Racking onto a yeast cake

[mizzourah2006]

This is the second time I have racked onto a yeast cake. I typically do this to get faster fermentation and a way to use the yeast twice, especially with a similar style.

I brewed an APA first, pitched the yeast US-5 and it was actually vigorously fermenting within about 12 hours.

Racked it into a secondary about 20 minutes before I racked my second beer (Bell's Two hearted clone) onto the full yeast cake. This was Sunday about 6 PM. I have been looking at it daily, looking for air from the airlock (which I know isn't the end all be all sign) and nothing. So today I opened it up and took a look and it does not have any Krausen at all. I have another pack of yeast, I am just wondering what could have happened.

Any thoughts?

 

[drawdy10]

That is really odd, confirm with a gravity reading but it sounds like maybe you killed the us-05 with excessive heat in the wort you put on top of the cake? I have always had my second batch take off extremely fast almost seems like it gets roaring fermentation going within an hour. You might have to just pitch some more yeast

 

[amandabab]

I've never had a cake fail. was the wort hot?

 

[mizzourah2006]

That is really odd, confirm with a gravity reading but it sounds like maybe you killed the us-05 with excessive heat in the wort you put on top of the cake? I have always had my second batch take off extremely fast almost seems like it gets roaring fermentation going within an hour. You might have to just pitch some more yeast

racked at 75, I typically go between 70-75. Is that too high?

 

[beowulf]

While racking on a yeast cake generally produces very early and quick fermentation, I've found that yeast sometimes has a mind of it's own. I find that if I wait a couple days and slosh the bucket a couple times each day, it'll wake up eventually.

I just did 2 batches on Sunday and used 2 different yeasts that I had saved from previous batches. One was bubbling madly Monday morning, the other didn't do anything until Tuesday night. These were saved in jars, though, that I kept in the refrigerator. Since yours is extremely fresh, one would assume that it would take off right away.

As for your temps, I don't think that's too high...certainly not high enough to kill the yeast. I agree with the other folks and would recommend pitching your extra packet if you don't get any activity today sometime.

 

[mizzourah2006]

Perfect. Thanks everyone. I will check the gravity tonight and if there is little to no change I will go ahead and pitch the extra packet.

 

[edognight]

The first time I pitched on a yeast cake, the krausen clogged and it blew the airlock off in two hours. I do 1 gallons on top of the fridge, and it fermented like a raging hurricane. It was memorizing.

I now use a 1.5 gal bucket for primaries.

 

[mizzourah2006]

Update, so when I got home I did a hydrometer reading and it came in around 1.002. I have absolutely no idea how that happened. I did not ever seen any Krausen and I never saw air coming out of the airlock.

The OG was 1.062.
1.002 seems very low, I was looking to hit around 1.010.

 

[amandabab]

maybe somehow the co2 stayed disolved the the solution.

poke it, see if it explodes.

 

[mizzourah2006]

maybe somehow the co2 stayed disolved the the solution.

poke it, see if it explodes.

well technically I poked it when I pulled beer to test the gravity. Really confused, the only time I have ever seen anything like that happen was with Lager Yeast.

 

[day_trippr]

Update, so when I got home I did a hydrometer reading and it came in around 1.002. I have absolutely no idea how that happened. [...]

Humongous over-pitch...

Cheers!