Yeast in Primary used again?

[wmatejka]

I have read the yeast cleaning sticky and watched the yeast harvesting video and both are GREAT for long term yeast storage. I cannot wait to try this with my other primary in fermentation.

My question is this...
Can I rack my primary into a keg, then simply dump my next batch of cooled wort right on top of the yeast cake and gain an active fermentation?

Will any of the other solids from the first fermentation lead to off flavors?
I try to filter out most everything with a kettle SS mesh and then thru a double meshed strainer as it comes out of the CFC. Only a little bit of irish moss is likely making it through.

Thanks in advance. I have 1.5 weeks left on my Amber with Safale US-05 and would like to dump my next batch of English Brown right on top if that is an accepted practice.

 

[douggefreshvt]

I did this a month or so ago with great results. I made a regular hefe then made a dunkelweizen in the same primary with wyeast 3068. After that I harvested it and did a wash and stored in the fridge. Since then I've used for a weizenbock and also pitched into a hard cider last night. All fermentations seem to be healthy.

One of the things I read said you should only do this if you are pitching up in gravity. In other words if your last brew had an SG of 1.050 this one should be 1.050 or higher. According to the text I read this gives the yeast more nutrients for a healthier fermentation. Just don't let the yeast sit too long without food, refrigeration, or protection from air. You could end up with some wild yeast in there if you leave it exposed or could get stuck if they start dying off. Also if you are changing styles get the yeast to the right temp for the style so they don't get shocked by the wort temp.

When I did it I racked off then had another brew in there within a couple hours.

Good luck.

 

[kyleobie]

Yes. It's probably not great brewing practice, but it's usually worked pretty well for me especially for bigger beers.

 

[Calder]

Lots of people re-use the yeast from one batch to the next.

Many just add the fresh wort to the old cake and have pretty good results.

I would recommend just using about a quarter of the cake in the next batch. If you use too much, the yeast do not reproduce much, and the 'old' yeast have to do the work. This gives you the possibility of the yeast just getting tired and having a stuck fermentation.

Also, the reproduction phase is where a lot of the yeast esters are created. Without much reproduction, you don't get much of the yeast character.

You can go up or down in gravity. Just use less yeast for a lower gravity, and more for a higher gravity.

 

[lumpher]

i'll be repitching a wyeast 1007 cake from a 5 gallon batch into a 10 gallon batch i'm brewing tomorrow. lots of us do it. i'll just dump the yeast from the fermenter with the 5g batch into a much larger fermenter, then add my wort from tomorrow's brew into it