I am bottling a honey wheat beer tonight and then brewing a cream ale in the morning. Can I just rack the wheat beer out of my fermenting bucket, put the lid back on and then put my newly brewed cream ale in that same bucket to reuse the 1010 after I brew tomorrow morning?
That’ll certainly work although you’ll probably be “over-pitching”. Whether that’s an issue or not is open to debate. One thing, though, be prepared for a fast start and vigorous fermentation of the cream ale.
I find the limitation to racking onto an existing yeast cake is due to either roast, hopping, or spices in the previous brew since those components will carry over into subsequent brews. If your honey wheat was non-descript with respect to those components (I expect that it was), then racking onto that yeast cake should be fine.
I did just this to brew my old ale on the yeast cake from my ESB. Took off like a rocket. Prepare a blow-off tube.
I try to phase my brews to reuse the same yeast. A good rule of thumb is lighter to darker, lighter to stronger.
I used cascade and kent goldings hops for my wheat and am going to use the same for this cream ale. I think it would work out fine flavor-wise. I guess I’d just like to know the process some of you may have used in a similar manner. Do I just use the same bucket and pitch right on top, or transfer the yeast to a new bucket? Probably a matter of preference I guess? The colors are practically identical so I think that should be fine.
I go right into the same fermenter, kraesen spooge and all.