WheeledGoat
DisMember
Using this very method, I "washed" (rinsed? scrubbed? apologies to everyone to whom the terms matter) the Wyeast Fat Tire yeast that a fellow homebrewer mailed me back in '08. I made a batch then and saved it just like the first post in this thread outlines.
It's been sitting there since Oct 2008 and last week, using all 3 jars I had to give myself the best possible chance of it taking off, it worked! I got a nice, frothy starter! It took 2 days, and I was nervous and getting sadder by the hour, but it took off!!! Yay!
So there's your answer to "how long does this last" - about 3 years!
And it still smells just perfect. I may have altered the strain a bit, selecting for the heartier of the breed, but it smells absolutely perfect - it has that nice, malty breadiness of Fat Tire that I remember. YUM.
It's been sitting there since Oct 2008 and last week, using all 3 jars I had to give myself the best possible chance of it taking off, it worked! I got a nice, frothy starter! It took 2 days, and I was nervous and getting sadder by the hour, but it took off!!! Yay!
So there's your answer to "how long does this last" - about 3 years!
And it still smells just perfect. I may have altered the strain a bit, selecting for the heartier of the breed, but it smells absolutely perfect - it has that nice, malty breadiness of Fat Tire that I remember. YUM.