Frozen Yeast Starter not Fermenting

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jtupper

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So I saved some yeast about 3 mos ago and they have been in my deep freeze since then. I pulled of of the first fermentatiion on my German Lager. I dilluted the yeast with a 10ml Glycerine 10 ml water 40-50 ml yeast slurry. I have now gotten around to brewing again, thanks to a 70mi move for work. I pitched 2 vials into a 1qt starter of around 1.050 (DME simple beer) after two days the yeast don't show much activity and using a refrac I don't notice much change.

My questions follow:

Are my yeast active and just slow? if so how long should I wait?

Should I of done a smaller starter and then stepped it up? Should I step it up now?

I would like to brew this week with the yeast if possible, but do have a smack pack and another beer I could do instead. I was just hoping to recreate that lager I made 3 mos ago. (It was gone in 4 days!)

Thanks in advance :mug:
 
i think you just got to give it more time. that's a lot of wort for that small amount of yeast. next time make yourself a small starter about 250ml let that ferment out and step it up. i would also make yourself a stir plate if you don't already have one. they are cheap to make and really help out when it comes to yeast!!
 
Well by no means am i going to throw it....Ill just brew something else for now and keep waiting. I need to get a stirplate just havn't yet. Thanks for the advice
 
Well by no means am i going to throw it....Ill just brew something else for now and keep waiting. I need to get a stirplate just havn't yet. Thanks for the advice

So what happened with that yeast did it ever take off??
 
It hasn't finished yet, I believe its just being sluggish so im still waiting. In the meantime Im going to do another starter....This time much smaller and step it up
 
Let me know how it goes since i have a ton of frozen yeast and i haven't used any yet. Am still building my yeast farm.
 
freezing any biological thing kills it... except for some very rare exceptions (some kind of frog exists that basically has anti-freeze in its blood - but then, it's not freezing, is it). Ice crystals form, expand, and like a million little daggers, perforates cell membranes. If you have a workaround for this, the Nobel Prize in cryogenics is awaiting you. If any fermentation is happening, then the 1 out of a billion yeast cells that miraculously survived is going to need some help.. like from a vial of fresh yeast.
 
Malintent said:
freezing any biological thing kills it... except for some very rare exceptions (some kind of frog exists that basically has anti-freeze in its blood - but then, it's not freezing, is it). Ice crystals form, expand, and like a million little daggers, perforates cell membranes. If you have a workaround for this, the Nobel Prize in cryogenics is awaiting you. If any fermentation is happening, then the 1 out of a billion yeast cells that miraculously survived is going to need some help.. like from a vial of fresh yeast.

I guess a Nobel prize it is. I guess you haven't heard about glycerine? Maybe some of these new guys can teach you a few things.
 
freezing any biological thing kills it... except for some very rare exceptions (some kind of frog exists that basically has anti-freeze in its blood - but then, it's not freezing, is it). Ice crystals form, expand, and like a million little daggers, perforates cell membranes. If you have a workaround for this, the Nobel Prize in cryogenics is awaiting you. If any fermentation is happening, then the 1 out of a billion yeast cells that miraculously survived is going to need some help.. like from a vial of fresh yeast.

Read up on yeast freezing. With glycerine to protect the yeast cells it is possible. Or the very many people who are already doing it all deserve Nobel Prize awards.
 
You can send the mobile peace price here thank you. I am happy to report the yeast is foaming nice now. The gravity hasn't changed much but I have restored hope. Quick question. I plan to try another vial this week. How much dme should I use to make a smaller starter? Would a pint be small enough or should I go with a cup? (I am using 50ml vials of prob 60% yeast slury 40% water/glyc
 
You can send the mobile peace price here thank you. I am happy to report the yeast is foaming nice now. The gravity hasn't changed much but I have restored hope. Quick question. I plan to try another vial this week. How much dme should I use to make a smaller starter? Would a pint be small enough or should I go with a cup? (I am using 50ml vials of prob 60% yeast slury 40% water/glyc

Start SMALL from a frozen slant. Like 100 mL. Then step up to 250-500 mL then 1000 mL, then to whatever you need (if more than 1 L). It takes about the same time, is a bit more work (unless you make all the wort at once and store) and you know when the yeast cake builds each step it is doing its thing!
 
What I do is make 1 liter of 1.030-1.040 starter wort. I use the first 100mL and seal the rest in a quart sized canning jar. Then I just keep using that to step up the starters...that way 1 boil and I am done. The volume don't have to be THAT specific...I shoot for about 4 ounces, then 12 ounces then the full liter (sorry for mixing up units, 100mL = 3.4 ounces)
 
What I do is make 1 liter of 1.030-1.040 starter wort. I use the first 100mL and seal the rest in a quart sized canning jar. Then I just keep using that to step up the starters...that way 1 boil and I am done. The volume don't have to be THAT specific...I shoot for about 4 ounces, then 12 ounces then the full liter (sorry for mixing up units, 100mL = 3.4 ounces)

+1 agree 100% you avoid a lot of hassles this way!!!!!
 
Like others have said, start small. You may also want to drop the gravity down on the starter wort around 1.020 to 1.030, then raise it when it has started going. Also, lots of pure O2 and yeast nutrient (yeast slurry works well).
 
Like others have said, start small. You may also want to drop the gravity down on the starter wort around 1.020 to 1.030, then raise it when it has started going. Also, lots of pure O2 and yeast nutrient (yeast slurry works well).

Very good points. I usually throw some raisins in the boil, or some old yeast or a packet of wine yeast ($.45 here) for added nutrient!
 
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