Apfelwein: Reusing Yeast

[Petunia]

What are the consequences of continually adding apple juice to the old sediment (not clarifying the old yeast)? Will it affect the flavor?

Just wondering, because that is what I just did. Wanted to see what would happen. Maybe I'll just keep the experiment going unless the flavor begins to get off.

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[RICLARK]

I asked Ed Wort the same question a while back, He said you can probably do it once but he doesn't at all because wine yeast is so cheap.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I did it for 10 batches over the course of a year on the same pack of yeast. No washing, just dump the new juice and sugar on the same yeast cake each time I racked. I had no troubles because I was really careful with aseptic technique. I think that some of my later batches on that yeast cake were better than my original. The only reason I tossed it was because I was so stocked up on applewine I could not justify making more.

Would I suggest everyone do this, no. In fact the only reason I did it was to see if I could and was ready to accept the consequences if a batch went south. I just started a new cake (2 batches and 6 weeks in) to see if I can achieve the same success again.

Hope that helps!

 

[Petunia]

Cool! That's kinda what I figured too, or I wouldn't have done it. I am very careful about sanitation too. We'll just roll with it and then get overstocked on Apfelwein too.

Thank you very much,
Jennifer

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Not a problem, but I must give the disclaimer that my results may not be reproducible, and I may have had a streak of awesome luck.