Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:30 pm
It does - same volume, same gravity - basically twice the recommended number of cells for a lager vs an ale
Pseudolus - the pitching into a smaller amount and then pitching more wort on top later, is pretty much a direct reflection of commercial practise in breweries where they use very large fermentors that take multiple brews to fill up. At work when we are filling the BIG fermentors, it takes 5 full brews and 18 or so hours to fill a fermentor. When we are working from a newly cultured rather than a harvested yeast pitch... the pitch goes in with the first brew (a little warmer as a matter of fact) and the other brews go on top over the 16-18hrs.
Its just a big starter really
One of the trappist breweries (it might be orval??) spreads it out over nearly a week. With a brew per day for three days, a break, then a brew on the fifth day... or something like that
From a homebrew perspective - No-Chill is the perfect vehicle for this technique. If were to do it (and if I ever brew a 10G batch of lager I will) I would put my wort into two NC cubes, pitch one on day one with an appropriate starter for 5G.. then 12-18 rs later, before fermentation had started, pour the other NC cube in on top... plus extra oxygen. Or you could rapid chill the first and no-chill the second. A little less concern about sanitation and the pitching delay if you use no-chill.
