Refrigerated Yeast

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Ccdeff

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I kept the yeast in the refrig for over 6 months before using it in a Marty Brown Ale. Should the yeast have been in the freezer and then brought to room temperature before using. After two days I don't see any bubbling of the yeast. This way my first brew, and I know I made some mistakes like not using a lid on my 9 gal kettle and I place the Whirlfoc tablet in the kettle at the 170 degree point compromising clarity. Should I try using more yeast to my fermentation? I realize now the fermentation temperature was higher than 68 degrees when I placed the yeast in my fermenter. Help me professionals.
 
Sorry, but a little more info would be helpful. You said this was your first brew so.... What type of yeast was it and where did you get it from?
 
According to Mr. Malty your yeast viability was maybe 10%.

When dealing with yeast with questionable viability I would do a starter the day before I brew. Grab some yeast from your local Brew Supply and re-pitch!
 
Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions. Now I have another question to ask, does 're pitching' simple means
 
Sorry, starting the process of adding the yeast again or will I have to reheat the wort, cool it and add the same type of yeast. How much time to I have to save this batch? Thx
 
Keep the beer in the fermenter with the airlock in place. You'll be good!

Sorry on the late response... you and I have about a 9 hour time difference! No.... all you need to do is pitch the new yeast into the fermenter..... too simple! If you want to save money buy a cheap packet of dehydrated Ale yeast. To be honest... the first 10 batches I did was all with Munton's dehydrated Ale yeast at about .95 cents a packet. I never had an issue. I kept 5 to 10 packs in the fridge for a fall back in case I ran into the issue your having. Toss the new yeast and let me know how the beer turns out in 3 to 4 weeks!!!!
 
Thank you again and again and again; Does Mr malty 's viability of 10% indicate something bad like the taste will be affected? I have not problem replacing the exact Wyeast , however today is Sunday in So. Calif. with that being said getting to MoreBeer for me is a 35 mile trip I'm willing to do in today's shorten window but do I need too at all. The yeast you mentioned, is it purchased at a similar beer and wine establishment, a specialty grocery store or brewery that is open on Sunday. Or can this problem wait until tomorrow? Also, on my other technical nativity will adding another Whirfloc tablet help with improving the clarity. May your spirit be with you today.
 
Monday will be fine and I wouldn't worry about any off flavors from your yeast at this point. Keep your fermentation temp in line with the instructions on your "New" package of yeast and drive on. With this being your first rodeo, my only concern would be an infection. Keep everything sanitary and keep air away from your brew (keep it in the ferm vessel and keep the lid on other than to pitch the yeast). Don't worry about the additional whirfloc.

Making beer is just like cooking an omelet. The first few tend to fall apart sometime during the process. You will be making good beer soon enough and I would assume you will love this one..... it's your first. Keep reading the Stickies and post on here.... there is a wealth of knowledge on this site. You'll be an old hand at this sooner than you think! It's a great hobby and very rewarding!
 
To touch on something you asked earlier...I'm not 100% on this so maybe a true expert can confirm, but I don't think it is ever a good idea to put yeast in the freezer. Refrigerator, yes. Most strains of yeast will go dormant at refrigerator temps and keep for approximately 7 months, though as said earlier in the thread, the viability drops significantly.

In the future, if you are unsure about the viability of your yeast(or anytime for that matter) I would make a yeast starter to proof them and to get their metabolic rate up before pitching. There are many great threads on here about how to make a starter. It is really simple and takes the uncertainty out of pitching. Again, I second the idea of having a couple of dry yeast packs squirreled away in the fridge. That way if you make a starter and the yeast fails you have a backup plan!

WELCOME TO BREWING!
 
wildactbrewer said:
To touch on something you asked earlier...I'm not 100% on this so maybe a true expert can confirm, but I don't think it is ever a good idea to put yeast in the freezer. Refrigerator, yes. Most strains of yeast will go dormant at refrigerator temps and keep for approximately 7 months, though as said earlier in the thread, the viability drops significantly.

In the future, if you are unsure about the viability of your yeast(or anytime for that matter) I would make a yeast starter to proof them and to get their metabolic rate up before pitching. There are many great threads on here about how to make a starter. It is really simple and takes the uncertainty out of pitching. Again, I second the idea of having a couple of dry yeast packs squirreled away in the fridge. That way if you make a starter and the yeast fails you have a backup plan!

WELCOME TO BREWING!

Thank you for your excellent advice, My day was spent re-educating and learning more about the brewing process. However, nothing was more assuring than leaning from email about making a yeast starter and having more on hand for the future your knowledge is quite comforting. I will be in touch in 3 to four weeks about the results.8~}
 
yeahfairly said:
Monday will be fine and I wouldn't worry about any off flavors from your yeast at this point. Keep your fermentation temp in line with the instructions on your "New" package of yeast and drive on. With this being your first rodeo, my only concern would be an infection. Keep everything sanitary and keep air away from your brew (keep it in the ferm vessel and keep the lid on other than to pitch the yeast). Don't worry about the additional whirfloc.

Making beer is just like cooking an omelet. The first few tend to fall apart sometime during the process. You will be making good beer soon enough and I would assume you will love this one..... it's your first. Keep reading the Stickies and post on here.... there is a wealth of knowledge on this site. You'll be an old hand at this sooner than you think! It's a great hobby and very rewarding!

I'll follow your advice and certainly keep you posted on the results after re-pitching. Only if I don't see any results in the fermentation bootle in about day or so.
 
My experience from doing cell counts is that you viability was higher than 10%. Probably closer to 50%. Liquid yeast should be kept it the fridge, dry yeast can be frozen, but the fridge is more stable. My book and blog both have quite a bit of information on this subject.
 

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