Can you use leftover lees from a 5 gallon batch and some yeast energizer to
start a smaller (1 gallon) batch?

Yup

"Washu" wrote in news:1143475610.154937.140920
@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com:

Yup



thanks i thought you could but just wanted to make sure

I tried this for my last batch of Chardonnay. I took the leftover lees
from 15 gallons and put it in a 1 gallon jug, used fresh juice, and
waited.

Nothing happened.

After 2 days I pitched fresh yeast and everything proceeded just fine.
In the end it cost me an additional 1.54$ for the 3 yeast packets.

Instead of tossing that wine I am letting it undergo sur lees... we'll
see how it comes out.

I will not reuse yeast from wine again.


Dumpster wrote:
Can you use leftover lees from a 5 gallon batch and some yeast energizer to
start a smaller (1 gallon) batch?

How old was the yeast?

If it is older than a month or two with 10% alcohol above it there
will be a considerable wait for it to start....a lot longer than 2
days.



wrote:
I tried this for my last batch of Chardonnay. I took the leftover lees
from 15 gallons and put it in a 1 gallon jug, used fresh juice, and
waited.

Nothing happened.

After 2 days I pitched fresh yeast and everything proceeded just fine.
In the end it cost me an additional 1.54$ for the 3 yeast packets.

Instead of tossing that wine I am letting it undergo sur lees... we'll
see how it comes out.

I will not reuse yeast from wine again.


Dumpster wrote:
Can you use leftover lees from a 5 gallon batch and some yeast energizer to
start a smaller (1 gallon) batch?

Actually, I left it in the gallon jug for well over a 3 weeks before I
started seeing activity. I pitched some yeast in another started and
poured that one back into the 54L demijon.

but it sure smells nice now

wrote:
Actually, I left it in the gallon jug for well over a 3 weeks before I
started seeing activity. I pitched some yeast in another started and
poured that one back into the 54L demijon.

but it sure smells nice now

How much yeast was in the gallon jug as well? A large volume of fairly
tired yeast will not show as much relative activity as well. At first
it seems they do a lot of incorporating all the sugar into their
glycogen reserves as well.

I have revived yeast that has spent over a year in a beer bottle.

Droopy wrote:

I have revived yeast that has spent over a year in a beer bottle.

Same here. Longer than that when kept in the fridge under water.

Andy