Yeast ranch, is this a dumb idea?

I am wanting to start a frozen yeast bank with several strains of yeast. I'm thinking to do the glycerin idea in 50mL tubes. I was planning on purchasing a few vials or smack packs, culturing up a big fatty starter and drawing off of this to fill the vials before freezing them. I figure I will use the rest of the starter in a beer to have as a test for infection in the stepped up batch. This seems like a pretty simple, straight forward idea to me, but anybody out there have any problems I'm not seeing?

Mike.

Well I think that is kind of exactly the idea of how to make a yeast bank. Except for using the bulk of the yeast as a 'test batch'. Make a nice big starter, take enough off to freeze, and make a beer you want to make that will be delicious. Everytime you plan a new brew, freeze a vial the new yeast and before you know it you will have a whole ranch all farmed out. I started with the vials, but now I like to take a pretty large amount and freeze it in mason jars. That way I have a mini starter to begin with. The only downfall is having to buy more glycerol.

Were you planning on buying multiple vials of the same strain to make your starter? because that would seem to defeat the purpose of the ranch. I usually just put about 8oz of trub/cake into a clean bottle and stick it in the back of the fridge until I need that strain again. But your plan seems to be more in line with generally accepted yeast ranching procedures.