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fromthomaswlove · 07-24-2008, 02:10 PM

Hello all,

I am about to bottle my first batch of Ed's apfelwine, and a few weeks back my brewing partner mentioned something about how we could maybe save the yeast and sugar, and just throw more apple juice straight on to the left behind sediment after bottling...

Unfortunately, he is on his honey moon, and definitely the smarter one in the group... Does anyone have any idea if this will work?

Pogo · 07-24-2008, 02:39 PM

Yes! It will work!

It is called 'pitching onto the same yeast cake.'

Others can/will offer more details, I'm sure.

Pogo

**BigKahuna** · 07-24-2008, 02:40 PM

Yes...in part.
The sugar is gone, but you can add more juice and sugar right to that yeast cake, and you'll be fermenting away before lunch. Just don't forget to shake the crap out of the juice / Sugar mix to aerate. The yeast will go through it's respiratory phase again, and you'll be off.

I know someone here (don't remember who) has been using the same yeast cake for apfelwein for almost a year.

jmulligan · 07-24-2008, 02:41 PM

You can certainly repitch onto the same yeast cake, no problem. I'm not sure what you mean about "saving the sugar" though. Most or all of the available sugar in your apfelwein is consumed by the yeast to produce alcohol. You can just dump in new apple juice and ferment that, or if you desire a higher ABV, you can add some dextrose.

ryscott · 07-24-2008, 03:40 PM

I've got an apfelwein finishing next week and I'd like to use the yeast cake for two new simultaneous batches. Any recommendations for the best way to get half of the yeast cake from a 5 gallon better bottle carboy into another? Would half of the yeast cake be enough for each batch?

**BigKahuna** · 07-24-2008, 03:44 PM

I'm sure it would be as long as you aerate sufficiently. Sometimes we poke a lot of fun at people for being too cheap to shell out another $0.98 for a new package of Montrachet. This is a valid learning experience for all of you, and perhaps some day you will be pitching beer onto a yeast cake and creating something very exciting using the knowledge you've learned trying to re-use apfelwein yeast. The benefit to this is, until it's done, it's just $20 worth of juice(So if you really screw it up, you're not out that much), but when you're finished...It's Priceless Apfelwein.