one month old washed yeast

Planning on brewing on Sunday, BM's Centennial Blonde. I have some washed Nottingham yeast in the fridge from a Bell's 2 hearted clone I made. Come Sunday, it will have been in the fridge for exactly 1 month. Can I still use it? or is the viability too low at this point?

I've used washed yeast up to 6 months out and not had any ill effects. We'll see what others say though.

I used some after a year and three months just to see. Did one with a starter, did one just pitching about 8oz of washed yeast. Both were fine. I do no aggressive aeration... it was filtered through a mesh collander into a bucket, then into the carboy.

Not a quick start, but it kicked in around 60 hours. Ferment temp was low 60s ambient.

Drinking the keg now. It is great by others opinions. No significant off flavors detected.

Not ideal, but it does work.

I actually have 4 pint jars with about 1 inch of yeast in each from 5/21, and 4 pint jars with about 1/2 inch of yeast in each from 5/1. Sounds to me like it would all be OK. I used 4 jars from the first washing I did and it went off very well. It was, however, only a day old when I pitched.

You will be fine... you have 8 batches there from my perspective.

commence input on everything wrong with my opinion and how all the yeast will mutate and corrupt your beer and you will not get a gold medal.

Tastes great to me!

Not looking for a gold medal, just good beer. Thanks Mike.
(gold medal would be sweet, though)

EDIT: You too, KB

EDIT EDIT: Thanks to you too, KB. Not saying you would be sweet too.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: That just sounds creepy...nevermind.

He's got a heck of a lot more than 8 batches there. When I make my starters I use about 1/2 to 1 tsp of yeast out of my washed jars to make a 1.5L starter 24-36 hours before brew time. Fermentations take of in 8-10 hours on average.

jeffl said:

He's got a heck of a lot more than 8 batches there. When I make my starters I use about 1/2 to 1 tsp of yeast out of my washed jars to make a 1.5L starter 24-36 hours before brew time. Fermentations take of in 8-10 hours on average.

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I think Mike was referring to the "decant, shake and pitch" method, and not using a starter. If I was to make starters, then yea, there's a crapton.

True... or consider that you can also run each of those jars out harvesting several generations (5 to 10 or more depending on who you ask and how you do it) and that is a LOT of batches from a $2 Notty pack.

It might be OK, but consider this: I've looked at ~1 month old washed yeast under the microscope and it had a considerable number of lactobacilli bouncing around in it. I was surprised because I'm pretty anal about sanitization. An acid wash would take care of the lacto.

If I was to make a starter, could I use priming sugar to get the yeast going? I don't have any DME on hand and my LHBS is closed tomorrow.

annasdadhockey said:

If I was to make a starter, could I use priming sugar to get the yeast going? I don't have any DME on hand and my LHBS is closed tomorrow.

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DO you have a miejers or a grocery store with a mexican grocery section, or better yet a 24 hour bodega that might have Malta Goya in bottles??



Its pretty much diluted liquid malt extract, it's like carbonated wort...

using sugar, like corn or table is NOT a good idea.....

Plenty of people use malta goya for yeast starters

holy crap! why have I never thought of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks revvy!

chefmike said:

holy crap! why have I never thought of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks revvy!

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You're welcome.

Theres a thread on here about it every few months...I think, there was even one about it yesterday or the day before....

There was: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/finally-located-some-malta-goya-124482/

OP: You'll be fine. Currently on my stirplate is a culture of WLP400 that I put on a slant in January or February.

Of 2008.

It woke right up when I started it.

I make my own starter wort by mashing a 1.040 wort, boiling it to ensure sterility, then bottling. No yeast, of course, although I could add hops. I use 22oz bottles (I have saved a lot of these for beer, but it is just too big... but just right for a starter). I use 2 of them for the starter.

passedpawn said:

I make my own starter wort by mashing a 1.040 wort, boiling it to ensure sterility, then bottling. No yeast, of course, although I could add hops. I use 22oz bottles (I have saved a lot of these for beer, but it is just too big... but just right for a starter). I use 2 of them for the starter.

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Great idea, but it is doubtful that, if the OP didnt have malt extract last night to make a starter, more than likely he didn't have any grain to mash either.....

How do you store it, and how long does the unhopped starter wort" last?

Revvy said:

Great idea, but it is doubtful that, if the OP didnt have malt extract last night to make a starter, more than likely he didn't have any grain to mash either.....

How do you store it, and how long does the unhopped starter wort" last?

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I wouldn't recommend this method unless you are boiling the wort and chilling prior to pitching yeast. Spores do survive at temperatures greater than 212F in solutions with the pH of wort. I'd just get a pressure canner and do it the right way. My pressure canned starter wort keeps indefinetely (not that it ever lasts that long )