Trub stored in a jar for 3 months, still good?

Didn't get around to washing the yeast in this jar. It formed a brownish gray layer on top, think it's still any good? I'm not sure if I'll use it.

What kind of yeast is it? I think it'd be worth a couple bucks in DME to do a starter and see what kind of viabiility you get.

kombat said:

What kind of yeast is it? I think it'd be worth a couple bucks in DME to do a starter and see what kind of viabiility you get.

Click to expand...

Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley, harvested from a 1.039 ordinary bitter. I think I'll dump that top layer and draw from the yeast/trub below. I can see some white yeast in there, and there's surely more mixed in with the trub.

bovineblitz said:

Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley, harvested from a 1.039 ordinary bitter. I think I'll dump that top layer and draw from the yeast/trub below. I can see some white yeast in there, and there's surely more mixed in with the trub.

Click to expand...

I'd give it the sniff test first. I had a jar that looked like that, and when I opened it and sniffed, the aroma was a sour fecal odor. That definitely answered my question!

Yooper said:

I'd give it the sniff test first. I had a jar that looked like that, and when I opened it and sniffed, the aroma was a sour fecal odor. That definitely answered my question!

Click to expand...

Smells like beer with a hint of that 'old beer' smell you sometimes notice in a bar. Maybe a little bready. Nothing too strange.

I smelled it after pouring off the gray layer and it smells more like I'd expect a jar of yeast to smell now.

I'd never seen that gray layer so it weirded me out. I think I'll put it on the stir plate and pop an airlock on it periodically to see if it's growing.

FWIW, you've described my standard operation with yeast. I've only "washed" yeast a few times. I always make a starter, however, so I know the yeast is still kicking. So far, nothing but tasty beer

I've actually gone as long as 6 months storage, but I brew enough that mostly the re-use is less than a month.

Piratwolf said:

FWIW, you've described my standard operation with yeast. I've only "washed" yeast a few times. I always make a starter, however, so I know the yeast is still kicking. So far, nothing but tasty beer

I've actually gone as long as 6 months storage, but I brew enough that mostly the re-use is less than a month.

Click to expand...

That's good to hear. I figure it'll work fine, but that gray layer is weird. Do you normally see that?

Yooper said:

I'd give it the sniff test first. I had a jar that looked like that, and when I opened it and sniffed, the aroma was a
sour fecal odor. That definitely answered my question!

Click to expand...

It wasn't a SWEET Fecal Odor ? LOL

Sorry, I just hada ask .

There's almost always a different colored layer--sometimes on the bottom but usually on top like yours. Just for reference--so you know it's not just me saying "My beer is gud, I swear"--I've gotten scores in the upper 30s and even a couple of 40-41s with this yeast procedure.

Piratwolf said:

There's almost always a different colored layer--sometimes on the bottom but usually on top like yours. Just for reference--so you know it's not just me saying "My beer is gud, I swear"--I've gotten scores in the upper 30s and even a couple of 40-41s with this yeast procedure.

Click to expand...

Alrightie nice.

So I poured off the wort/upper gray layer and poured about 1/4 of the rest of the material into a 1L starter on a stirplate. Most of what I think is the yeast layer is in there, along with a decent amount of trub and a little bit of that gray crap. I put an airlock on it for a few minutes and there was bubbling, all seems well.

Gald to hear it work for you....I've never seen that gray layer either. I know I've used yeast that old before, and I always wash (well my yeast anyway).