Planning Beer Progression

[FizzyLiftingDrinx]

Here's the scoop: I've got an American Wheat in primary right now and I'm going to transfer that to secondary the same day I brew my Russian Imperial Stout. The plan is to rack my wort onto the yeast cake from the American Wheat--a technique I heard on the Jamil show.

Here's what I like about this: I'm reusing my yeast in a beneficial way in that this is supposed to make a palatable Russian Imperial Stout. Well that's great being the frugal bastard that I am. You see, I have a difficult time looking at the price on the vial of yeast compared to the packet of dry yeast; so if I can use on vial for a series of brews, well I'll be a happy guy. I generally just buy the dry for $1.99 and dump the spent yeast.

Here's what I want to know: What other beers does this technique work well with? So we've got American Wheat ---> Russian Imperial Stout (with Cal ale). I'd like to work with some other yeasts too along with trying to brew some new and exciting beer styles, so suggestions?

Thanks!

[IroPino]

I've done that practice myself and it seems to work just fine, but there is a down side to doing it. For starters it gets low ratings on the sanitation scale and it opens up the possibility of bacterial infection. Not that all infections are a bad thing, some are great, like in lambic styles. Just be aware that every time that you re-use a culture, that culture is evolving in favor of its new matrix. That pea-soup of yeast and what-ever can either be a good thing, or a bad thing. Hopefully not the latter.

I have useed a vial of White Labs in a 2000 ml starter, (Irish Ale) and re-used the culture 5 times. I finally chucked it out when I noitced a shift in the yeast flavor profile. I can only imagine what was happening on a mirco-biological level as this culture began it's evolution, but it finally became un-usable.

I can only hope that you will have as good luck as I had with a particular yeast culture. I an only stress the importance of being extreamly anal about sanitation. Great homebrew is only as good as the sanitation practice that you use, so be as clean as you possibly can be in your brewing process. If you are going to experiment in yeast farming as I plan on doing some time in the future, then it is necessary to go way beyond sanitary, certain procedures require a sterile environment.

Good luck Ole Man and remember, RELAX, have a homebrew!

[FizzyLiftingDrinx]

Hey, thanks! I'm keeping up very well with my sanitation. I even dunk my hands in sanitizer with each step in the process. What I'm really looking for is some hints on beer styles to plan a progression of brews based on a particular yeast strain. My goal here is to get a few different beers out of one vial of yeast. For example, maybe you want to use an English ale yeast. Maybe you would begin by brewing a Mild Ale. After that fermentation is over, maybe you would brew a Malty Brown and pitch onto the yeast cake. And maybe when that fermentation was over maybe you might press your luck with a Baltic Porter onto the yeast cake! I understand you want to start with a low gravity beer and end with a high gravity beer and never the other way around. In the case of Jamil's suggestion with American Wheat and Russian Imperial Stout, that's two brews. Can you push three? Anybody do this? I'm looking for examples of yeast strains and what styles and what order you brew them in to pitch onto the yeast cake.

[Thirsty Boy]

I'd be interested in the answer to this one as well. Nice logical 3 beer sets like the examples Fizz has been giving

maybe

1-Hefe Weizen 2-Dunkelweizen 3-Weizen bock

1-Ordinary Bitter 2-ESB 3-Barley Wine

That sort of thing. I haven't done it. But how about some examples from those of you all out there who have. With decent sanitation I dont recon that 3 beers is pushing your luck too far is it?

[Lufah]

You just have to think through the styles that use the same yeast. Then go from lightest/lowest ABV to darkest/highest ABV.

Pale ale-IPA- Doubel IPA

Or you can do some wierd shit. Milk stout to cyster. Not sure that this one is a good idea, but I'm getting my cider today and I have a milk stout to rack to keg so we'll find out.

Travis

[bub]

WLP001 Cal Ale will brew about anything... A huge percentage of micro breweries use it for everything except there hefes....
You can do Scottish, Scotch, ESB, PA, IPA, DIPA, popcorn shrimp, shrimp cocktail..... well you get the picture.... Others use one of the english strains to do the same thing.
BUB

[Kaiser]

Also, if you just havest the yeast and pitch according to the recommended pitching rates, you can even do beers with similar gravity with this yeast. After 4-6 generations of yeast, depending on how long the yeast was inactive between fermentations and how good you think your sanitation is, you may want to get a new vial or propagate from scratch.

Kai

[FizzyLiftingDrinx]

...shrimp gumbo, shrimp sam'wich...

I like the examples I've seen so far. Those are the ones that seem logical. I'd have to say that going from American Wheat to Russian Imperial Stout isn't so logical--but very interesting. I never would have thought of that one. But I'm giving it a shot. I'll be brewing the RIS on Tuesday night.

I'd like to see a progression for some Belgian-style beers. I haven't made any attempts in that arena yet and wouldn't really know where to start. Maybe Belgian Blonde or Golden ----> Belgian Strong?

Anyway, keep up the brainstorm! I know someone out there must use this technique. I thought I heard Jamil mention it on the Imperial IPA show and I think that's why the curiosity is stuck in my head.