I haven't sanitized my conical in over a year.

[sodbuster]

Over the years I started running back to back batches through my carboys without washing etc. to save time, labor, and yeast. When I racked I would pour a fresh brew into the un-rinsed primary carboy and we're off, the next time I would rinse and sanitize everything. At some point, swmbo bought me a conical and I joyously abandoned the glass carboys and never looked back. (except I do have some mead in them now)

After a few years of running double batches through the conical, I started to wonder how long I could go without washing, rinsing, disassembling valves, and sanitizing my conical before something wild took hold.
I don't yet have the answer yet because I am still making fabulous beer on the (somewhat) same bed of A07 yeast I pitched on 12/30/22, 12 batches of beer ago. This method has saved me countless hours of washing and sanitizing, and frankly, I probably have a stronger yeast bed because of it. I feel like I could toss a loaf of bread in there and have a hefe in a week or so.

 

[Want2Brew]

I’m still fermenting in carboys and go 5 or 6 generations without cleaning or repitching and I think my beer is better for it. At some point I’d think you may get some mutations in the yeast strain but if you favor them then what the heck? Sorta like growing heirloom vegetables, over time they adapt to your growing conditions. Eventually you should end up with your own “house” strain of yeast. Do you harvest and save yeast along the way to re propagate should things go south?

 

[SBENCIV]

I absolutely love this! I love that you are challenging conventional wisdom and practices! To boot, you are making beer that you love and your process is working for you! When I first began brewing, I was very much stuck in the "old ways". After a number of years I realized I was killing my own creativity and practices. So I now have my own little home brewery with my own ways. And they work! Kudos!

 

[skunkape]

I’m still fermenting in carboys and go 5 or 6 generations without cleaning or repitching and I think my beer is better for it. At some point I’d think you may get some mutations in the yeast strain but if you favor them then what the heck? Sorta like growing heirloom vegetables, over time they adapt to your growing conditions. Eventually you should end up with your own “house” strain of yeast. Do you harvest and save yeast along the way to re propagate should things go south?

So I’m assuming you have little variation in beer style and brew pretty much the same kind of beer repeatedly? Sounds great, but if you wanted to mix it up and brew, say, a trippel after you’ve been brewing IPAs for a while, do you just add different yeast to the mix or break the cycle? Or do you have enough equipment to keep multiple versions of this going at the same time? I am intrigued 🤔

 

[Want2Brew]

So I’m assuming you have little variation in beer style and brew pretty much the same kind of beer repeatedly? Sound great, but if you wanted to mix it up and brew, say, a trippel after you’ve been brewing IPAs for a while, do you just add different yeast to the mix or break the cycle? Or do you have enough equipment to keep multiples versions of this going at the same time? I am intrigued 🤔

I’m not usually looking for much from the yeast in the way of flavor so I generally use a clean fermenting strain such as 1056 at the lower end of the temp range. I start the cycle with a fresh pitch, clean fermenters and a lower abv lighter beer such as a Pilsner. Each progressing beer gets a little darker and more hoppy. The darker beers, porters and stouts get brewed last and then the cycle starts over again with clean fermenters and a fresh pitch of yeast. I like sesionable beers so i don’t really brew a lot of big beers but I see no reason that a big beer or two couldn’t be thrown on to the yeast cake towards the end of the cycle as you will have a very strong colony of yeast at this point. I do understand that this would not fit everyones style of brewing but I find that it is one way to make really great beer, save time and save money on yeast.

 

[Andrew7447]

After i watched this, I havent cared much LOL

I also repitched ipas for months and months with no issues. I only really clean it out now, if im going to a different beer which is rare for me LOL

 

[Want2Brew]

After i watched this, I havent cared much LOL

I also repitched ipas for months and months with no issues. I only really clean it out now, if im going to a different beer which is rare for me LOL

First time I’ve seen that but it checks out 👍 He never really gets down to what the “off flavor” is but a great watch all the same 😎

 

[Dr_Jeff]

A while back I bought two stainless kegmenters, the 13.2 gallon units (at the time I bought them the 15.5 gallon, what I wanted were unavailable). In one. I have been using the same Saison (Wyeast 3711) yeast for just about a year, not cleaning the fermenter, just transferring the beer and adding new wort. I enjoy Saisons, to always having one on tap is great for me. Sometimes I will vary it up adding something fruited, or Hibiscus to one of the kegs, I also a have a Solara (ten gallon oak barrel) with a sour Saison, so it allows me to transfer some out of the barrel to a keg and top off the barrel with fresh beer. I've likely had the Solara going for ~8 years as best as I can remember.
By having the sour Saison on tap along with a fresh Saison, if I want to, I can have a glass of either or blend them in the glass from the tap.

In the other, I had brewed (likely US-05) a pale ale followed by a number of IPSs & IIPAs, each different hop bills, eventually I brewed a sweet stout for a friends birthday party and dumped the yeast after that. I should have reused the yeast on a RIS or old Ale, but I just got busy, couldn't get another barrel easily and wanted another IIPA. That yeast went 8 months or so.

Each could have been longer, I just don't recall when the first batches went in.
No ill effects on any of the beers that came out.

I've done similar things in the past, for instance, I would get some Belgian yeast, start with a Wit, or two or three, then A Belgian Golden strong or a Triple, and finish up with a Quad. Typically getting six plus beers from the same yeast.

With the kegmenter, it makes it even easier to do, it stays sealed, ferments under pressure, usually ~25psi (the rating of the PRV that comes with it) or so, cold crash, transfer to clean, sanitized, purged kegs, then sanitize the top on the kegmenter, and open it and add new wort, close it up and go on. On an occasion or two, the second keg coming out of the kegmenter of the Saison, would go into a ("dirty") keg that had previously had Saison in it, but had remained sealed, and go immediately on tap.

The kegmenter has a floating dip tube, so it makes it easier to transfer out clear beer.
The only issues that I have had, is occasionally the floating diptube will be mostly clear from transferring the beer out, get some fresh wort in it and ferment, leaving the yeast and thus creating a diptube stopped up with krausen.

The kegmenters are great, they both fit in my fermentation chamber, I have a divider that I can put in and have one ferment a bit higher if I desire and are easy to clean with the 4" port on the top. This also allows me to transfer either fully (or mostly) carbonated beer into the kegs.

If I'm not ready to brew after I transfer the beer out, I can leave them sealed, as I use CO2 to push the beer out, and leave them in the fermentation chamber at 38 or so until I am ready to brew.

 

[Dland]

I remember when I started brewing I religiously broke down and sanitized my fermentor after each batch. Never more, as they say.

I think the longest run I've done is 11 batches on one pitch, usually I'll run them for 6-8 batches. I do like to change yeast varieties once in a while.

 

[sodbuster]

Awesome replies! I never thought about stepping through different types of beer like some of you have mentioned. I do run two fermenters though and decided to do a ESB using some old chocolate malt I had. It took two beers to get the dark color to clear up from my subsequent iterations.

 

[Want2Brew]

Awesome replies! I never thought about stepping through different types of beer like some of you have mentioned. I do run two fermenters though and decided to do a ESB using some old chocolate malt I had. It took two beers to get the dark color to clear up from my subsequent iterations.

Interesting timing on this thread. I just brewed a leftovers Pilsner on the 30th and dumped it on the cakes that were at the end of the cycle, so last used to ferment a dry stout. The girls have been asking for a light coffee beer so I’m thinking at least one of the kegs is going to get the beans! I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

[sodbuster]

Interesting timing on this thread. I just brewed a leftovers Pilsner on the 30th and dumped it on the cakes that were at the end of the cycle, so last used to ferment a dry stout. The girls have been asking for a light coffee beer so I’m thinking at least one of the kegs is going to get the beans! I’ll let you know how it goes.

That will be a good beer I bet. I have a oatmeal stout going in one of my fermenters, I may keep it a dark beer fermenter through the winter. I have been brewing beer so light in flavor and color I am ready for some syrup!

 

[hotbeer]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

 

[Want2Brew]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

Just drop your address below and I’m sure some of the good folks from HBT will be over shortly to help out a fellow brewer with this most troubling problem! 😆 🍻

 

[GoodTruble]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

This is my problem. I've had plans to pitch on the yeast cake several times, but then I just never have time to keg and brew within a few days of each other. It winds up being weeks before I can brew, and decided to just sanitize and start over.

 

[Andrew7447]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

I've legit just left my fermenter under pressure for weeks until my next batch and it was still fine.

 

[skunkape]

I’m not usually looking for much from the yeast in the way of flavor so I generally use a clean fermenting strain such as 1056 at the lower end of the temp range. I start the cycle with a fresh pitch, clean fermenters and a lower abv lighter beer such as a Pilsner. Each progressing beer gets a little darker and more hoppy. The darker beers, porters and stouts get brewed last and then the cycle starts over again with clean fermenters and a fresh pitch of yeast. I like sesionable beers so i don’t really brew a lot of big beers but I see no reason that a big beer or two couldn’t be thrown on to the yeast cake towards the end of the cycle as you will have a very strong colony of yeast at this point. I do understand that this would not fit everyones style of brewing but I find that it is one way to make really great beer, save time and save money on yeast.

This is genius. If I had the dedicated brew space and could roll from one brew into the next right away, this would be the way to go. Pitch Nottingham and run from pale ale to mild to IPA to porter to stout. Variety and decreased prep.

 

[Beerstein]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

My dad drinks 30% of my beer. I try to give away 10-20% to friends and neighbors. It brings a smile to peoples faces, and with inflation, at least one guy would get no beer if I didnt gift it

 

[joshbuhl]

Over the years I started running back to back batches through my carboys without washing etc. to save time, labor, and yeast. When I racked I would pour a fresh brew into the un-rinsed primary carboy and we're off, the next time I would rinse and sanitize everything.

Sounds great, but it requires you to package your last batch on brew day of your next, right? I guess that might work out well if your just racking into a keg. I need a couple of hours to bottle a batch, and it seems like it would make for a very long brew day if I packaged a batch before I even started brewing….are you legging?

 

[sodbuster]

Sounds great, but it requires you to package your last batch on brew day of your next, right? I guess that might work out well if your just racking into a keg. I need a couple to bottle a batch, and it seems like it would make for a very long brew day if I packaged a batch before I even started brewing….are you legging?

Yes sir straight into kegs. As soon as I shut the boil kettle off I start kegging out of the conical. Once It’s empty I wheel the conical over to the kettle and pump the cool wort right in the top.

 

[sodbuster]

You could brew, dump your beer into a bottle bucket, put your wort into the fermenter and bottle after. But yes it’s a long day any way you do it.

 

[joshbuhl]

You could brew, dump your beer into a bottle bucket, put your wort into the fermenter and bottle after. But yes it’s a long day any way you do it.

Oh, no, I want to package O2-free and counter-pressure-fill from a pressure fermenter. definitely no "dumping the beer into a bucket" for me! 😄🍻

 

[Dland]

Oh, no, I want to package O2-free and counter-pressure-fill from a pressure fermenter. definitely no "dumping the beer into a bucket" for me! 😄🍻

You can bottle up on some day(s) previous to brewing new batch. I often rack my brews out of fermentor anywhere from a day to two weeks before introducing next batch of wort.

 

[Dland]

Yes sir straight into kegs. As soon as I shut the boil kettle off I start kegging out of the conical. Once It’s empty I wheel the conical over to the kettle and pump the cool wort right in the top.

Your process sounds very similar to mine, but I don't wait that long. The timing of my racking to kegs is determined by the fact I spund and D rest (if needed) in kegs, so it needs to happen while there is still a little active fermentation going on, so it is often done before next brew day.

 

[Dland]

Unfortunately my consumption of beer doesn't let me do back to back brews. So I feel I still need to sanitize since it's going to be a week to maybe a month between.

Maybe I just need more friends to drink it!

A week later should work out just fine, assuming fermentor is kept to temperature during delay. A month would be pushing it though, I agree. I try not to go longer than two weeks without brew on the yeast cake.

 

[Want2Brew]

Yes sir straight into kegs. As soon as I shut the boil kettle off I start kegging out of the conical. Once It’s empty I wheel the conical over to the kettle and pump the cool wort right in the top.

This is pretty much the same process I use except I keg during the boil. I’m usually done brewing in about 5 or 6 hours then there’s an hour or so of cleaning. Usually have active fermentation within 4 hours or so, sometimes it sounds like a thunderstorm in the fermentation chamber! Active fermentation is done in 2 to 3 days. If I mill my grain the night before and have the strike water preheated when I start my brew day I can shave an hour off of that time. Still at the end of the day,I feel like I’ve been working and always ready for a home brew! 🍻

Edit: to add that I have started using a plate chiller here recently hence the need to keg during the boil.

 

[sodbuster]

Your process sounds very similar to mine, but I don't wait that long. The timing of my racking to kegs is determined by the fact I spund and D rest (if needed) in kegs, so it needs to happen while there is still a little active fermentation going on, so it is often done before next brew day.

I think it is cool the different ways that people brew from start to finish. I usually brew again when I can make time and I see the reserves are getting low, I always keg, force carbonate for 24hrs, and let them sit under about 8psi for a few weeks before tapping.

 

[Tartan1]

This is pretty much the same process I use except I keg during the boil. I’m usually done brewing in about 5 or 6 hours then there’s an hour or so of cleaning. Usually have active fermentation within 4 hours or so, sometimes it sounds like a thunderstorm in the fermentation chamber! Active fermentation is done in 2 to 3 days. If I mill my grain the night before and have the strike water preheated when I start my brew day I can shave an hour off of that time. Still at the end of the day,I feel like I’ve been working and always ready for a home brew! 🍻

Edit: to add that I have started using a plate chiller here recently hence the need to keg during the boil.

Yes sir straight into kegs. As soon as I shut the boil kettle off I start kegging out of the conical. Once It’s empty I wheel the conical over to the kettle and pump the cool wort right in the top.

Interesting way of doing consecutive brews sounds promising. How do you guys handle trub dumps? I get the first ferment would be simply to dump the trub and let the yeast cake build but how would you handle subsequent ferments? Would the trub from the 2nd ferment sit on the 1st ferments yeast cake and then build up alternating layers of trub/yeast? Maybe overthinking this?

 

[sodbuster]

This is pretty much the same process I use except I keg during the boil. I’m usually done brewing in about 5 or 6 hours then there’s an hour or so of cleaning. Usually have active fermentation within 4 hours or so, sometimes it sounds like a thunderstorm in the fermentation chamber! Active fermentation is done in 2 to 3 days. If I mill my grain the night before and have the strike water preheated when I start my brew day I can shave an hour off of that time. Still at the end of the day,I feel like I’ve been working and always ready for a home brew! 🍻

Edit: to add that I have started using a plate chiller here recently hence the need to keg during the boil.

How long does it take for your plate chiller to cool a batch and how big of a batch? I have started doing back to back batches and cooling of the wort takes about 45 minutes with my current setup. So while boiling my first batch, I mash, those take the same amount of time. While the wort is cooling I have nowhere to go with the mash so I can sparge, so I end up dumping the mash into 5 gallon buckets, then sparging and dumping into buckets, then once the brew kettle is free, I dump the buckets and start my second boil.
The solutions I have come up with so far are, the bucket method, cool the wort faster so i am not waiting on the kettle, buy another kettle, store sparge water in a separate pot and boil in the HLT. I don't know, or just take longer to brew and chill out.

 

[Dland]

Interesting way of doing consecutive brews sounds promising. How do you guys handle trub dumps? I get the first ferment would be simply to dump the trub and let the yeast cake build but how would you handle subsequent ferments? Would the trub from the 2nd ferment sit on the 1st ferments yeast cake and then build up alternating layers of trub/yeast? Maybe overthinking this?

I don't think you are over thinking it. I have a conical fermentor with a bottom dump. While possible to do this without it, a bottom dump makes things a lot easier. The solids that build up don't contribute anything to the fermentation, and it is best to remove most of them at the end of each batch.

I do a trub dump and gravity measurement as the fermentation slows, usually ends up I rack it then or in the next day or two, depending on gravity reading.

 

[Tartan1]

I do a trub dump and gravity measurement as the fermentation slows, usually ends up I rack it then or in the next day or two, depending on gravity reading.

Ok makes sense now, I was thinking the ferment was complete with no activity present then the transfer and then a subsequent batch added. So basically some activity is still happening, do the trub dump to clean up the cone of the fermenter and let the yeast/cake develop/settle over the remaining fews days before transfering. Thanks for clarifying that for me!!

 

[Want2Brew]

Interesting way of doing consecutive brews sounds promising. How do you guys handle trub dumps? I get the first ferment would be simply to dump the trub and let the yeast cake build but how would you handle subsequent ferments? Would the trub from the 2nd ferment sit on the 1st ferments yeast cake and then build up alternating layers of trub/yeast? Maybe overthinking this?

I just let it build up but I’m careful to keep all of the hops and hot break out of the fermenter so I just end up with yeast and a little cold break in the bottom. This is especially important when using a plate chiller (it plugged the first use). I seem to remember reading at one time that yeast nutrient is just dead yeast, if so I see no reason to remove it from the fermenters, if not, I’ve noticed no ill effects from leaving it in other than it does end up taking up a little space. I’ve seen some people say they remove part of the cake before re pitching on it, this would be another option. Yeast washing is also an option if you felt it necessary but it would take away from the simplicity imho. I can see how a conical(s) would be even better for this method than carboys but it is possible with carboys.

How long does it take for your plate chiller to cool a batch and how big of a batch? I have started doing back to back batches and cooling of the wort takes about 45 minutes with my current setup. So while boiling my first batch, I mash, those take the same amount of time. While the wort is cooling I have nowhere to go with the mash so I can sparge, so I end up dumping the mash into 5 gallon buckets, then sparging and dumping into buckets, then once the brew kettle is free, I dump the buckets and start my second boil.
The solutions I have come up with so far are, the bucket method, cool the wort faster so i am not waiting on the kettle, buy another kettle, store sparge water in a separate pot and boil in the HLT. I don't know, or just take longer to brew and chill out.

I have not actually timed it but it is certainly faster than when I was using an IC, (50’x1/2”) I’d guess 20 to 25 minutes (when everything goes as planned…..lol) and these are 10 gallon batches.

As far as speeding up your back to back batches, I guess it depends on what equipment you have on hand or are willing to add. Seems like you have thought out several good options. You could always start your second mash a little later so your brew kettle is empty when it’s time to sparge, but as you pointed out this doesn’t help you on time. If you have a spare vessel, maybe an unused cooler, I like the idea of transferring your sparge water to it and using the HLT for a second brew kettle. I think it all dependent on what works best for you. Perhaps the solution is a combination of things. I’ll be interested to see what you come up with! And yes, RDWHAHB is always a viable and advisable option! 🍻

 

[sodbuster]

Ok makes sense now, I was thinking the ferment was complete with no activity present then the transfer and then a subsequent batch added. So basically some activity is still happening, do the trub dump to clean up the cone of the fermenter and let the yeast/cake develop/settle over the remaining fews days before transfering. Thanks for clarifying that for me!!

Yep, I usually dump trub after a 2 weeks or so, and then again a day or two before kegging. It seems like there is so much yeast in the conical if I don't dump twice a good bit will wind up in a keg.

 

[Want2Brew]

Yep, I usually dump trub after a 2 weeks or so, and then again a day or two before kegging. It seems like there is so much yeast in the conical if I don't dump twice a good bit will wind up in a keg.

So is there enough yeast in suspension that settles out over the day or two prior to emptying and refilling to kick off the next batch or do you not blow it all out on the second trub dump?

 

[sodbuster]

So is there enough yeast in suspension that settles out over the day or two prior to emptying and refilling to kick off the next batch or do you not blow it all out on the second trub dump?

When I gently dump the valve, there will be a slug of yeast followed by a spray of beer. I imagine it's like washing mud off with a garden hose. After the initial slug passes there will still be a lot of cake left stuck to the walls. My goal is to get the yeast cake below the bottling/keg pick up which is a few inches higher on the conical. You will never get it all by dumping the valve and there has to be multitudes more yeast left in there than by pitching a few packets.
My main goal with this method is to save time, reduce yeast purchasing or handling, and believe it or not decrease infection opportunities. If it continues to work I may go another year. why not.

 

[jerrylotto]

I try to brew totally different styles each time, so back to back fermentations are a non starter.

 

[wdavis2003]

I'm going on about 6 months right now. Maybe 4 generations of 34/70 in. I don't brew all that often and had planned to clean the fermenter before I use it next but now I might change my mind and throw one more brew in there. My last batch has turned out to be one of my best yet.

 

[Tartan1]

I'm going on about 6 months right now. Maybe 4 generations of 34/70 in. I don't brew all that often and had planned to clean the fermenter before I use it next but now I might change my mind and throw one more brew in there. My last batch has turned out to be one of my best yet.

What is the average time span between your batches and while the yeast is still in the fermenter (after transfer) do you use temp control to keep it healthy?

 

[wdavis2003]

What is the average time span between your batches and while the yeast is still in the fermenter (after transfer) do you use temp control to keep it healthy?

The last batch sat in the fermenter for 3 months under about 10 psi and at around 36 degrees.

My next batch, if I choose to reuse the yeast, will be about 3 months in the fermenter as well under the same conditions.