After I bottle my cider, I add more juice (and a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of yeast nutrient) to the carboy to start a new batch. Is there any problem with doing this over and over? My theory is the active yeast will use the dead yeast for nutrients; autolysis would only be a problem if there is no active yeast to consume the byproducts. Is this right? Even if it is, am I disrupting this by adding the small dose of Fermax? I'm on my 3rd batch from the original yeast pitch right now, and the amount of lees doesn't really seem to be increasing. Just wondering if I'm pressing my luck. I'm bottling a few days after the cider looks clear. These carboys are translucent instead of clear so it's kind of a guess, but in any case it doesn't stay on the lees for very long. Lag time after adding the new juice is longer than you'd expect, a couple of days, then it is very active.
I suppose I could hedge my bets by using D-47 yeast; I think that's the one where time spent on the lees actually enhances wine. What I am using right now is Red Star Cote des Blanc and inexpensive apple juice from Aldi, Costco, or Hy-Vee. (the Aldi and Hy-Vee juice are made from concentrate, the Costco juice is not)
I suppose I could hedge my bets by using D-47 yeast; I think that's the one where time spent on the lees actually enhances wine. What I am using right now is Red Star Cote des Blanc and inexpensive apple juice from Aldi, Costco, or Hy-Vee. (the Aldi and Hy-Vee juice are made from concentrate, the Costco juice is not)