20 replies to this topic

[Stout_fan]

Time to start thinking about the 2010 brewing calendar here at Stout_fan Labs.I remember Jamil talking about brewing beers, and not getting the yeast to perform best until the third batch. So I have to confess, I am guilty of building up a gonzo 4l starter and brewing a beer. Then I dump all the trub and start over, investing ANOTHER pound of DME and week of prep into the project. Needless to say ANOTHER $7 spent on a yeast vial.So for those wiser than me out there (and that ain't much of a stretch), do any of you brew a sequence using the same yeast.Untried suggestions are also valid here for discussion. So don't be timid.I would presume an IIPA or a stout would be a last in the sequence.Like 1028 or 1968 used in sequential brews:English mild ---> stout ----> RISNot too sure if this would be the correct place to publish a recipe for all three or more sequential brews. Need Mod ruling on this point.Partigyles won't cut it as they're brewed in parallel.Let's have 'em guys.

[Thirsty]

I plan on doing this about 50% this year. I plan on just brewing 4 categories in rotation (pale ales, Belgian blond, American brown, and Belgian various) So my plan is to use just 1 maybe 2 yeasts to make the Belg blond and the Belg various. I love the wyeast 3522 Ardennes, and that should go into 80% of the blond and 50% of the Belg various (tripels and dubbels) then the other Belg various will probably get wlp500 and wy3724 for the saisons. So I do plan on getting as many reuses out of the Ardennes.

[MtnBrewer]

Yes, I do this quite often. You'll often hear a "rule" quoted that you should go from lowest gravity to highest and from lightest in color to darkest. I don't think gravity matters unless a certain threshold is exceeded at which point the yeast may be stressed from fermenting a high-gravity beer. This threshold is sorta fuzzy and varies from yeast to yeast. The threshold seems to be around 1.070 - 1.080 for most yeasts. However, I think most Belgian strains can handle fermenting a triple over and over and in fact I have done this with 3787. So to summarize this rule, I think either of these sequences are ok: Mild -> pale ale -> RIS, Pale ale -> mild -> RIS. However this one would not be: Mild -> RIS -> pale ale. Hope that makes sense. Always put the big beer at the end and you can do whatever you want prior to that.As for the second rule, hogwash. It doesn't matter what color a beer is. You can brew a stout followed by a pale ale with no problem. So little of the original wort makes it into the next batch that it won't affect color noticeably.

[djinkc]

I almost always try to get multiple batches. Lately I haven't followed the ROT of increasing gravities and SRM. I haven't had anything much over 1.060 for the past few months though. If I had something around 1.080 or higher that might be it for that yeast. Over the last several brews I've repitched to lower gravities and SRMs several times. Fermentation seemed fine but not many have made it to the tap yet. It's been cold enough lately that I didn't want to order yeast since it might freeze on the way here.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I have three beers going so far this year from one tube of white labs wlp004. I brewed a dry stout with a starter, top cropped from this beer to another starter. Used that starter to brew and Irish red. Then used a yeast cake from the dry stout to pitch in a big oatmeal (qss) stout. These are all 10 gallon batches of all grain beers. I still have the yeast cakes in the irish reds if there is another Irish beer to be brewed.

[MakeMeHoppy]

I'm new to the game but let me add one more consideration. If you are going to just rack the new beer onto the yeast cake of the old one consider how many hops are still in the trub. Dumping a malt dominate beer on an IPA yeast cake may give you too much hopiness in your second beer. Of course you can wash the yeast to seperate the trub from the yeast.

[Stout_fan]

... Of course you can wash the yeast to seperate the trub from the yeast.

I guess that should be part of the question. Do you wash yeast?I admit to doing this.........................once!I'm a lazy a$$ SOB who just dumps the new wort in if hops & color won't kill the second beer.And name the actual strain you used here guys!

Edited by Stout_fan, 17 February 2010 - 02:54 PM.

[Thirsty]

I guess that should be part of the question. Do you wash yeast?I admit to doing this.........................once!

Keeping in mind there is a difference between washing and rinsing. Washing requires an acid rinse rather just an addition of water and removing the seperated creamy layer. I just rinse.

[MtnBrewer]

I'm new to the game but let me add one more consideration. If you are going to just rack the new beer onto the yeast cake of the old one consider how many hops are still in the trub. Dumping a malt dominate beer on an IPA yeast cake may give you too much hopiness in your second beer. Of course you can wash the yeast to seperate the trub from the yeast.

You can also just avoid adding hops to the primary.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Save part of your starter and use it next time. I've used a batch of 1056 8 times now. #7 still tasted good - I'll let you know about #8.

[gnef]

I have to admit I am pretty lazy. For many of my series, I start with dry yeast: US-05, S-04, and nottingham are ones I've done series with. When I get liquid strains, I definitely do series with them to maximize the value from the cost of a single vial (this is also a reason I am thinking of ranching yeast, but not sure yet if I want to make that jump yet).With US-05, I've done something along the lines of: pale -> amber -> IPA -> IIPA/BW/RIS, and I usually split the yeast cake so I do tangent series with dry stout -> oatmeal stout -> chocolate stout -> RIS For a british strain, I've done a bitter series, going from ordinary -> special bitter -> esb, and then you have enough yeast for just about any british styles, especially if you have been splitting the yeastI also do belgian series, and am just now starting that with 3787, and the plan is: belgian wit -> dubbel -> trippel -> liquid stupid, and I will have split the yeast to do a dark strong and separate quadI am also in the process of doing a lager series with two strains, one is to end with a samiclaus clone, started with a schwarzbier, will go to another lager (haven't decided yet), then to samiclaus. With the other strain WLP833, I did a bock, and I plan on doing a doppelbock, then another lager, and then ending with an imperial pilsener.

[Stout_fan]

OK, I stand corrected, I RINSED yeast once.But I was interested here in brew sequencing, not just making more of the same.I guess I could expand my 1028 thread to Mild --> ESB --> Sweet (NTS) Irish Red --> Southern English Brown --> Porter --> sweet stout --> Oatmeal Stout --> RIS --> Oak / Palo Santo RISDang, I'm getting thirsty thinking about this.That's NINE!Betting I could go three batches pitching right onto the trub.But probably ought to rinse it after three uses.That would make it:Mild --> ESB --> Sweet (NTS) Irish Red rinse--> Southern English Brown --> Porter --> sweet stoutrinse--> Oatmeal Stout --> RIS --> Oak / Palo Santo RIScomments?

[MtnBrewer]

I wouldn't reuse after the first RIS. Never rinsed so I can't comment on that.

[jayb151]

Yea, I also wouldn't reuse after a RIS.On the good side though, if you make the beer in the order you say, you can split what you collect and safe some in the fridge for the next batch. If you used the same fermenter you would be wildly over pitching IMO. You should go right into the Mild, divide what you collect in half and use those for the next three or four beers. Then you are going to want to start washing before the stouts.For the RIS's, I would pitch everything you collect after washing from the last batch.

[orudis]

I do this regularly, pitch a tube into an ordinary bitter or belgian singel then move up the ladder. There was a few threads at the other place that included some experiences using lager yeasts to do this, doing a small cali common as the first beer.

[Stout_fan]

... I am also in the process of doing a lager series with two strains, one is to end with a samiclaus clone, started with a schwarzbier, will go to another lager (haven't decided yet), then to samiclaus. With the other strain WLP833, I did a bock, and I plan on doing a doppelbock, then another lager, and then ending with an imperial pilsener.

I do this regularly, pitch a tube into an ordinary bitter or belgian singel then move up the ladder. There was a few threads at the other place that included some experiences using lager yeasts to do this, doing a small cali common as the first beer.

I didn't mention it, but that psychic gnef addressed my primary concern here: Getting enough WLP855 (Zurich Lager) for my Samiclaus. My 14 gal batch needs an 8l starter. For that I take a week and a half and plow through 2 pounds of DME. However, orudis points out making a Cali common first as a starter for the final end result. I wonder what that Zurich lager yeast would taste like in the hybrid beer? Dry for sure! If I did an extended batch of 20 gallons, say at the upper range of the OG: 1.048 – 1.054 with multiple oxygen additions. But FG: 1.011 – 1.014. WLP855 takes 1.120 wort down to 1.016. Yep, it's going to be DRY!Guess I'll have to go see if Jess hasn't killed my log-in and the search thing still works over at the board with no name.edit- OK, I'm back with the goods. Click here for the green.Big Harry Deehl did a WLP833 with no problems. Although he didn't comment on the results of the actual lager though. The CC turned out OK.BHD, care to report on the results from years back, presuming you remember them?

Edited by Stout_fan, 23 February 2010 - 08:51 AM.

[johnpreuss]

I have to admit I am pretty lazy. For many of my series, I start with dry yeast: US-05, S-04, and nottingham are ones I've done series with. When I get liquid strains, I definitely do series with them to maximize the value from the cost of a single vial (this is also a reason I am thinking of ranching yeast, but not sure yet if I want to make that jump yet).With US-05, I've done something along the lines of: pale -> amber -> IPA -> IIPA/BW/RIS, and I usually split the yeast cake so I do tangent series with dry stout -> oatmeal stout -> chocolate stout -> RIS For a british strain, I've done a bitter series, going from ordinary -> special bitter -> esb, and then you have enough yeast for just about any british styles, especially if you have been splitting the yeastI also do belgian series, and am just now starting that with 3787, and the plan is: belgian wit -> dubbel -> trippel -> liquid stupid, and I will have split the yeast to do a dark strong and separate quadI am also in the process of doing a lager series with two strains, one is to end with a samiclaus clone, started with a schwarzbier, will go to another lager (haven't decided yet), then to samiclaus. With the other strain WLP833, I did a bock, and I plan on doing a doppelbock, then another lager, and then ending with an imperial pilsener.

Yeah, I'm not proud I've done series with the dry yeasts too. US-05 went something like MLPA -> Porter (Got scared the MLPA had gotten contaminated and worried it happened in the primary.. but we were good the porter was BOMB!) then I ran a S-04 series of bitter->Brown->Mason Jar but will be used in my next beer an EPA. Right now I have a Porter with pitched on top of a Notty yeast cake from a modified MLPA. This one took off in 4 hours!!! Notty blows my mind - I believe it's the ninja monkey yeast.

[johnpreuss]

Yeah, I'm not proud I've done series with the dry yeasts too. US-05 went something like MLPA -> Porter (Got scared the MLPA had gotten contaminated and worried it happened in the primary.. but we were good the porter was BOMB!) then I ran a S-04 series of bitter->Brown->Mason Jar but will be used in my next beer an EPA. Right now I have a Porter with pitched on top of a Notty yeast cake from a modified MLPA. This one took off in 4 hours!!! Notty blows my mind - I believe it's the ninja monkey yeast.

Forgot to mention, I'm getting slants of American Ale II 1272 and London Special 1968 and I plan on runs with both:1272=> Blue Moon Clone => Fat Tire Clone => Not sure (I just want to try... and hopefully feed my non homebrewer friends some brew)1968=> English Pale Ale => ESB => Brown => Old Ale => Barleywine?!?! (Probably split the cake after the ESB)

[Hentai]

I guess I could expand my 1028 thread to Mild --> ESB --> Sweet (NTS) Irish Red --> Southern English Brown --> Porter --> sweet stout --> Oatmeal Stout --> RIS --> Oak / Palo Santo RISDang, I'm getting thirsty thinking about this.

Yeah that a lot of tasty brew.If planned that well ahead of time I think I would take that mild yeast cake and toss it into 3-4 mason jars. then you could... ......-->Sweet (NTS) Irish Red --> Porter --> Oak / Palo Santo RISMild-->ESB --> sweet stout --> RIS ......--> Southern English Brown -->Oatmeal Stout I used to do like that a lot. I actually would take a yeast and make a starter, let it ferment out and put it into 6 or so test tubes, cap and store, and use them to make starters. Now I just use a yeast for 3-4 batches, typically upping gravity as I go and toss.Edit: I am so full of it. I would never brew a mild, wtf who would waste their time with a mild?