Smack pack - saving for another day

Made a dumb mistake today - I just wasn't thinking and activated a smack pack of Wyeast Kolsch yeast instead of the other yeast I was intending to use. The pack is well on its way to swelling up. I have one more batch to brew using this yeast, but won't be able to get to it until next weekend. Is this yeast just toast, or is there a way to store it and keep it viable in the pack until I can brew with it next weekend?

Just throw it in the fridge...(don't open it)

Next weekend, pull it out of the fridge ~3 hours before you make your starter...

Sweet! Thanks for the quick reply. A billion little lives saved. We deserve a beer and a medal.

Why not make a starter from it now? Keep it at pitching temperature till next weekend when you do your brew. You may be able to make slants, or another flask so you can make a double batch or share with friends.

Never made a starter. How would I go about doing that? For now I've just put the unopened pack into the fridge, so it might be too late anyway I suppose. Still interested in what other options there are in the future. Total noob here.

What beer are you making? If you're making a 5 gallon beer under 1.060, then a starter isn't that necessary. If youre venturing to higher gravity beers, then you should be looking at starters now. There are several "techniques" for a starter...but the basic principle is that you make a 1.040 DME batch that you pitch the yeast into. The size of that batch is determined by how big your beer is. You then either use a stir plate, or swirl the starter every once in awhile, to keep it aerated. The starter is done fermenting when you see a big sediment layer on the bottom and relatively clear "beer" taking up much of the volume.

As for "is it too late"...no, as soon as you take out your yeast from the fridge and raise it to room temp....it's now a viable, pitchable yeast. The main thing that you're doing when you put a batch of yeast in the fridge is that you're making those yeasties go to sleep. If you've gotten a slap pack to swell up, that just means you've gotten some yeast to multiply. Those new yeasts still will either go to sleep or set forth and binge depending on what temperature and food they have.

davesrose said:

the basic principle is that you make a 1.040 DME batch that you pitch the yeast into. The size of that batch is determined by how big your beer is. You then either use a stir plate, or swirl the starter every once in awhile, to keep it aerated. The starter is done fermenting when you see a big sediment layer on the bottom and relatively clear "beer" taking up much of the volume.

As for "is it too late"...no, as soon as you take out your yeast from the fridge and raise it to room temp....it's now a viable, pitchable yeast. The main thing that you're doing when you put a batch of yeast in the fridge is that you're making those yeasties go to sleep. If you've gotten a slap pack to swell up, that just means you've gotten some yeast to multiply. Those new yeasts still will either go to sleep or set forth and binge depending on what temperature and food they have.

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Thanks!