Repitching Yeast (Revisited)

Evening-

I just racked off 500ml of pure yeast from the bottom of my 15 gallon demi. I've let it settle out in the fridge and I'm tempted, since I like the taste of this batch, to repitch it into the next 15 gallons of Chard.

Any pitfalls I should be aware of before I do this? Anyone care to warn me off for something I'm not seeing?

Thanks much!

Jason

Reply to
purduephotog
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Should work fine. What you can do if you are making sequential batches is to rack the last wine and start the new wine right on top of the old lees.

Ray

Reply to
Ray Calvert

I am really cheap and am trying to make wine out of table sugar and budget econo juice. I have lalvin 1116 and 1118 and some yeast nutrient. I have had some success in making --something-- juicy alcholic out of either of the above and noted especially peach juice seems to have a lot of organice matter. Anyway I wanted to not buy yeast again so I have a

2L bottle with some water, yeast, a bit of yeast nutrient and sugar in it. Whenever I want some yeast I take some out of the bottle and heat it up in the microwave to around 110F and put some sugar in there. and then toss it into the juice bottles. I make more buy adding the above heated amount to a secondary bottle with the sugar, yeast and nutrient batch and then dump it back into the original vessel. So I am thinking you need like 15-20% alcohol to kill harboured bacterii that I am collecting this way, and thus far I have not got that high, but intend to keep adding sugar every time the wine goes sour until hopefully it gets there this time. The 1118 peach after a week is showing some promise of becoming champane. I am hoping for $1/L Candian dollars.
Reply to
Matthew Suffidy

Yes,contamination and mutation.

In brewing circles it's common to re-pitch yeast from one batch to another or to save yeast for future use, but the yeast can cost $6 - $7 US with the other ingredients costing $10 - $25.

Wine yeast are more like $1 - $1.50 US and the other ingredients are more expensive. Is it really cost effective to keep pitching the same yeast? One ruined batch can wipe out years of savings.

If you really want to do this, I would suggest an acid wash of the yeast before pitching it into the next batch or storing it.

Andy

Reply to
JEP62

Nothing wrong with cheap. Wild fruit is good for that condition - free. I would suggest you check out Jack Keller's recipes for Welch's frozen grape concentrate. I have made really excellent white wine with it. About $0.90 per bottle.

Ray

Reply to
Ray Calvert

As it turned out, it was a total failure. I put the yeast in a 1 gallon starter and it's been sitting there for a week- no movement.

I broke down on the 2nd day and pitched new yeast- and everything is cranking just fine now.

Oh well, at least the plants will be happy soon....

Thanks for the warnings!

Reply to
purduephotog

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