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Posted: 5/7/2014 12:08:03 AM EDT
How many times can you just pour wort on an existing yeast cake?  Im worried about the quality of the yeast generation from generation (this pour would be the yeasts 4th gen).  Im also concerned  about infection since this carboy will be on its 3rd cycle as primary and unwashed at each pour!

Its just such an easy method to use.  Im brewing the same beer (Kolsch) if that matters.
Link Posted: 5/7/2014 8:09:42 AM EDT
[#1]
I believe most people say you can reuse yeast 3 - 4 times under normal homebrewing conditions. I would go ahead and use the yeast this time and then dump it.
Link Posted: 5/7/2014 11:57:48 AM EDT
[#2]
depends



I've read from 3 to a max of about 7



I have split one 3 times so far w/o ill effect
Link Posted: 5/7/2014 5:27:25 PM EDT
[#3]
About 4 generations is all I'll go. Yeast can go further if you have the means to culture, store, nurture, etc.
Link Posted: 5/7/2014 11:03:39 PM EDT
[#4]
OK, thanks,  i'll use the carboy and the yeast cake one last time.  Should I be concerned about having too much yeast?
Link Posted: 5/8/2014 8:01:13 AM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:
Should I be concerned about having too much yeast?
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Won't hurt the beer, but could create a lot of krausen which you may need a blowoff tube to prevent it from making a mess of your brew room.
Link Posted: 5/8/2014 9:49:34 AM EDT
[#6]
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Quoted:
OK, thanks,  i'll use the carboy and the yeast cake one last time.  Should I be concerned about having too much yeast?
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Yes, to a degree...yeast need the reproduction phase to make their flavors...is more yeast almost always better than not enough?  Yes, IMO I always lean toward more. in your case of pitching on "cakes" I would probably swirl what was left and dump about half of it before adding new wort.  But YMMV...at least you won't be letting much infection bugs get started with a quick pitch like that.

Ask Dannofree what his pitching rate is on lagers...(since a kolsch is a colder ale yeast)
Link Posted: 5/8/2014 10:19:32 PM EDT
[#7]
We go up to 7 generations before starting a propagation. With the idea we can keep going to 8-9 generations should something go wrong with the prop.

Too much yeast? You'll lose some esters and phenols but its a trade off to a good fermentation.

Pros pitch more yeast then the average home brewer for many reasons.  Big ones are below.

1.Fast fermentations. time is money. 7 days from heat-x to bottle means quick turn around of equipment.

2. We don't free temp ferment. We ferment on the cool side of things, mid 60s. Makes for a cleaner beer but ale yeast gets touchy at those temps. More is better. As where a homebrewer free fermenting with 6x10E6/ml would be fine we might not finish out.

For almost any beer, ale or lager, we pitch a million cells per ml per degree Plato. So a pale ale of 13degP gets 1.3x10E7/ml cells. You'd need a microscope and a hemacytometer to do cell counts.
Link Posted: 5/8/2014 11:28:00 PM EDT
[#8]
I've gone 14+ before I stopped counting. It was for "fuel"  Tasted better and better, no change of yeast flavor or attenuation. It actually improved slightly over time.  But the yeast wasn't for flavor like a Belgian.
Link Posted: 5/27/2014 2:36:25 PM EDT
[#9]
So you're just racking out of the carboy, leaving the trub/yeast, then pouring a fresh batch of wort in?
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