Yeast cake

[Anna]

Thanks (as usual) Warra! I'll check it out.

[rotten]

Gday guys
If you did re-use the entire yeastcake, would you need to cool all ingredient before putting in fermenter so you dont kill the yeast, or mix in fermenter like i normally do eg hot water and mix fermentables etc
Cheers

[drsmurto]

Cool to pitching temperature.

Personally i scoop out 1 cup of the yeastcake as this is more than enough to ferment another batch of beer (assuming you aren't brewing a high OG beer).

I have only reused an entire yeastcake when brewing big beers (barleywine, IIPA).

The exception (to my rule) is lagers where i have re-pitched a fresh wort straight onto a yeastcake assuming both are at ferment temp (8-10C). This rule is for true lager yeasts not the stuff under the lid of most kits called lager which are actually ale strains in most cases.

[rotten]

Gday dr
Thanks for clarifying that for me. I guess with all of these suggestions you always need to keep the basic principals in mind and connect the dots as it were.
cheers

[rotten]

G'day all
Yesterday i pitched 1 cup of US 05 yeastcake into my latest brew. It took off after only 3 hrs. I cant see how people are quoting using two cups of yeastcake as i struggled to get one.
The measuring cup was santised and i covered with glad wrap and left on the bench while i did the boil for the next brew.
Thanks for the advice, it's a great way to save a few bucks.
Cheers.

[big dave]

Howdy

A couple of days ago I put down a pale ale with Cascade and US 04, also my first use of steeped crystal. My plan is to put down a Wassa's honey porter next. If my reading of this thread is anywhere close, then I could probably reuse the yeast from the current brew for the porter? Just cool the wort to 20 degrees and pop it onto the trub?

Any difficulties with that.

Dave

[melykabeer]

re drsmurto your previous post about reusing a cup of the yeast cake. Now before my question, when I bottle I carry the full fermenter from the downstairs fridge up the stairs onto the table, i usually let it sit for a few hours before bottling. Since its warmed up and swirled around a bit from me carrying it, will 1cup of yeast cake still be fine? I was thinking this combination there is not as much yeast left sitting on the cake. I was also thinking about how you actually grab that cup of yeast, does swirling up the approx 1-2l of left over beer at the bottom thats not bottled then grabbing a cup of the emulsion for the next brew?

[rotten]

This is just what I have done without any problems. Bottle as normal, remove tap on fermenter and carefully drain as much of leftover beer as possible. Get a sanitised cup and simply scoop yeastcake into cup, try to get most of it from the centre if possible. I then just cover it with gladwrap and sit it on the bench ubtil I'm ready to pitch in next batch, which is the same day. Usually by then it's trying to force it's way through the gladwrap. You will have more than enough every time IMO, your yeast should have resettled, or wait longer to bottle.
Cheers

[Bum]

try to get most of it from the centre if possible.

I've never reused yeast before and I've done only a little reading in preparation for the day that I do but I've never come across anyone suggesting yeast should be taken from the centre of the fermenter before. What is the idea behind this? I have always assumed it just fell down to the bottom evenly. I'd love some more detail on this if it isn't too much of a derail.

[rotten]

No worries Bum. Can't remember where it came from but there is a thread somewhere here that mentions it. It came from a more reputable brewer than myself. It may take some finding but will give it a go.
Cheers

[drsmurto]

When i rack the beer off the yeastcake there is ~1L of beer left. I give the whole fermenter a vigorous swirl to get the yeastcake/trub off the bottom of the fermenter (never heard of using it from the centre, suspect that is an urban myth). If i want to use some of the yeast immediately i will scoop out 1 - 2 cups (depending on the OG of the next beer, higher = more slurry). I then open up the tap and pour all of this into a sanitised bottle.

Lid on, label and into the fridge until required. I used to separate the trub from the yeast and still do occasionally but if it plan on using the yeastcake within 3-4 weeks i don't bother. These days i top crop as well so the yeastcake only gets re-used once, maybe twice at most.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.....



This is actually not yeastcake but top cropped yeast so the bottle is only 500mL but the end result is close enough - a bottle of yeast although in the case of top cropping it contains only yeast, no trub. I normally use a 1L bottle for a yeastcake.

[melykabeer]

Thought i would post a couple of more pics its of my first attempt.

I just finished a brew and pitched with salvaged yeast from a us-05 packet, was actually wassa's honey porter. I dunno if i have pitched enough tho will have to wait and see. I used a 600ml sanitized coke bottle.
http://yfrog.com/86dsc00140pj taken straight after filling the bottle
http://yfrog.com/bgdsc00145lj taken after 48 hours in the fridge, just before i shook it up and pitched it. I probably could have poured off the beer on top and refilled with water but i didn't bother.

[melykabeer]

I can confirm it was enough yeast, its bubbling away quite rapidly after 24hrs + clear 1-2cm thick krausen on top.

[Fifey]

With ales is it a good idea to top crop over harvesting the yeast cake?

[drsmurto]

With ales is it a good idea to top crop over harvesting the yeast cake?

Top cropped yeast is just that, yeast.

A yeastcake contains proteins as well as dead yeast.

I use both, most ale yeast cant be top cropped easily as the krausen isnt dense enough to be able to crop enough yeast. English ale yeast is good, american ale yeast (US05, 1056) not so good.

[Heals]

How many times can you reuse a yeast cake before it start to mutate?

[AidanMatthews]

Hey drsmurto can u crop top wyeast 3944 i have a reeally healthy thick krausen going at the moment

[drsmurto]

How many times can you reuse a yeast cake before it start to mutate?

There is no definitive answer to that question as it depends on how you handle it, what your sanitation regime is like but a rough guess would be no more than 5. I split the yeastcake up into 2 or 3 lots and use them such that i can stop within a few generations and still get several beers from the one smackpack.

Hey drsmurto can u crop top wyeast 3944 i have a reeally healthy thick krausen going at the moment

Yes, that is a true top cropping strain.

[matr]

Just did my first top crop..

Now I have 2 jars of ProCulture Sierra Ale yeast..

Thanks for the info DrS.

Cheers, Mat.

[speedie]

This is actually not yeastcake but top cropped yeast so the bottle is only 500mL but the end result is close enough - a bottle of yeast although in the case of top cropping it contains only yeast, no trub. I normally use a 1L bottle for a yeastcake.
drsmurto

Would it be fair to assume that there would be all sorts of material in this sample?
During high fermentation it is like watching water boil

So any and all! Material will! Be carried up towards the surface of the ferment
You all would have noticed that there is a ring or deposit around your fermenter after high krausen

I have pondered on the hop affect when there is a really large amount of hop actually stuck on the side of the frementer that is above and out of the wort or should I say green beer!
thats assuming that you have ferment hopped

What would sol say yeasts aint yeasts
Repitching is practical and gets the ferment up and running quickly
But let’s face it if we wanted a perfect world we would use fresh yeast every time!
Speedie