Reusing a Yeast Cake ... Experiment Question

Yes, if you want to re-use a yeast cake, then you should brew two styles that use the same yeast strain. 3711 is not going to make a very good English/American style stout, and S-04 isn't going to make a good saison.

 

If you think a saison yeast will make for a nice imperial stout then go ahead and make it. it's your beer. I personally love the saison yeast, but the Belgian beats the French imo. you do not need to follow any style guidelines. in fact I would argue that you don't. saison yeast is distinctive though, so a little reading at wyeast will help you understand what to expect.

you should go from the lighter and lower ABV brew to the higher brew. saison to imperial is preferable. and you of course should try to leave a clean yeast cake. the yeast will begin fermentation quickly. a well oxygenated wort is important for high abv brews like imperials.

US 04 is a fine dry yeast. it will keep for a long while in the fridge and you will surely have another chance to use the US-04. it is fairly neutral and versatile, not unlike US 05 but with some subtle differences. I would not use it for a saison though. a saison without saison yeast is not a saison. might be a good beer, but the yeast is very important if you want to have the saison character.
Cheers.

 

Some of the same info as above, just slow to post.

Additionally, when reusing yeast it’s good to put together a plan. There are a couple of best practices to consider. Here’s a quick run through that I can think of off the top of my head. First, ideally you want the first beer to be low hops and low alcohol. The hop oils bonds to the yeast hurting their ability to reproduce. As for alcohol, it may be our love, but it is a waste product for the yeast. High alcohol levels put a huge strain on the yeast, resulting in higher attrition, decreasing cell count and those cells that do remain are not in good health. Last, it is also good practice to wash the yeast. You can youtube how to do this. Short answer you want the healthiest yeast and don’t want: dead yeast, trub and so on. Should note that I’ve reused yeast without wash, pitching right onto of the yeast cake without issue, but it is good to do if you’re not as lazy as me. For reference, last brew I used Wyeast 1728 for a Scottish 90 Shillings (a mild 1.043 OG), first beer and a Wee Heavy (1.086 OG), second reused beer.

 

OK