Liquid Yeast Died During Shipping?

Hey all,

I'm still new to brewing, and I just made my 4th batch of beer and used Wyeast California Ale yeast, but I'm wondering if the yeast could have died during shipping.

It has only been ~24 hours since I pitched the yeast, and I did it correctly (lots of aeration, wort temp of 70F, and mixed it in) and I even made a very short term starter for the yeast about 6 hours before adding it to the wort. For the brief starter I boiled 16oz of water, added about 4oz of DME, and added the yeast to it once it cooled. But I have yet to see the slightest bit of activity in my carboy, and the wort isn't even cloudy.

I know I need to wait another day or two before I can pronounce my yeast toast, but I started thinking today that maybe the yeast got cooked from heat during shipping and died. It took about a week for the liquid yeast to be shipped to my house, and when it arrived, the vial was very hot to the touch - probably 90F. It's possible that during the week it was being shipped, it could have even reached mid-high 90's.

Do you think my yeast died during shipping?

You should have probably let the starter go a day and you would have given time for any of the still viable cells to reproduce...It doesn't take many cells to do so...It just takes time.

That's why we can grow a huge starter from the dregs of a bottle of certain commercial beers....we just left the viable cells reproduce.

Even if there's a few cells alive it they will most likely take off.....they just have to fool around and make more babies first.

Take a read of this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/am-i-cursed-dead-white-labs-again-135785/#post1553441

I tend to think that most of the people who think their yeast died, just didn't wait long enough to know for sure...

Remember, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/

Don't do anything til it's been 72 hours...then check to see if a krauzen formed, and/or take a hydrometer reading...if there's not been a drop then more than likely all the yeast was baked...but like I said in that post I linked you to, yeast are very hardy friking creatures....they can survive in amber through some pretty harsh temp conditions and still make beer with.....so more than likely they made it through your mailing.

yeast won't die until ~120. it might have just been stressed, but not killed. give it up to 72 hours before you start worrying that the yeast might not have made it.

Thanks for the quick responses and the reassurance.