My latest cider brewed with Nottingham brewer’s yeast. Tastes good if you plug your nose. Otherwise, there’s an unfortunate dirty sock aroma. Red Star Côte des Blancs yields a far superior cider.

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  1. I used 2 cans of frozen apple juice from Aldi’s (.95 per can) makes 96 oz-a little montrachet wine yeast-a small piece of cinnamon stick-a balloon pricked with a needle atop a gallon jug-when the balloon collapses goes into the fridge-My question is:–Can I reuse the yeast that forms on the bottom of the jug to start a new batch-and thank you for tonight at the Tinley Park Library

    1. Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for the comment/question and for coming to my “Pub Crawl around the World” lecture in Tinley Park. Apologies for not seeing and responding to your comment sooner. That balloon airlock trick is pretty clever. I’m sure purists would advise that it’s not entirely airtight—some outside microbes could find their way through the pinprick hole—but in some cases that can yield pleasant surprises. You can absolutely reuse the yeast from batch to batch. After siphoning off your cider, simply pour your new batch on top of the yeast sediment and give it a good swirl or shake. For the first batch or two or three, it ought to taste as expected. Eventually, some wild microbes may find their way in and you could start to get some off flavors, maybe a little extra tartness, but that could be delicious. If you want a more in-depth discussion about reusing yeast, Brad Smith at BeerSmith wrote a nice little article: Yeast Washing: Reusing your Yeast. Cheers!

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