I used some expired yeast...

I had a couple packs of Safbrew S-33 yeast in my fridge that expired last summer. I decided I'd try using that in my Peach ale this past Friday. While hyrdrating the first pack, it didn't get all frothy like most do. Being a little worried, I added the second pack into the cup with it. After this it looked a lot more normal in the cup.


So, I double pitched the S-33 in a 5G batch with 1 of the packs being a bit suspect. In just a few hours though, the airlock was going steady. Having used a 6 gallon Better Bottle for primary, it got close, but never blew off. Today (Monday), the krausen has already dropped. For all the batches I've primaried in a BB, this has got to be about the fastest I've seen the krausen drop. Keeping my fingers crossed that my cheapness doesn't get the better of me. I figured I could easily re-pitch some fresh S-05 if I didn't get any fermentation activity.

I wouldn't worry, freeze dried yeast lasts a long time if you keep 'em cold.

yeah, given that the fermentation took off rather quickly, I'm not too concerned. I've never used any dry yeast that was expired for more than a month or so prior to this so I was just second guessing myself for going out on a limb here when I have plenty of fresh yeast laying around. I really wanted to try the S-33, but have never gotten around to it until now.

I use expired yeast a lot....sometimes they're expired like 3 years and still work.

Just make sure you make a healthy starter. Be sure to smell and taste it before using to make sure there are no off odors/flavors.

I used a pack of US-05 about a month ago that was 10 months expired.....the beer turned out great. I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it, but on the few occasions it has happened to me it hasn't been a problem.