Reusing yeast questions

[Grad]

I currently have quite a bit of yeast that I saved from the bottom of a carboy of cider. It is wyeast 1388. It's about 1 1/2-2 months old. I didn't "wash" the yeast when I harvested it, I simply poured it in to mason jars(as full as possible). I dumped off the excess cider that formed as the yeast dropped out and then condensed then into smaller topped up jars. I'm planning on making cider soon and would like to use this yeast for one of the batches. Will there be any problems pitching this given its age, and also given that I didn't wash it before storing it? Where I live I have to pay about 15$ for a pack of wyeast so I'd prefer not to use fresh if it's not necessary.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Jayjay1976]

I currently have quite a bit of yeast that I saved from the bottom of a carboy of cider. It is wyeast 1388. It's about 1 1/2-2 months old. I didn't "wash" the yeast when I harvested it, I simply poured it in to mason jars(as full as possible). I dumped off the excess cider that formed as the yeast dropped out and then condensed then into smaller topped up jars. I'm planning on making cider soon and would like to use this yeast for one of the batches. Will there be any problems pitching this given its age, and also given that I didn't wash it before storing it? Where I live I have to pay about 15$ for a pack of wyeast so I'd prefer not to use fresh if it's not necessary.
Thanks in advance!

Sounds like it will be just fine. I do this all the time, (with beer, so YMMV) and it has saved me $$hundreds$$. So long as you were careful with sanitation, there is very low risk of infection. I use yeasts that have been in the back of the fridge for 3-4 months without any trouble, they kick off within 12-24 hours just like a fresh smack pack. My kölsch yeast supply is currently in it's 4th generation, I've heard you can go 10+ without problems, though that likely depends on the strain. Do you hop your ciders? I've read that even 5 IBU's can inhibit acetobacter and other bugs from growing in your yeast. I would also always leave a layer of cider on top to protect the yeast during storage. I'm not an expert BTW, this is just what has worked for me.