I use an online yeast calculator, and build up appropriate size starters. Cold crash, decant and pitch. I also save a small mason jar of the starter for future use. It's worked well, although some of the strains in my fridge are getting a little old. How old is too old? What's the oldest strain you've ever used and still had success fermenting with?
What's the oldest yeast you've used?
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I made a small starter for a 2 year old 6g packet of Cooper's ale yeast once that I had to use. It worked so well, I had to use a blow off on the APA I was brewing back in the beginning.
Personally, I get a little nervous about yeast more than 3-4 months old. I know people have built up starters with yeast at least 6, if not 12 or more months old. But, given the time/DME you have to put into that, IMO, I'm not sure it's worth it as you can just get a new pack of comparable dry for $5. I do harvest, but when I do, I try to use it fairly quickly after the harvest date.
I was gifted a pint jar with ~2" of compacted yeast(410 wlp). It sat in the fridge for almost one year, so I made some bread wit it LOL and it was awesome so made a starter and did 4 batches of wit myself and gave 2 jars away and one of them blew out all over his stir plate. I've also had 001 for quite some time and have been using The Yeast Bays dry belgian for 2 years now.
Blurryface
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Little over a month ago I pitched a vial of WLP566, no starter, that was best by 12/30/13 into 2.5gal of 1.041 wort... for science of course. 5 days later and bam fg .998.
beergolf
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I recently found a 3 year old pack of 3725PC in the back of my fridge. Stepped it up and used it. Worked just fine.
ericbw
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I think the OP is asking about saved yeast from a batch. A dry pack probably would last forever (it's been dried to preserve it after all).
I've gone a year and then made a starter from saved yeast. It was originally bottle cultured, so the age and storage conditions are unknown.
I think a year is a good rule of thumb. If you don't use it in a year, throw it out?
I've gone a year and then made a starter from saved yeast. It was originally bottle cultured, so the age and storage conditions are unknown.
I think a year is a good rule of thumb. If you don't use it in a year, throw it out?
Aristotelian
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I figure if you can culture up dregs of bottles that have been sitting a year or more, you can surely do the same with spent yeast from a whole carboy of homebrew.
henchman24
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I recently used some 3726 that I harvested 14 months ago (I normally wouldn't have, but I couldn't find any places that had that yeast in stock). I made a 2 step starter over a 5 days (just to be safe) and pitched it in a 1.054 beer. No off flavors that I can detect.
As a rule of thumb I usually only go a max of 9 months and anything over 3 gets a 2 step starter. I've had good luck that way. There is no real scientific reason behind this (though I'm sure somebody can chime in with something), just what I feel comfortable with personally and as ericbw said, if you don't use it... do you need it?
As a rule of thumb I usually only go a max of 9 months and anything over 3 gets a 2 step starter. I've had good luck that way. There is no real scientific reason behind this (though I'm sure somebody can chime in with something), just what I feel comfortable with personally and as ericbw said, if you don't use it... do you need it?
Physicsbrewer
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I make a 4 liter starter, cold crash it, decant, and then step it up with another 4 liters. I then cold crash it again, decant, and divide out the slurry into 5 jars to have 5 healthy starters for future use and pitch the remainder into my fermentor (I'll use these starters up to a year or more from this step). I will then repitch onto the yeast cake up to three times (just depends on what is on my brewing schedule). This gives me up to 18 brew sessions from a single yeast packet. I should also note that nothing comes into contact with my yeast starters that hasn't been autoclaved. Also, I do all step up work and transfers in front of a laminar flow hood.
This is so much easier than what I used to do 20 years ago when good yeast was harder to come by. I used to keep slants, and step up from single colonies....that was a real PITA!
This is so much easier than what I used to do 20 years ago when good yeast was harder to come by. I used to keep slants, and step up from single colonies....that was a real PITA!
I found a 9 month old smack pack of 3787 in an lhbs fridge that they simply gave me.
The calculators varied on viability from 0% (most calculators) to 5%, but I got it up to pitching quantity over 10 days and 4 stepped starters.
Worth it? Not really. Too much hand-holding.
It was more a challenge thing...
Cheers!
The calculators varied on viability from 0% (most calculators) to 5%, but I got it up to pitching quantity over 10 days and 4 stepped starters.
Worth it? Not really. Too much hand-holding.
It was more a challenge thing...
Cheers!
I have saved yeast in mason jars but have ended up dumping all but a couple of them. The ones I used again were only a couple weeks old. I usually make a starter with an new package of liquid yeast a little bigger than I need. I then use 5 ml yeast, 5 ml glycerin and 10 ml water and freeze them. I have stepped up some of these that were over 2 years old.
Physicsbrewer
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5 and 6 liter Erlenmeyer flasks.
3-4 years, thought it was dead. Had on my counter for about 8 days and it went from nothing to swollen. It was Pacman yeast IIRC.
I have a 5L flask and often make 4 liter starters using only 2 liters and banking the other 2. I usually go 4-6 months with them and so far, have had no problems. I save a few bucks and have yeast ready when I need it.
this is not liquid but found couple of packs of dry yeast in my cabinet that had been at least 3 years old, tried and worked fine, I was really surprised my self, was planning on adding just in case but didn't have to
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