What procedure is required for racking the same style beer in the same keg? If you open and rack,do you have to go thru the sanitizing? New to this...AND LOVIN IT! Thanks
No reason outside of laziness not to, but it can be done with no ill effects. Just take the few minutes needed to claen and sinitize though.
I've heard the term hot swapping thrown around a little, where you just rack over. You just need to do it immediately when you hit the bottom of the first keg. Personally, I've heard so much against the idea I'd be paranoid of infection. Yes, cleaning is a pain in the ass. Yes, preventing infection to your beer and 5+ hours that have gone into the beer is worth the trouble.
A differing opinion - the keg is already sufficiently sanitized, as evidenced by the fact that the first beer was not infected (it wasn't infected, was it?). As long as you follow normal sanitizing procedures while filling it, it shouldn't be a problem. I've sort of done this in the past, but I rinsed the sediment out before refilling it. I also sprayed the inside of the keg with StarSan. But I didn't tear it down and wash it like I usually do.
