Can I use the yeast cake?

[WaltG]

So. Right now I'm fermenting a spotted cow clone using us-05. I want to do a SN stout clone next. Can a rack onto that yeast cake or are they too different?

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

not sure what a spotted cow is exactly but you should be fine.

 

[wtfDean]

As long as the OG of the new beer is greater than the old beer, you ought to be fine. I have done this many times. I am not familiar with that type of beer you are cloning, but use common sense. An IPA racked on to the yeast cake of a sweet stout is probably not going to be ideal, obviously. An amber/brown followed by an amber/brown/porter/stout will make a fine beer. Be ready for some serious blowoff.

 

[WaltG]

It's stout onto a cream ale

 

[Gar]

I did this a few times and it takes off freakin quick you will want to make sure there is plenty head space for that beer. Take heed of wtfDeans words.

 

[jtratcliff]

Cream ale followed by a stout should be fine.

The whole yeast cake is probably a serious over pitch, though. Remove 1/2-2/3 and reserve for another brew. Check a yeast calculator to get an estimate of the number of cells you need and the number you likely have in the entire yeast cake.

 

[WaltG]

How do I go about aeration with this? Aerate in a different bucket and pour on top?

 

[wtfDean]

Light to dark is fine, as stated above. How do you normally aerate? You shouldn't have to use any different method. If you rock back and forth to shake it up usually then just do that. I use an air stone the same way when racking on a yeast cake as when pitching a starter. It could be worthwhile to remove some yeast, but I have never done this. I've had satisfactory results using the whole thing. Again, be ready for some serious blowoff

 

[flars]

How do I go about aeration with this? Aerate in a different bucket and pour on top?

Do not use the entire yeast cake from the Spotted Cow. That would be an extreme over pitch. Flavor development will suffer in your stout.

After bottling your stout, swirl up the yeast remaining in the fermentor. Pour off into sanitized quart jars after the trub has begun to settle out. More on yeast washing (rinsing) in stickie. Use some of this yeast for your stout. Calculator that will help. The longer the yeast is refrigerated, the more it compacts. Billions of cells per ml will increase with compaction.
http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast-tools.php
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

 

[flars]

Link to yeast washing sticky.
I sanitize my jars with Starsan solution.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

 

[ericbw]

You should easily have enough yeast for 2-3 batches if you just swirl it up and pour into jars. I would use a pint or so of that swirled stuff, just pitched like that. Then save the rest to make a starter fur future beers.

Then your $4 pack of yeast makes 3-4 batches easily (w/o washing, etc.).

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

You should easily have enough yeast for 2-3 batches if you just swirl it up and pour into jars. I would use a pint or so of that swirled stuff, just pitched like that. Then save the rest to make a starter fur future beers.

Then your $4 pack of yeast makes 3-4 batches easily (w/o washing, etc.).

beat me to it.. sanitize a couple of pint jars or I have actually used zip loc bags. sanitize em.. pour slurry into them...squeeze out the excess air and toss in the fridge. I did not store em that way for an extended period but I used em a week later and was fine.

 

[wtfDean]

Instead of washing yeast I save my White Labs vial and pour some of the starter back into the sanitized vial before pitching the starter to the fermenter. This only gives you one extra vial, but pouring off a bit of each starter gives you virtually unlimited batches. This way you can dump the old yeast cake rather than go through the ordeal of yeast washing.
Though many appear to disagree with me, I will restate that using the whole yeast cake is fine. True, it's over pitching, but my own research indicates that flavor development is only detrimental if the yeast strain has a distinct flavor associated with it (German hef, belgian, English ale). The reproduction phase develops those flavors and with such a high cell count your yeast will mostly bypass reproduction and go straight to attenuation. US-05, however, is a clean American ale yeast and a short/absent reproduction phase won't make a noticeable difference in your finished product. If you choose to wash and store your yeast, keep things sanitary.