Back To Back Brewing

[QldKev]

Thought I would throw this one up since I'm currently running the same yeast cake for 8 weeks now, and am extremely happy with the beer quality from the fermentor into the cubes.

QldKev

 

[Keifer]

Usually don't bother with with reusing yeast, will chuck in a new pack of dried or culture up a split bottle from wyeast.

 

[bljpoad]

Only tried this a couple of times, and only put one brew on top of the yeast cake. Might look into doing this more often or harvesting the yeast, but I am still not that confident handling yeast! h34r: Getting there though, plenty of threads here that are still on my "to read" list!
- Berwyck

 

[ale_snail]

same in the sense of Berwyck of to read. Read something the other day about harvesting the yeast and it looked good. want to read more

 

[Hutch]

I tend to harvest, wash, and repitch when using Wyeast, to reduce cost per brew, and also because i love the quality of beer the liquid yeasts produce. I've read numerous times that pitching onto a yeast cake is considered overpitching, and in my one experience of doing so, ended up with a blown airlock, and yeast on the ceiling!!!
I collect the cake and wash it as per this link, and repitch, or store the clean slurry until the next brew.

I don't know whether i'd bother repitching if using dried yeast, since the packet cost is quite low, and there is reputedly a higher level of bacterial contamination in the packet - great for single use, though you'd probably want to start acid-washing it if you're going to reuse it more than a few times.

As always, there's plenty of ways to skin a cat - whatever works for you.

 

[redbeard]

I usually mash / boil a double batch. I usually chill the 1st 20l down to 3' after ferment is finished, to drop the yeast out. Then the 2nd 20l goes onto the 1st yeastcake, which is like cold pitching.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I haven't moved into liquid yeasts but have collected slurries by various means and reused the yeast

I might give pitching onto the yeast cake a go next time I do a double batch

Cheers

 

[Tony M]

A couple of years ago I ran a 34/70 lager yeast for eight brews and really only threw it away because it was finishing a point or two higher than target. There was still nothing wrong with the beer.
I find that when you harvest a generous crop, the next brew rockets along very sweetly. Provided you can measure and control the wort temp, I know of no reason to not get the ferment over as quick as possible.

 

[brettprevans]

only recently started using liquid yeasts, Reused yeastcake for 2 seperate brews. Am going to start to culture/harvest yeast to reduce costs of using liquid yeasts. So much better result with liquid yeasts and so much more of a range to choose from. I will still use dry yeasts but wont bother to resuse yeastcake as they are cheap to buy.

 

[boingk]

To be honest, I'd rather start with a totally sterile fermenter and new yeast. That said, I use packet yeasts currently and am happy with doing so...getting some very nice results if I do say so myself

I may have a go at harvesting some 34/70 from an up and coming batch, because the LHBS is out of it currently...

 

[QldKev]

I'm not 100% sure why, I am just finding that the 2nd and 3rd brews are actually better than the first brew on a yeast. It may be that the starter is massive creating the co2 barrier faster?

 

[chimera]

I've done plenty of back to back brewing, and not just to try to save money on the yeasts - the successive batches have consistently outshone their originals.
Once I had enough bottles to stockpile a few months I found that (weather permitting) the best results are to do 2 batches end on end using the same yeast. I like to think of it as using the first batch as a huge yeast starter, and more recently i've started making second batches higher SG just to take advantage of the huge yeast count.

 

[Jye]

I usually mash / boil a double batch. I usually chill the 1st 20l down to 3' after ferment is finished, to drop the yeast out. Then the 2nd 20l goes onto the 1st yeastcake, which is like cold pitching.

Ive been cold pitching onto the yeast cake for the last half a dozen brews and I think they have been coming out just as clean. I wouldnt repitch a 3rd brew because the fermenter starts to look a bit of a mess with the trub and hops in the krausen ring. I would suggest to only repitch onto a yeast cake if you have good temp control, pitch a couple of degrees below your fermentation temp and hold it there for the first 24-48 hrs then let the temp rise back up to normal fermentation temps. I would never pitch warm because they do take off and we have all seen what happens if you dont have a blow off tube fitted <_<

QldKev, I think the brews end up better because the yeast is healthier after a good feed

 

[blackbock]

I have repeatedly fermented subsequent batches onto lager yeastcakes with no ill effects. As Jye pointed out above, the Krausen rings from previous batches are a bit of a turn off, but the advantages of minimal lag time are outweighing the dangers of contamination/autolysis for me at the moment, and I will continue to use my yeastcakes at least twice.

I still continue to be amazed by the differing appearance of the yeastcakes from brew to brew, even when using the same yeast strain. For example, sometimes W34/70 will form a rubbery-looking thick layer on the bottom of the fermenter , other times it will hardly leave any cake layer at all, and instead remain suspended, or even float on the surface as small brown colonies.

 

[grod5]

I'm with Tony M and JYE, I will use the 34/70 for 3 batches while controlling the temp to keep it at 9 deg. I like the large pitch as it gets things going quickly (Airlock activity within 12 hours). I tend to find the thing bubbles away slowly for 2 to 3 weeks. I let it rest for at least another 2 weeks at 2 deg then into the keg.

I spend a lot of time making sure things are as clean as possible and limit the time with the lid off. I only do this with lagers and have hod no problems so far (21 batches this way).

I will wait until I have a problem then go back to 1 pitch per batch.

g

 

[animal_man]

i used a WY3068, and to my suprise as i was racking to secondary there was not a single bit of yeast on the bottom after 15 days in primary! All on the surface, so i skimmed it. Never seen a yeast do that before, i was about to dump a new wort on the cake too This common? I know this yeast has a very low flocculation, but this was extreme!

 

[reveler]

is there any reading material on this process? do you pour the new wort on top of the old yeast cake, or do you scoop out the yeast cake and put it into your new brew?

 

[InCider]

is there any reading material on this process? do you pour the new wort on top of the old yeast cake, or do you scoop out the yeast cake and put it into your new brew?

Yep and no! I have done both, but prefer to scoop out the yeast of one fermenter and drop it (carefully) on to a new batch...Like what Jye said - a clean fermenter each time.

Once I forgot to pitch it and the...dogs ate it! :blink:

InCider.

 

[Hutch]

i used a WY3068, and to my suprise as i was racking to secondary there was not a single bit of yeast on the bottom after 15 days in primary! All on the surface, so i skimmed it. Never seen a yeast do that before, i was about to dump a new wort on the cake too This common? I know this yeast has a very low flocculation, but this was extreme!

Interesting - I'm currently on the 4th reuse of a Wyeast 1469 (Timothy Taylor yeast). Each time it has flocked-out to the top, and remained there well after primary has finished. I've scooped it out and washed it, leaving a cup of clean white slurry ready for repitching. No trub, hops or dead yeast. I wish all yeast flocked like this!

Apparently this is a common trait of many UK ale yeasts. Interesting to hear it happens for hefe yeast too.

 

[redbeard]

Once I forgot to pitch it and the...dogs ate it! :blink:

InCider.

Your dogs like vegemite style paste ?

:unsure:

how about beer ?