Will my yeast cake give off flavor?

[mkory]

The reason I ask is because I'm bottling an rye APA this weekend and I'd like to pitch a dopplebock onto the cake. My thinking is that the quick fermentation I'll get from the S-05 cake should make for a clean (at least cleaner, since I cannot lager) tasting beer, right?

Once fermentation is done, should the beer be racked off the yeast since there will be so much yeast/trub at the bottom? I normally don't use a secondary, but have never pitched onto a cake before.

 

[Torchiest]

Throwing a doppelbock onto the yeast cake from a rye APA seems like a weird mix to me, as you'll have some leftover flavors from the first beer in the cake. I'm not sure the hops and rye would mix well with the malty sweetness of the doppelbock. I could be wrong about that.

The idea in general is fine, though. You should be able to leave a second brew on a yeast cake for another three weeks with no trouble. I've done second batches on yeast cakes two or three times and left them on for weeks with no issues. But, since this may be a stronger beer, moving it to secondary isn't a bad idea, if you're planning on letting it condition for a while.

 

[mkory]

I was debating adding some extra hops to the brew to help balance things out anyhow. I was kinda torn between a bock and an oktoberfest, so if this turns into some kind of frankenstein "imperial" oktoberfest that's fine with me.

p.s. I'm aware we can't just go adding imperial in front of any strong beer, but a strong, caramely, possibly slightly spiced oktoberfest, yes please!

 

[mkory]

And I understand that I'll want to either carefully pour or rack onto the yeast as to not aerate the wort, and the yeast won't be needing oxygen since there is already a sufficient amount in the trub? But stirring the trub in is okay once the fermenter has been filled.

 

[Torchiest]

I would say only rack at this stage. Also, I would NOT stir after racking onto the yeast cake. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain stirring at this stage would introduce off-flavors, because there will be oxygen in the fermenter, which you don't want at all anymore.

 

[mkory]

I didn't think about it like that. Does everybody else recommend racking then NOT stirring in the cake?