Re-using yeast from a barley wine?

[Martin Bridges]

I've got a barley wine which was fermented with a second-generation Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast, and it's just about ready for racking. I'm wondering whether I can re-use the yeast again. My concern is that the yeast will either be dead from alcohol poisoning (ABV is about 10%) or will have got so used to fermenting high-gravity wort that it won't be able to respond to a normal-gravity wort.

Any thoughts?

[Reviled]

It would probably work if the yeast is still alive but id say that it would be fairly mutated from working so hard so you may not get a predictable fermentation off of it...

[Greig McGill]

I'd think it would be seriously stressed. Flush it out and pitch fresh I reckon.

[Martin Bridges]

I'm tending to agree. Ah well, this yeast has served me well enough.

[denimglen]

Yup, everything I've read says reusing should always be done low to high gravity and if pitching onto a cake then light to heavy in flavour as well.