I will be brewing the Dry Dock Urca Vanilla Porter and Speckled Heifer Partial Mash Kits from NB. Both use Wyeast 1056 American Ale. The OG on the Speckled Heifer is 1.042. The OG on the Vanilla Porter is 1.062 and the instructions say to prepare a yeast starter for the Vanilla Porter. Can I use the Speckled Heifer as my yeast starter and just pour the Vanilla Porter wort right onto the Speckled Heifer yeast cake once I have racked the beer off of it into a bottling bucket or keg?
Thanks.
Use 1/3 to 1/2 the yeast cake from the smaller beer and you’ll have plenty. You can put the rest of the yeast cake in Ball jars and store in the fridge for later.
What’s the best way to get the yeast cake you are going to store out of a carboy?
this is the website I used to learn how to wash yeast. It’s pretty good but you can do a search for yeast washing or harvesting yeast and find some other ways to go about it and pick what works for you.
[quote=“Sluggo”]What’s the best way to get the yeast cake you are going to store out of a carboy?[/quote]I boil a kettle of water for 15 minutes, then move it to the fridge to chill. Sanitize three Ball jars and lids and rings. Rack the beer off the yeast, then pour just enough water into the fermenter to loosen the yeast by swirling it. Set the jars on a towel and divide the yeast between the jars, then top up with more cold water from the kettle.
Each jar is good for another batch of beer up to about 1.075 and above that I pitch two.
I always seem to have enough beer left in the carboy to be able to get the yeast cake liquid again. Then just poured it into a quart jar.
Unless you are using 1968, I think that one is like silly putty. Some extra water may be helpful with that yeast.
Pour 1/3 directly to the primary for the bigger beer and save the other by pouring into a plastic one gallon ziplock in a small bucket or other container (to give it shape). Refrigerate and use the balance within two to three weeks.
:cheers:
