Lager Slurry Reuse Question

[wobdee]

All I brew is lagers with WY2124. I ferment at 50 for about a week, raise to 60 for a d rest then cold crash before kegging.

I have a club comp coming up in Nov where everyone is brewing a Cali Common. I want to use my current yeast I use for my lagers but ferment around 60 instead of 50. I'm sure this yeast will work fine at this temp for this beer but what about reusing this same slurry for future lagers at 50°? I'm worried that fermenting warmer will carry over fruity esters to my next lager?

 

[m00ps]

it shouldnt, the yeast makes new cells when it gets pitched into another beer. Plus, the starter wouldnt be at 50 degrees right?

 

[wobdee]

No starters, I reuse the slurry from my primary fermenter. I swirl the fermenter a bit then pour the slurry into a sanitized mason jar. I keep the slurry in my fridge and pitch it into my next beer the day after kegging.

 

[Yooper]

No starters, I reuse the slurry from my primary fermenter. I swirl the fermenter a bit then pour the slurry into a sanitized mason jar. I keep the slurry in my fridge and pitch it into my next beer the day after kegging.

Well, you don't usually need all the slurry for a batch. So, put it in two or three or five jars and use one of them for the California common and some of the others for a new batch of lager.

I usually make 10 gallon batches, and 1/2 of a pint mason jar is usually enough for a regular strength ale, and not much more for lagers. As an example, for a 5 gallon batch of 1.050 lager with relatively fresh slurry (say, a month old in the fridge), only .44 pint or 285 milliliters would be an appropriate pitch. The rest can be saved and used in another batch. Then you're not going as many generations, and have healthier less mutated yeast.