Warm weather saison.

[WIMARIPA]

Once the weather warms I plan on making a foray into the land of liquid yeast and saison brewing.

With this in mind I have plans for 3 batches of saison done serially (due to limitations of space and yeast). I was just going to pitch them successively on the cakes from the previous batch but further research revealed that this approach may limit the saison character produced suing rapid yeast reproduction.

Now my plan is to make and pitch a starter for a very light saison (4% abv), wash the yeast and use 1/4 of it immediately for a somewhat darker heavier (6%) saison, then finally pitch the entire yeast cake for a heavy rye braggot saison that I have planned. I'll be transferring all of my batches to secondary just after primary fermentation has ceased so that the yeast will remain active.

Any thoughts or suggestions for this?

 

[BrewKnurd]

As a general rule, if you want yeast to contribute flavor, I would not recommend pitching on a complete yeast cake, unless there's a significant increase in batch size that goes along with that.

Others will regale you with their takes of success in pitching on a whole yeast cake, so it will ultimately fall to you to decide what works for you.

 

[WIMARIPA]

I've heard that but I've also heard that you need lots of yeast for a high gravity batch. I just don't know where to draw the line.

 

[Genjin]

As a general rule, if you want yeast to contribute flavor, I would not recommend pitching on a complete yeast cake, unless there's a significant increase in batch size that goes along with that.

Others will regale you with their takes of success in pitching on a whole yeast cake, so it will ultimately fall to you to decide what works for you.

I have read this as well. The reasoning is that yeast flavors (esters, fusels, phenols) are created as the yeast are reproducing. Pitching on a huge yeast cake will result in a fast fermentation most likely, but very little new yeast production and as a result less of those nice flavors produced by saison yeast.

If it were me I would use mr. malty pitching rate calculator and pitch an appropriate amount of slurry based on your gravity and batch size.

 

[Calder]

My rule of thumb for re-using yeast is to pitch a quarter of the cake for a batch of similar starting gravity. If the gravity is 2X, use 2X the yeast (or half the cake). This will get you in the region of the recommended amount of yeast to pitch. I keep to this amount for any re-use up to a month.

It is not necessary to wash the yeast. You can if you want, and it will keep some 'old' trub out of the beer, but it really doesn't hurt.

Good luck.

 

[WIMARIPA]

Thanks Calder. That seems like a very useful rule of thumb. Maybe I'll just pitch half the cake for my high gravity batch.