Help reusing Yeast

Hey guys!

I'm pretty new to All Grain, and I have decided to just brew Belgians. I already got the ingredients and everything, and was planning on doing 4 brews with the same yeast: Belgian Abbey Ale and I'm planning on brewing in this order:

* Belgian Blonde Ale 6.1% ABV Estimate
* Dubbel 8% ABV
* Quad 10.3% ABV
* Belgian Strong Dark Ale 11.2% ABV

My question is, would I be ok reusing the same yeast? Or do you think the yeast is going to be stressed and I should use more yeast at certain point. I'm planning on brewing each batch and put it in top of the previous yeast cake. Thanks for your help!

 

Sure, you could reuse it 4 times. Many recommend not to exceed 5 times. Nor do I think you will need to add extra yeast. Plus, I think the order you are planning is good too.

 

Reusing the yeast that many times is fine, but gravity of the beer does become a factor. I believe what I have read is that the higher the gravity, the more stressed the yeast become, and consequently the more likelihood there is of a mutation in the strain.

What I would do instead is get a few mason jars and read the sticky on yeast washing. If you wash the yeast from the first batch and split it into 3 jars, you can use those jars for each batch to make an appropriate sized starter and pitch the proper amount of healthy 2nd generation yeast. You could even wash the yeast from the second batch as well to keep for future brews, and continue like that for a few generations.