Want To Pitch Onto Yeastcake

[PanzerOfDoom]

My next brew will be a Fat Tire Amber clone, I want to pitch another right onto the yeastcake when complete, looking for suggestions, thinking of a IPA or Pale Ale?

 

[Brewsmith]

Sounds good. Just be prepared for a very active fermentation. Get the blow off tube ready. You don't want to end up with a plugged air lock and have to clean krausen off the ceiling.

 

[jazzbass]

I just did the same with a Light Lager and used the
yeast for a steam beer.

Guy at the LHBS recommended 1/4 cup for Ales and 1/2 cup for Lagers.

I used the 1/2 cup. Pitched at 70 degrees. Had airlock activity in about 8 hrs.

Moved to basement about 65 degrees to finish out.

 

[PanzerOfDoom]

Man how I envy you guys with basements, I have to swamp cool down here even in the dead of winter.

So do you not use the entire cake, I was thinking of transfering the first brew to secondary and pitching the new wort right into the primary onto the entire cake. Is this ok?

 

[jazzbass]

From what I've read here many do it. Just use a blow off tube and be
ready for an aggressive start.

Some of the more experienced guys here can probably address it better.

I just liked starting out with a clean fermenter.

 

[cweston]

So do you not use the entire cake, I was thinking of transfering the first brew to secondary and pitching the new wort right into the primary onto the entire cake. Is this ok?

Yes--the advantage of doing it this way is that it's no muss, no fuss, and you have fewer sanitation concerns because the yeast cake never comes out of the fermenter and never gets handled in any way.

The disadvantage is that you have to time it right: having batch 2 ready to go in the fermenter when you rack batch one to secondary. (Although you can pop the airlock back on and just let the yeast cake sit in there a while if need be.) Also, you're introducing a fairly large amount of trub into the primary of the new brew, and you're probably going to lose some volume to blowoff because it will be an incredibly vigorous ferment.

I don't worry much about the trub: when I've done this, the second batch has only been in the primary 4-5 days because it ferments out very fast.