From the I Love Apfelwein thread:
What is the process to reuse the yeast in this case? Does the carboy need to be sanitized in any way? Does the Krausen need to be cleaned out? Or does one rack off the cider and pour ingredients for a new brew directly into the "dirty" fermenter?
Doesnt seem consistent with the careful sanitation needed in brewing...
The yeast cake left over when you rack your beer from the fermenter is some of the most viable yeast around. Lots of brewers who need a really high pitching rate for a big beer will brew a "small" beer, around 1.040 starting gravity, ferment it out, and then throw the wort from their big beer on top of the yeast cake from the small beer.
Some of the most vigorous fermentations and best attenuation I have had have been from using a previous yeast cake.
As far as off flavors, as long as you are using the cake from a fairly neutral ale, I don't see that you would have a problem.
What is the process to reuse the yeast in this case? Does the carboy need to be sanitized in any way? Does the Krausen need to be cleaned out? Or does one rack off the cider and pour ingredients for a new brew directly into the "dirty" fermenter?
Doesnt seem consistent with the careful sanitation needed in brewing...