One Year Old Wyeast Good for Bottling??

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GrizBrew

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So, I got a free smack pack from my LHBS because it was almost a year old.It is the Belgian Abbey 1214. I am almost ready to bottle my Tripel which rang in at a whopping 10.5% ABV. I was thinking that a better use for that yeast may be to bottle the Tripel rather than ferment a batch of beer.

I made a small starter last night and she is on the stir plate. It smelled a little funky when I open it, not bad per se, just a little funky. I don't really want to impart much flavor to the Tripel, just thought it might help with carbing. I am planning to bottle tomorrow night.

What do you guys think? Will it be fine for this use? If it isn't fresh, will it make my Tripel taste funko? Should I just find a fresh dry high alcohol yeast for repitch?

And yes, I realize that there is a school of thought that repitching is not necessary but I have decided that it will add complexity over the long term. I will have these around until Christmas at least.
 
Sounds like a waste of yeast. If you're worried about viability/vitality, a 10% beer isn't a great environment for stressed yeast.
 
I had no problems with smackpacks as old as 16-18 months. Wait until fully swollen, make proper starter, ferment beer. Using it for bottling only would be waste.

Safbrew T-58 is very good yeast for carbonating strong beers.
 
I usually use coopers dry yeast for bottling strong beers. Its only 99 cents a packet and even just one pack sprinkled directly has carbonated my 13% dark strongs.
 
Ah send it to me. 1214 is the next strain I want to branch out into.

If you're going to use it for bottling, at least save some of the starter slurry to expand your yeast library. If you are doing that.
 
I had no problems with smackpacks as old as 16-18 months. Wait until fully swollen, make proper starter, ferment beer. Using it for bottling only would be waste.

Safbrew T-58 is very good yeast for carbonating strong beers.

I will check it out!

I usually use coopers dry yeast for bottling strong beers. Its only 99 cents a packet and even just one pack sprinkled directly has carbonated my 13% dark strongs.

Good idea

Ah send it to me. 1214 is the next strain I want to branch out into.

If you're going to use it for bottling, at least save some of the starter slurry to expand your yeast library. If you are doing that.

How long will it hold after the starter has begun? I am making a Wit but probably not until next weekend (like a week from this coming Saturday). Not sure if I totally trust it though.


Sounds like a waste of yeast. If you're worried about viability/vitality, a 10% beer isn't a great environment for stressed yeast.

Is it really stressed? It's just not fresh. I just need it to work a little for carbing. I don't fully trust it for a full batch
 
Alcohol is not good for living organisms. If the beer is too hostile for the yeast in the beer currently, why would adding old yeast with low viability be better?
 
Alcohol is not good for living organisms. If the beer is too hostile for the yeast in the beer currently, why would adding old yeast with low viability be better?

Probably right, I just don't know how viable the yeast truly is. It could very well be healthier than the yeast that has been in the carboy for 6 weeks working on a 10% ABV.

It is probably for the best though to just get some cheap dry yeast for insurance.
 
If you stepped your starter again, you could wash and store it for months in the fridge (or possibly a year+ with glycerin addition in freezer). In both cases you need to wake it up with a fresh starter prior to pitching.
 

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