Yeast Shelf Life

[Maeldric]

Well was looking through the fridge last night and right up the back of it found a packet of unopened Wyeast vienna lager. I bought this way back in june last year. Would it still be ok to get a starter going from this yeast or has it been sitting in my fridge way too long? Been reading a bit and most people say 6 months from time of packaging. Anyone used yeast way past the use by date?

 

[newguy]

The oldest pack I've used was 5 years old (mead yeast). Smack it and wait for it to swell. It can take a week or more, depending on age and storage. Once it swells, step it up in a starter 2 or 3 times, then pitch into well oxygenated wort. It will be fine if you pay attention to sanitation while you're opening the smack pack and stepping it up.

 

[mercle]

I got a starter going a few nights ago from a Kolsch packet dated October last year and it was fine. This packet even accidentally froze while leaning up against the icy part of the fridge at the back!

I would guess this should be fine if you get a good starter going

 

[loftboy]

Well was looking through the fridge last night and right up the back of it found a packet of unopened Wyeast vienna lager. I bought this way back in june last year. Would it still be ok to get a starter going from this yeast or has it been sitting in my fridge way too long? Been reading a bit and most people say 6 months from time of packaging. Anyone used yeast way past the use by date?

It should be fine, providing that it's been stored properly. Making a starter would be a good idea though.

Smack it & see how you go.

 

[Maeldric]

Cheers guys, will give it a go when getting home from work this afternoon.

 

[Ronin]

Well was looking through the fridge last night and right up the back of it found a packet of unopened Wyeast vienna lager. I bought this way back in june last year. Would it still be ok to get a starter going from this yeast or has it been sitting in my fridge way too long? Been reading a bit and most people say 6 months from time of packaging. Anyone used yeast way past the use by date?

I bought a pack of 3711 saison that was from october 2007 a few weeks ago. The pack never swelled but I managed to isolate some single colonies out of it (quite a few actually), so there were still some viable cells in there.

It might just take a while.

 

[kabooby]

I bought a pack of 3711 saison that was from october 2007 a few weeks ago.

I hope you didn't pay to much for it :blink:

Kabooby

Love that yeast btw

 

[Fourstar]

Starter Starter Starter Starter.

Even if you only have 10% viability, thats still 10 billion cells. A hell of a lot more than what you would find on a streak plate or a slant. Add a small amout of wort to it, say around 60-100ml. Ferment out. step up to around 250-300 ml then another step to around 1L. Then assume equal to a full smack pack. Chill and decant ecess and make a regular starter as per the norm. Ive grown up a pinhead of US05 from a slant to around 30 ml of thick yeast slurry. Its taken me 5 days of slow building without a stirplate (which will be rocking by this weekend) going from 30ml in the slant fermented out, 150ml added and fermented for 18-24 hours then a 500ml addition to what it was today.

Im going to crash chill and decent, then add another 500ml to reach my expected 9.5-10million cells per ml for my next beer. Sweeeet.

 

[Sammus]

I had a 3068 pack dated jul07 and smacked it and didnt swell even after more than a week. I went through a few steps (500ml, 1L, 2L) thinking I might rouse something or notice some activity. At the end of it it had actually fermented despite not showing any signs at any stage, and after taking it off the plate had barely 1mm of white goodness settle to the bottom.

Compared with a dec08 pack I just put straight into a 1L starter and after one night had about a cm of white yeasty goodness settle at the bottom of my 2L flask.

 

[Fourstar]

Hey Sammus, the 1st step in your starter was probably the issue, it was too big, with low viability you should start as small as you can and build up from there or else they will just eat and sleep with minimal cell growth.

 

[warra48]

I smacked a 6 months old WY2001 recently, and it didn't swell even after waiting 24 hours.
I decided to pitch it into a small starter, and eventually built it up in several steps to a healthy quantity of yeast.
Here's a pic of the yeast at work in a BoPils over the last week.

 

[Ronin]

I hope you didn't pay to much for it :blink:

Kabooby

Love that yeast btw

$2...was in the chuck out bin at grain and grape. :lol:

 

[Hutch]

$2...was in the chuck out bin at grain and grape. :lol:

Same here - bought a 12 month old 3711 from the $2 bin, and had no probs stepping it up, and slanting it.
Must get around to using it one day

 

[Stuster]

Use it, Hutch. I agree with kabooby that it's a great yeast. :icon_drunk:

 

[Ronin]

Same here - bought a 12 month old 3711 from the $2 bin, and had no probs stepping it up, and slanting it.
Must get around to using it one day

It's so hard to resist the bargain bin at Grain and Grape. Most of the yeasts I'm not interested in, but sometimes you find a real good one in there.