Hi Guys, I am about to make my first raw juice cider. I am also trying a small experiment with some store bought juice in a 1 gallon demijong which should be ready to rack to my secondary at about the same time I get my 5 gallons of raw juice. Can I use the leftover yeast from the 1 gallon demijong as a starter and just pitch it into the raw 5 gallons of juice?
Yeast from previous batch as a starter?
- Thread starter Varroa
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Hex
Well-Known Member
I don't see why not. I'm going to use what's left from my first 5 gal batch for my second.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/using-yeast-cake-second-batch-cider-199040/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/using-yeast-cake-second-batch-cider-199040/
I wouldn't. At least not with dry wine yeast. If you wonder why, taste some of the lees and see how awful it tastes. Secondly, I rack my ciders and wines whenever there are lees 1/4" thick. Dead/dying yeast can cause autolysis and it's foul tasting stuff.
For ales, it's more common. But those yeast cakes are usually only a couple of weeks old, and even then it's recommend to wash the yeast and not simply pitch on the cake.
For ales, it's more common. But those yeast cakes are usually only a couple of weeks old, and even then it's recommend to wash the yeast and not simply pitch on the cake.
CvilleKevin
Well-Known Member
I think ale yeast works a lot better for this. Yooper is right that it is better to wash.
OTOH - when I was just getting started making cider, I once got 8 good batches (and 2 danky ones) out of one packet of ale yeast I got from a friend, with no washing, just repitching. I split it in thirds and kept repitching until they started getting wierd.
OTOH - when I was just getting started making cider, I once got 8 good batches (and 2 danky ones) out of one packet of ale yeast I got from a friend, with no washing, just repitching. I split it in thirds and kept repitching until they started getting wierd.
