Throwing a new brew on the yeast cake

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jmp138

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
328
Reaction score
7
Location
Pittsboro, NC
So I am brewing Eviltoj's Arrogant Bastard clone this weekend and also bottling 5 gallons of BM's Centennial Blond(my second batch, an absolutely fantastic and refreshing beer). I used dry Nottingham for the Centennial and I was thinking about pitching the Bastard onto this cake.

I have never reused a yeast cake before and had a few questions. First, would it be ok to use the Nottingham yeast for the Arrogant Bastard Ale? The recipe calls for a dry, neutral yeast.

If Nottingham will work, do I just bottle my Centennial, brew the Bastard and thrown it directly onto the cake?

Also should I pitch another packet of Nottingham just in case?

Lots of questions, thanks for the help.

Jay
 
I have never reused a yeast cake before and had a few questions. First, would it be ok to use the Nottingham yeast for the Arrogant Bastard Ale? The recipe calls for a dry, neutral yeast.
Yes.

If Nottingham will work, do I just bottle my Centennial, brew the Bastard and thrown it directly onto the cake?
Yes.

Also should I pitch another packet of Nottingham just in case?
No.
 
You can simply siphon the new wort onto the cake, give it O2 or at least aerate it for the yeast's sake, and let it go.

It will be very aggressive, prepare to remove clean and replace the air lock after a day or so, or just use a blow off hose.
 
Thanks for the answers guys, now for a couple more.

I use a counterflow chiller and let it drop right into my fermenter which provides plenty of aeration, I suppose there isn't any problem with letting that yeast get all clouded around and swirled up with the new wort.

Secondly, I'm going to bottle the centennial and then brew the Arrogant Bastard which leaves a lag time of about 4 hours with that yeast cake just sitting in the fermenter. Is this a problem? I just don't want to make the yeast unviable.

Thanks again.
 
I use a counterflow chiller and let it drop right into my fermenter which provides plenty of aeration, I suppose there isn't any problem with letting that yeast get all clouded around and swirled up with the new wort.
Whenever I pitch onto an existing yeast cake, I give the fermenter a good shake to aerate. Granted, I use an IC instead of a CFC, but I would still recommend a good shake for aeration.

Secondly, I'm going to bottle the centennial and then brew the Arrogant Bastard which leaves a lag time of about 4 hours with that yeast cake just sitting in the fermenter. Is this a problem? I just don't want to make the yeast unviable.
Sanitize a piece of tinfoil (which should be mandatory equipment in every homebrewers toolbox) and stick that over the opening of your fermenter. It will stay viable for much more than the 4 hours it takes you to brew. All will be well. RDWHAHB! :mug:
 
Thanks for the help, I guess on most things you should just trust what you think, its nice however to get some reassurance.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about aeration. By racking onto a yeast cake you are over pitching by such epic proportions that the respiration stage is going to be very short or even nonexistent.
 
So I am brewing Eviltoj's Arrogant Bastard clone this weekend and also bottling 5 gallons of BM's Centennial Blond(my second batch, an absolutely fantastic and refreshing beer). I used dry Nottingham for the Centennial and I was thinking about pitching the Bastard onto this cake.

I have never reused a yeast cake before and had a few questions. First, would it be ok to use the Nottingham yeast for the Arrogant Bastard Ale? The recipe calls for a dry, neutral yeast.

Yes

If Nottingham will work, do I just bottle my Centennial, brew the Bastard and thrown it directly onto the cake?

You can, but you _might_ be overpitching. It'll take off like a rocket and make beer, but overpitching too much can be bad for flavor. I'd run things through mrmalty and discard a portion of the yeast cake if necessary, though it's unlikely in a big beer like the Bastard that you'd be overpitching by enough for it to be a problem.

Also should I pitch another packet of Nottingham just in case?

Definitely not, you're already closer to the "too much" yeast side of things than the "not enough".
 
Great answers from all, the only thing that I have done differently for my brew day is the use of a blow off tube for the first time. I figure this one may be just a little bit active.
 
Good call. Anytime you're using a yeast cake, you can expect some explosive fermentation. You've got a whole bunch of yeast there that's been sitting dormant getting hungry, and you're suddenly pouring in 5 gallons of food. They do get a bit crazy after that. :D
 
Back
Top