Yeast past Exp Date

Jason1781 · 10-20-2008, 02:30 AM

I made a yeast starter for an IPA that I am going to brew, but the yeast (WLP001) is old. The expiration date on it is April, 08. It has been a day and a half now and I still don't see any activity with the yeast. Is it completely dead and should I just go buy some fresh yeast? Also, if it does come to life, would old yeast give the beer and bad or off flavors?

McKBrew · 10-20-2008, 02:33 AM

You did the right thing by making a starter. Yeast starters will not always show krausen, so look at it. Is there a layer of white sediment on the bottom. If so, good to go. If not, the yeast is crap. As long as it doesn't smell funky, it's good to go. If it doesn;t work and you need to brew, try a dry yeast like Nottingham or Safale S-05.

Good Luck Jason, and hope I helped. I'm drunk posting tonight, so I might not be that useful.