Reusing yeast

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Those links are good. There is another way to harvest certain yeasts. Those designated as "top-cropping", which produce a large, often long-lasting krausen, can be harvested by top cropping. In short, you give the ferment a few days to get going and krausen to form. You skim off the very top layer of this early krausen and throw it away. Then 12-24 hours later a large krausen should have grown. Skim a bunch of this into a sanitized container and then store for later use. The yeast that is harvested this way is usually very healthy and viable, as it has not been exposed to the high alcohol environment at the end of fermentation. Also, the this krausen will contain mostly yeast, so very little rinsing will be required. Some yeast that are good top croppers are german wheat yeasts, belgian yeasts in general, and certain english strains.
 
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