Fridge Yeast

I apologize if this has already been asked, but I couldn't find anything. How long can you keep washed yeast in the fridge? How often do you need to take it out and give it some food before placing it back in the fridge?

rocketman768 said:

I apologize if this has already been asked, but I couldn't find anything. How long can you keep washed yeast in the fridge? How often do you need to take it out and give it some food before placing it back in the fridge?

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I've stored yeast in the fridge for many months.

Just think of it as hibernating in a deep sleep. No need to continually feed it. I just make sure to take it out 24-36 hours ahead of time to allow it to warm up. giving it a good shake to aerate it also helps to revive it.

Man, I had some yeast I saved off the krausen that I have been keeping in the fridge for about 3 months. I made a 1-cup starter and pitched it, but nothing seemed to have happened. I have just dumped in the sediment of a bottle-conditioned beer with the same yeast hoping that would do something. Is there anything else I can do?

I've recently brewed a batch and used washed yeast that had been around about 7 months. No ill effects detected at all. I did use a starter with it to help it wake up.

rocketman768 said:

Man, I had some yeast I saved off the krausen that I have been keeping in the fridge for about 3 months. I made a 1-cup starter and pitched it, but nothing seemed to have happened. I have just dumped in the sediment of a bottle-conditioned beer with the same yeast hoping that would do something. Is there anything else I can do?

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When did you make the starter? You may just need to wait.

A LOT of bottle conditioned beers aren't bottled with the regular strain, but a different bottling strain that leaves no flavors and settles out well, a lot of times a lager strain. I wouldn't add two yeasts together in a starter (in the fermenter yes, in the starter no), and especially if I didn't know what one of them was.

BarleyWater said:

When did you make the starter? You may just need to wait.

A LOT of bottle conditioned beers aren't bottled with the regular strain, but a different bottling strain that leaves no flavors and settles out well, a lot of times a lager strain. I wouldn't add two yeasts together in a starter (in the fermenter yes, in the starter no), and especially if I didn't know what one of them was.

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I don't think he is talking about a bottle of commercial beer. He saved the krausen from one of his own batches then used the dregs from one of his own bottles of that batch when he thought that the krausen yeast didn't work.

+1 on waiting. Or maybe it already finished? have you checked the gravity of the starter?

I made a starter using two different yeasts that were in the fridge for about 9 months last night. They appeared happy like a pig in **** this morning.

If you are going to use stored yeast that is more than maybe 2 weeks old, definitely make a starter, and use that. I was using old slurry yeast and had attenuation problems. I've become rather fussy about using yeast young.

camiller said:

I don't think he is talking about a bottle of commercial beer. He saved the krausen from one of his own batches then used the dregs from one of his own bottles of that batch when he thought that the krausen yeast didn't work.

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Correct.

camiller said:

have you checked the gravity of the starter?

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No. There is only a cup of starter, and I think if I were to test the gravity, I might end up with too little if I pour the sample down the drain.

I forgot to mention that I made the starter about 14 hours before posting. On the plus side, I think I have something going on in the starter now. There appears to be something that looks like fermenting yeast floating on top. I also ended up putting the jar in a pot with 80 degree F water since the ambient temperature in my apartment is only 60 degrees F.