Yeast issues

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TXANM

TXANM

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I harvested yeast from my last batch. I put it in jars and stuck it in the fridge. Well the yeast froze somehow. I took it out and let it thaw some and then put it back in the fridge, this time not pushing the door completely closed, so the yeast got to room temp. Now it is back in the fridge and back to normal temperature.

Is it still usable or should I pitch it and start over?
 
I'd throw it out. When you freeze yeast, the water crystals that freezer around it will puncture the cell walls of the yeast. You may still have usable yeast, but why risk pitching poor yeast and ending up with a beer of poor quality?
 
Before you toss the whole thing, make a small starter with it. This way any good cells (if there are any) will reproduce and be suspended. Any dead yeast will settle to the bottom quickly.

If the starter takes off then, at high Krausen, rack off the liquid with suspended yeast and dispose of the dead yeast in the bottom. Then cold crash it and keep the settled good yeast.
 

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