Reusing yeast

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TimmyWit

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I stumbled on an article recently that discussed reusing yeast. I guess you can transfer a brew to a secondary and put your new wort right on top of that yeast that sits on the bottom. I have a Belgian Wit going from my local brew store now and I plan on doing a Hoegaarden clone followed by a Hennepin clone next (both could use the WLP400 I have the current wit on) Any thoughts on reusing yeast? From what I understand, what you have at the bottom of that bucket is more of what you started with. Any input from folks who have done this before would be greatly appreciated.
 
I've done it a few times and it worked great. You will get fast and wild fermentation so hook a blow off tube up right away. All the beers I've done it with turned out great. It kind of goes against the grain to toss new wort into a nasty looking fermenter but as long as you had good sanitation on the first beer, the second will be fine.
 
Thanks so much Nurmey. One more question from a newb: I've already had to use a blow off on a couple batches since the lid blew off of my first stout but I didn't have any thing handy so I just used a peice of tubing I had that fit nicely in the grommet on top of the bucket. Does that work fine or do I need to buy something or maybe add water to the bucket that I am draining into?
 
You definitely want to put the end of the tube in a bucket with some water or sanitizer.

If your small diameter tube can't keep up, you might want to put your fermentation bucket in a larger container or bath tub and loosen the lid. Warning, this will make a mess if you krausen overflows BUT it's better to let it overflow in a "controlled' way rather than blow chunks all over your room. I'm not say you WILL have that much krausen but it's better to be ready and have a plan.
 
Thanks a lot Nurmey. I will head your advice when I start the clones next week and do my first recycle of yeast. I'll let you know how they turn out. Hoegaarden was my fav when was in England but it's not the same in a bottle.
 
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