pitch yeast from a yeast cake in a new beer. Easiest solution would be to take a sanitized cup or scoop of some sort and just scoop a good quantity of yeast from the trub and dump it in the new wort. 1028 and 1098 are similar strains so mixing the 2 won't change the character of the beer in a noticeable way.

Craig

 

[celtic_dude]

Well I am a little over 48 hours and still no activity. I am planning on taking a hydro reading tomorrow night if there is still nothing happening to see if the gravity has dropped at all. I hope I will not have to take yeast from the other batch. I am hopping to wash my first yeast in hopes of reusing for future batches. Thanks

 

[jharres]

It takes a ton of yeast to over pitch. Even reusing the yeast cake from a batch is usually going to be just fine. Thats like making a 5gal yeast starter.
Making a starter ensures you have a viable healthy population of yeast and reduces stress on the yeast, making for a cleaner beer that attenuates fully and rapidly. Under pitching a big beer can result in stressed yeast that. This can cause under attentuation problems as the yeast stop under high alcohol conditions. Healthy yeast will handle the additional stress of high alcohol better.

Thanks Craig. That is a very good point about the 5 gallon starter. I just had to repitch a big stout and after reading that was a bit nervous.

 

[celtic_dude]

I am very happy. Just checked the gravities of my 2 batches. The 1st one with all the activity went from OG=1.058 to 1.022. The 2nd one with no activity went from og=1.046 to 1.018. So no need to re-pitch. Both tasted great too!

 

[GloHoppa]

I am very happy. Just checked the gravities of my 2 batches. The 1st one with all the activity went from OG=1.058 to 1.022. The 2nd one with no activity went from og=1.046 to 1.018. So no need to re-pitch. Both tasted great too!

just remember....RDWHAHB!