Yeast Cakes

[mick]

Hi guys,

I have heard a bit of talk about re using the yeast cake on the bottom of the fermenter, I was just wondering about a few things .

How is this different to buying liquid yeasts ?

can any kit yeast be used ?

How much should i leave at the bottom ?

and finally, how many times can u do this method ? I thought the yeast cake was just dead yeast !

Sorry for the questions, but Iam interested to know the benfits of this over the normal process of kit yeast .


Cheers

 

[Jovial_Monk]

There is little point in saving the cake of a kit yeast, as you get new yeast with every kit and the quality is dubious in many cases. But if you buy a Danstar liquid yeast, or k97 or 34/70 and above all with a liquid yeast re-using cake makes sense.

Don't try to stretch the cake too far, apart from contamination the yeast may mutate and you don't get the qualities in your beer that you were after.

To reuse a cake plan a series of 3 brews

Brew one, low grav and pale
Brew 2, darker and stronger
Brew 3, very dark and strong

Pitch brew one, let ferment, age in primary one week, rack
Pitch brew 2 straight into the same fermenter as soon as you have racked brew one
After racking out brew 2, if you have a lot of yeast, with the utmost caution re sanitation and hygiene, scrape up half the cake, put in sterile jars covered with at least an inch of beer. Store these jars at 4C and reuse within the month

Four beers, $18 for liquid yeast, $4.25 per brew for yeast, dry yeast prices! And of course you can split your starter, so half a dozen beers can easily be made from one sachet/tube of liquid yeasts. There really is no justification to keep on using the pathetic 7g sachets of kit yeast. the only use I know of for these little bitty yeast packets is to boil them in wort for at least half an hour, providing nutrient for real yeast. This is not arrogance on my part, yeast has a MAJOR influence on the flavor and health of your beer, so get the best!

Jovial Monk

 

[GMK]

Re using yeast cake

I know of a commercial brewery that reuses its yeast upto 16 times.

 

[deebee]

This is not arrogance on my part, yeast has a MAJOR influence on the flavor and health of your beer, so get the best!

I like a quote I read ages ago somewhere about the importance of yeast on the flavour and quality of your beer and can't remember the source, but something like this: "Yeast is not an ingredient in your beer; it MAKES your beer."

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Re using yeast cake

I know of a commercial brewery that reuses its yeast upto 16 times.

"I know of a commercial brewery that reuses its yeast upto 16 times."

yes, but commercial breweries can have complete sterilisation of everything, all sealed ss containers hot caustic soda etc, plus they have labs and facilities we don't

Hmm on the tour of West End, what was it they said, a yeast is used 8 times then discarded (sold to Kraft for turning into Vegemite) and a fresh yeast is used eight times to create a new batch of yeast

so even the big boys have limits to how far a new lot of yeast can be stretched. Three times is plenty for homebrewers.


Jovial Monk

 

[PostModern]

I like a quote I read ages ago somewhere about the importance of yeast on the flavour and quality of your beer and can't remember the source, but something like this: "Yeast is not an ingredient in your beer; it MAKES your beer."

Absolutely!

Brewers make wort. Yeast makes beer.

 

[wee stu]

Pitch brew one, let ferment, age in primary one week, rack
Pitch brew 2 straight into the same fermenter as soon as you have racked brew one

Jovial Monk

Currently brewing a liquid wort kit American Pale Ale with Wyeast American Ale liquid yeast.

Want to reuse the yeast cake for next, similar style brew. What's the best way to do this?

This brew has been pretty vigorous with high krausen - so there is going be to a lot of crud left clinging on the top of the fermenter.

Can I pitch brew 2 straight on top as JM says? I'm worried about hygene and infection from the crud left from the first brew.

 

[GMK]

wee stu

When i do this, i usually do the following.
Sterlise a 10 ltr food grade bucket...pour yeast cake into this...add 1ltr of rain water and a 100gms of Dextrose/light malt. Aerate and snap lid on.

Then i clean out the fermenter - mix up new wort in the now cleaned/sterilised fermenter and as long as the temp is >= 30 degrees i then open the tap and pour some of the wort into the bucket...aprox 2ltrs.

Mix in and aerate...Repeat with another 2 ltrs etc.
Once i have added 6 ltrs to the bucket - IMHO this gets the yeast cake to the wort temp gradually as well as supply more sugars to the yeast...i then pour the bucket contents into the fermenter and mix in.

If need be , i use my aquarium pump for the first 3-4 hours for further aeration.

No problems so far...just did this with an American Ale 1272...made one Boston cream followed by another....

Hope this helps.

 

[wee stu]

Cheers Ken, with the weather about to hit the 40s in the City of Churches , I might not be pitching right away this time, but might harvest for later use.

Thanks for the advice, though. Will use it next time. One thing sure in brewing, there's always a next time!

Awrabest, Wee Stu.

 

[GMK]

WeStu

Are you coming upto the Barossa Any time soon or maybe when Batz gets here on the 30/4....

Stop by for a coldie...

 

[Batz]

Don't know why but think your gunna be a funny dude Wee Stu

 

[Murray]

JM - in terms of ale yeast, do you prefer harvesting from the krausen, reusing the yeast cake, or both?

 

[johnno]

On Australia day i chucked a Coopers IPA onto the yeast cake of a Coopers Sparkling Ale that was racked to secondary. The IPA is now in secondary and it seems fine.
Just chucked the can and a Bewiser Brew booster onto it.
That Sparkling Ale sure tastes yum.

cheers

 

[wee stu]

GMK - can't do the 30/4 :angry:

daughter's ninth birthday, but rest assured when I can get to the Valley sometime, I'll be letting you know! :chug: :chug:

Batz, if there's still a mash demo planned for 17/4 at the Monk's or the Arab's, I'll try and catch up with you then.

Any news on the mash demo??.

Awrabest, wee stu.