More noob questions

[Cool Hand]

Bear with me guys/girls, I've searched and read alot of threads about this...but I still gotta ask. I'm starting my brewing career with LME/DME kits, Munton's is the brand I believe. My first batch is a Amber Ale that is currently in the primary. I now want to brew a Porter after racking the Amber to the secondary. My questions are: does this type of brewing create a yeast cake? If so can I use this yeast cake with the Porter. BTW, I was going to follow the 1-2-3 method of fementation, settling, and conditioning eventhough the packaged directions say to bottle after 7-10 days of fementing. Acceptable? Or is that just for more "in-depth" brewing with grains and such. PHEW! Thanks for your patience!

 

[John Beere]

I guess it more depends on if the yeast used for your Ale is a good match with your Porter... other than that, you'll be fine as there should be obvious signs of a "yeast cake" forming at the bottle of your carboy shortly. I think they rush the instructions on those extract kits telling you to go ahead and bottle so soon. If you can swing it and leave it alone, the 1,2,3 rule will be good to you...

Edit - I think what you wouldn't want to do is brew a dark beer and then dump a lighter beer on its yeast cake...

 

[rdwj]

every brew creates a yeast cake. It doesn't really matter if you're using DME, LME or all grain. The big question is if you want to use the same yeast in both beers. If so, you can just pitch your boiled and cooled work on top of the "gunk" on the bottom of the primary. I wouldn't wait long before doing it.

You can also wash yeast, but you probably want to do a few batches before messing with that

 

[cweston]

Bear with me guys/girls, I've searched and read alot of threads about this...but I still gotta ask. I'm starting my brewing career with LME/DME kits, Munton's is the brand I believe. My first batch is a Amber Ale that is currently in the primary. I now want to brew a Porter after racking the Amber to the secondary. My questions are: does this type of brewing create a yeast cake? If so can I use this yeast cake with the Porter. BTW, I was going to follow the 1-2-3 method of fementation, settling, and conditioning eventhough the packaged directions say to bottle after 7-10 days of fementing. Acceptable? Or is that just for more "in-depth" brewing with grains and such. PHEW! Thanks for your patience!

Yes, yes, and yes.

You can pitch the porter on the yeastcake left behind after you rack the amber to secondary. Make sure you have a blowoff tube because you'll get a much more active fermentation. People often don't bother repitching with dried yeast because dried yeast is cheap compared to liquid--but there's no reason you can't do it. You're making a slight leap of faith that the first brew isn't infected with wild yeast or nasty bacteria or anything--if it is, the second one will be, too. This is very, very unlikely, though.

1-2-3 is always good practice, although you probably can move a lower gravity beer (under 1.045 or so original gravity) faster if you want to.

 

[olllllo]

Bear with me guys/girls, I've searched and read alot of threads about this...but I still gotta ask. I'm starting my brewing career with LME/DME kits, Munton's is the brand I believe. My first batch is a Amber Ale that is currently in the primary. I now want to brew a Porter after racking the Amber to the secondary.

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It looks like you did some homework before you asked and that is aways appreciated.

My questions are: does this type of brewing create a yeast cake?

Yes, whether Extract, all-grain (AG), or Partial-Mash (PM) you will get a yeast cake provided the yeast hold upthier end of the bargain.

If so can I use this yeast cake with the Porter.

You may, it will produce beer. Generally speaking, you will possibly get some residual hop flavor from the first beer and your Yeast may not match the style (this is sometimes not a bad thing). We'd give you a better answer if you post the recipes and yeasts in question.

BTW, I was going to follow the 1-2-3 method of fementation, settling, and conditioning eventhough the packaged directions say to bottle after 7-10 days of fementing. Acceptable? Or is that just for more "in-depth" brewing with grains and such.

With very few exceptions 123 will be the minimum times. It's technically beer after the 7-10 days. At each stage you can try a sample presumably when you take gravity readings.

A number of store recipes give short hold times because they don't want to discourage you from getting into this hobby.

 

[Cool Hand]

Thanks all, I gotta run to work but when I get back I will post recipes/yeasts, plus, of course, a few more questions.

 

[Cool Hand]

Ok, back to the matter at hand, the kit ingredients were: a 3.3lb can of hopped amber LME, 2lbs of light DME, a 1oz pack of hop pellets, and my yeast was 6 grams of Muntons active brewing yeast. The back of the yeast packet has BBE 01 2008 CRB stamped on the back which I assume is an expiration date. I re-hydrated the yeast before pitching as per the instructions on the packet. If I were to pour the porter wort onto the amber yeast cake would I still use the packet of yeast that came with the porter kit or is that too much?

 

[Cool Hand]

Also, my basement is 56 degrees right now, is that to cool for storing my fermenter? It's been down there for 5 days now, I had constant bubbling for 2 days and then nothing else. Holy crap can anyone ease my paranoia?

 

[olllllo]

I really couldn't find out anything about that yeast other than most of their kit instructions tell you to ferment @ 65-70F
http://www.muntons.com/homebeer/instructions/htm/instructions_5.asp

56 might be a bit low, but is that the air temp or is that the temp on your fermenter (sticker)?

Lower temperature is going to slow things down a bit.

Is the Yeast packet the same for your Porter?

If it were me I'd pour the next bacth right on top. It's a kit beer, so I don't think it'll do any harm.

 

[Cool Hand]

Thanks, olllllo. I didn't even think to check for a muntons site, duh. That was the air temp btw, I think I'm gonna move the bucket upstairs for the night, shouldn't do any harm right?

 

[Hopfan]

You'll find that the temp in the carboy will be different from room temp if you're doing this in your basement. The yeast doing their job will generate heat. Right now my basement is 70 degrees and the starter I have on the stir plate started out at 69 and has gone up to 77 degrees.