Wyeast D.O.A.?

Ordered some things from NB, got two smack packs of yeast, one Trappist High Gravity, and one Belgian Abbey pack.

After smacking both, neither really showed any meaningful activity after almost 24 hours, so I pitched both into a starter. The Trappist HG smelled a little odd, not like any yeast I'm familiar with.

24 hours later, the Trappist still smells odd, and has no fizziness, while the Abbey is fizzing and smelling properly like yeast.

Is the Trappist HG just dead on arrival, and I can scrap it, or is it worth waiting another 24 hours or more for the starter to take off?

starters often show no activity. If you want to be sure, you could check the starter with a hydrometer.

The chief issue is no activity in the smack pack followed by no activity in the starter, and no trub of any kind in the starter as well, and it kind of stinks... like it's not a yeast smell, it's got a bit of a funk to it.

They could have been dead but most likely you have some yeast still alive. Give them time to hook up and make more yeast. Take a gravity reading in a couple days... If it is lower than the OG you have fermentation!!

two days and counting, the Dubbel yeast is roaring along in the starter, will add some additional malt and water this evening to keep it cranking until I'm ready to brew. The High Gravity smells kind of like chickpeas... not death, exactly, but not good and not yeast-ey in any way.

NB wrote back that they are sending a fresh batch over... thanks for their good customer svc.

So the tripel yeast has shown life as of this afternoon... do I figure that's it's some wild critter that has caught fire, or is it the yeast I pitched into the starter??