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  • Opinions on double batch brewing techniques...

    We are going to start double batching our brews and my search has come up with some differing opinions on some of the techniques. We will be doing 2 batches on the same day. I'm curious to hear some of your favorite techniques for this. It seems that some (doing both batches on same day)
    will pitch only enough yeast as if they were only doing 1 batch after the 1st batch. Others will pitch enough yeast for the full 2 batches (double the yeast amount in he 1st scenario) after the 1st batch. Thoughts on this? Also, the consensus seems to be to oxygenate both batches as normal... thanks for any feedback on this!

  • #2
    Couple different techniques...

    It really depends on length of time between the batches. I'm more used to brewing on top of one batch the next day--as in 24 hours later. In that situation, I will always pitch the first batch as normal. Oxygen as required and single pitch of yeast. 24 hours later when the beer just starting to enter fermentation phase, I will dump second knockout in the tank with no oxygen and no more yeast. Fermentation is delayed a bit, but the resulting beers from single or double batch are indistinguishable. Even for yeast-forward styles. But sounds like you are pushing a second knockout into the tank maybe 6 hours later. For this approach I would aerate both batches the same as if single; and pitch each batch same as if single. Keep a close watch for the onset of fermentation--if fermentation start unduly early then perhaps you can dial down the second batch oxygen and pitch a bit less. Cell counts and onset of fermentation along with resulting fermentation curve and taste testing have me pitching extremely low in some cases. Best luck!
    Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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    • #3
      One brewery I worked at put ten batches into the same FV one after the other, over 20 hours, but with differing levels of oxygen - some at the end didn't get any - I can't remember the exact levels per brew (not that this is relevant to this particular situation anyway). All the yeast went into the first batch, so it all was at the same stage of growth, and when it came to the end of fermentation, all the yeast was at the same stage, and settled (or rose for top cropping) at the same time. This is important if re-pitching.

      A few other breweries put in 2 batches, one after the other, again, all the yeast went in the first batch. With two batches like this - they had the same wort oxygenation level. One specific beer at one brewery had a gap of a brew or two, so 2 to 4 hours. Again, all the yeast in the first batch, and the same oxygenation for each of the two batches. Zinc additions all went in at the end, when the volume of wort was measured - there is sufficient zinc during the lag phase for this to be OK. Again, the reasoning is all the yeast is at the same stage and make for more consistent fermentations and thus beer flavour etc.
      dick

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      • #4
        Two batches, in the tank before fermentation takes off, and you'll want to pitch enough yeast for both in the first batch

        Two batches, done long enough apart (24hrs is generally enough) you want to pitch a single batch amount with the first one and not pitch with the second one.

        It's also a way to save on yeast costs without having to prop up starters. Either way, you only want to add yeast once.

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        • #5
          Yeast Piching on several batches per day

          I depends on the size of the brewhouse and the fermenters, as for example; if your mash tun is for a 120 BBL batch and your fermenter is 960 BBl capacity, then you need 8 batches to fill it. So, then you calculate the amount of yeast cells needed:

          For a Lager: 12 °P wort x 1,500,000 yeast cells = 18,000,000 yeast cells needed.

          The total amount is distributed between the 8 batches you will be brewing, likewise, you also do a spindown on the yeast that you have stored in the yeast brink or tank to know the amount of pounds or barrels that are needed to supply the 18 million yeast cells.

          One technique is:

          First Batch: No pitching
          Second Batch: No pitching
          Third Batch: Pitch
          Fourth Batch: Pitch
          Fifth Batch: Pitch
          Sixth Batch: Pitch or stop if you have achieve your target.
          Seventh Batch: No Pitching, Pitch only if you have not achieved the target 18 million cells.
          Eighth Batch: No Pitching.

          Add oxygen or aeration only to the batches that you pitched yeast.

          After finishing every pitching batch, proceed to a cell count and then you can calculate the amount of yeast that is required. There is also formulas to calculate the amount of yeast slurry to pitch for every batch.

          Depends also in how clean your fermenters are and if your wort is free of contamination that you can apply several techniques, reason why some brewers prefer to pitch at every batch because the yeast will act soon on the wort. Some big breweries pitch in the last two batches after letting the wort sit for almost 20 hours or more.

          In my opinion, if your brewing equipment allows it, you can start one batch after another about every three hours depending on the beer recipe.
          Last edited by Fausto Yu-Shan; 08-16-2019, 06:01 PM.

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