Repitching on a pliny yeast cake

[hirschb]

I'm fermenting a Pliny the Younger clone now (using Vinnie's recipe: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/6351/doubleIPA.pdf ). I'm using Wyeast 1056 for the fermentation. I was planning to follow this beer up with another using the same yeast/ yeast cake. My question is, how much hop flavor is going to carry on to the next beer when re-using the yeast? I was planning to use the primary fermentation yeast cake, and not the secondary/ dry hopped yeast. I know that if I use the secondary/ dry hopped yeast from the secondary, a ton of hop flavor will carry over. So.... if I ferment another IPA with the primary yeast cake, should I cut back on the hops a bit knowing that some of the hop flavors from the Pliny clone will carry over? If this is the case, does anyone have any recipe suggestions to take advantage of the Pliny hops? Has anyone done this before?
Thanks.

 

[j1n]

Why don't you yeast wash first then use that for the next batch? btw you can overpitch by using the entire yeast cake on a new brew.

 

[DarthCitra]

This is a little but im curious if there is alot of trub left on your yeast cake when you go to pour the next batch over. ive never thought of doing that when going back to back styles.

 

[hirschb]

Why don't you yeast wash first then use that for the next batch? btw you can overpitch by using the entire yeast cake on a new brew.

Convenience.
Even if I yeast wash, will the hops flavor carry through to the new brew?

 

[dyqik]

I think it's generally perceived to not be a good idea to repitch on yeast cakes from such a strong beer anyway - the yeast is pretty stressed by the alcohol content at the end of fermentation, quite aside from the hop debris and trub in the cake.

It's probably better to make a slightly too big starter with fresh yeast for your next beer, and save some of that starter back to make the starter for the beer after next.

 

[peterj]

I think it's generally perceived to not be a good idea to repitch on yeast cakes from such a strong beer anyway - the yeast is pretty stressed by the alcohol content at the end of fermentation, quite aside from the hop debris and trub in the cake.

It's probably better to make a slightly too big starter with fresh yeast for your next beer, and save some of that starter back to make the starter for the beer after next.

+1. Pliny the Younger is like 11% isn't it? The yeast from a beer that big are going to be pretty stressed and unhealthy. Especially with all of the hop oils that are in there. The oils coat the cell walls and stress the yeast out even more. I would definitely not reuse that yeast. Those are like the 2 primary rules of when to not reuse yeast.

 

[hirschb]

Pliny is 8.2%, plus my efficiency inexplicably sucked, resulting in an OG of 1.059

 

[fearwig]

Assuming similar SG and volume, pitching on the cake usually gives you about 3x your ideal pitch. I haven't had a problem pitching onto dry hopped cakes, but if you don't bag your hops you may want to wash or otherwise screen the yeast first. The yeast won't carry over much flavor at all, but actual hop particles or leaves are another matter.

 

[peterj]

Pliny is 8.2%, plus my efficiency inexplicably sucked, resulting in an OG of 1.059

Oh, you said Pliny the Younger which is about 11% ABV. But I clicked on the link and I see now that it's Pliny the Elder that you brewed. And if your OG was only 1.059 then the yeast probably aren't gonna be too bad off. The hops won't be great for them, but if you harvest yeast before dry hopping it would probably be fine. But I wouldn't pitch on the whole cake because as fearwig said that would be a big over pitch which isn't great for the beer. I would remove about 3/4 of the cake or harvest the slurry according to a yeast calculator like mrmalty.com and just pitch the correct amount. Doing it that way I don't think you'll get too much hop flavor carrying over to the next batch.

Personally I never reuse my yeast after a really hoppy and/or high gravity beer.

 

[hirschb]

Oh yeah, Pliny the Elder..... my mistake.
Thanks for the tips!

 

[peterj]

Sure no problem, good luck with your brews!