Recirculating Yeast

[Darcey]

Over the last few days one of our members has posted about his use of recirculating yeast around his rather large FV to increase a turn around time and a whole host of reasons I am sure I dont understand.. now in a commercial operation brewing the same beer could you divert part of the recirculation to 'pitch' the next brew? I know I only brew in 25L batches and its sort of irrelevant but I like to understand the systems involved?

is this a system that exists? Would it work?

ALSO! As I was typing.. I considered HERMS... could you use the recirculation to keep the FV in the correct temp zone? Obviously you wouldnt be talking the temp differences that a HEX does in a HERMS.. but if your pumping wort/beer around you may aswel make sure its the correct temperature?! Random... its the way i work..

D

 

[Darcey]

Also Heat Exchange Recircualting Fermentaion System HERFS sounds like what you do after too many ales..

 

[Mark1964]

would be easier just to control fermentation temps by use of a product coil immersed in the fv, then connected up to a beer chiller/cooler and some kind of heating say tubular heater. All controlled by a thermostat etc keep the fv in an insulated space to help with temp control.

 

[MankySteve]

Google Yorkshire squares.

 

[artiums_enteri]

I think what you are asking about is kind of a top cropping.

You have to really keep everything absolutely sanitized when yeast handing. Rinsing the yeast to get the most viable cells leaving the dead and less flocculant yeast behind. It's best to only use a culture about 5 pitches or it could lead to mutated cultures and eventually you will end up with only the highest flocculant of cells, and the yeast won't attenuate.

"Yeast" written by jamil Zainachef and Chris white explains yeast culturing very well.