Saving Yeast Slurry: Tried to improvise last night

[NorCalAngler]

I planned on bottling my Caribou Slobber and then brewing up some Nukey Brown and pitching some slurry from the Wyeast Northwest Ale cake. Life got in the way and I was able to bottle, but did not have time to brew.

I wasn't prepared to save slurry for a later time so I didn't have any clean, sanitized mason jars to keep the slurry in. I took a clear plastic cup out of the cupboard, sanitized it and saved about a half a cup of slurry then covered the cup with sanitized foil and put it in the fridge. I am brewing the Nukey Brown tonight, but I'm curious if the yeast will be OK.

 

[Revvy]

Overnight is probably going to be ok, if you sanitized the foil.

I've done something similar..With glass jars like from babyfood or spaghetti sauce, sanitizer and using water from an sealed gallon of distilled water to wash the yeast or to top off the slurry.

 

[NorCalAngler]

I didn't top off the slurry or add any water to it. It's just sitting in the cup. Is that going to be a problem? I know it's not ideal that's why I collected a bit more slurry than mrmalty.com indicated (I collected 1/2 cup and mrmalty.com suggested 1/3 cup). I was hoping that would make up for a loss in viability.

 

[pericles]

I worry that the sudden drop in osmotic pressure will cause the yeast's cell walls to rupture. Why don't you brew up a starter before you brew? That way you'll know for sure that the yeast is still good. And, even better, you'll have activated them before pitching, so you'll get a vigorous ferment.

 

[NorCalAngler]

Are you saying my yeast look like a cod pulled up from 500ft with their eyes bulging out?

The starter would push my brew date since I wanted to brew tonight and I'm not getting home until after 5pm. Since it's a simple brown I think I will stop by the LHBS and get a packet of S04 and forget about it. I would rather not risk contaminating an entire batch. Last night didn't go as planned and I can't reuse the slurry... I'm fine with that.

 

[pericles]

Smart. I keep a dozen packets of US-05 around for just that reason. Dry yeast: enabling my sloth since 2005!

 

[dzlater]

Ziploc bags work great
no need to sanitize

 

[wetzie]

I have dropped yeast from a conical on day two and refrigerated for weeks in a mason jar. dropped it in and had a great active fermentation. Does this seem correct?

 

[Revvy]

So what happened? Are you using the yeast today?

 

[wetzie]

Sorry for the slow response.
I used the yeast on an english ale and it seemed fine. I have since learned a little about washing yeast and strains and I made a mistake going from a wheat to brown ale probably does not make the best try without washing the yeast. I am making a new yeast cake from a english pale ale and will pitch that in a brown ale next month and pitch that in a stout the follwing month. Will keep up to date here.
thanx