6+ month month old yeast

[rustygates]

It's been over 36 hours since I pitched my 6+ month old wyeast smack pack and I am still not seeing any activity. I'm new to brewing (clearly) and of course I did not think to look at the date until after pitching. Obviously, a long lag time is not ideal but have read I should wait 72 hrs before taking a gravity reading (which I plan to do). My question is how late is too late to re-pitch if there is little or no activity at 72 hrs? Also, should I pitch the same yeast or get some dry yeast and call it a day?

This is my second batch and both times I have had a problem with long lag times so perhaps I should start doing yeast starters...

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Take a peak can you see any karusen around the sides?...you can also take a gravity reading and see if thats moving. The airlock not bubbling dosen't mean chit.

Just out of curiosity what was the date on the yeast?

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/using-yeast-past-its-prime.html

 

[jerbrew]

I'd say you grossly under pitched that one so if you were going to have a long lag time you exacerbated that issue. As texasdroughtbrewery asked are there any sings of fermentation (not the airlock) and can you take a gravity sample?

 

[rustygates]

Take a peak can you see any karusen around the sides?...you can also take a gravity reading and see if thats moving. The airlock not bubbling dosen't mean chit.

Just out of curiosity what was the date on the yeast?

Thanks for the quick response. As of this morning there wasn't any krausen around the sides. It was London Ale yeast that had a mfg of mid January 2016. Don't know the exact date.

 

[rustygates]

I'd say you grossly under pitched that one so if you were going to have a long lag time you exacerbated that issue. As texasdroughtbrewery asked are there any sings of fermentation (not the airlock) and can you take a gravity sample?

Unfortunately, I am not near my fermenter at the moment but say tonight (48hrs after pitching) I see zero activity and I'm still within a couple points of OG, should I re pitch? If so, should I use the same yeast or settle for the emergency dry yeast pack? At this point, I just don't want the whole batch to go to waste.

 

[KeninMN]

It could take up to 3 days to get going. If you have a pH meter you could check to see if the pH has dropped from the low 5's to the upper 4's. That's a much better indicator at this point in the process than a gravity test.

 

[pshankstar]

I recently used an expire packet of Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood) that I had built up prior to the brew day. From the time I pitched it there was no activity till day three and then it took off like crazy! Sometimes you just need to wait it out... But as others have said, take a sample to see what it is doing even if there is no krausen forming.

 

[IslandLizard]

Using liquid yeast, you should always make a starter!

1. It proves viability
2. It grows more cells
3. You can ranch some of the starter to make a new one for your next batch
​

If you don't see/read any activity after 48 hours (take a hydro sample!) re-hydrate some dry yeast (e.g., S-04) and pitch, then whip some air into the wort with a well sanitized SS whisk. At best, both sacch strains will work together, at worst S-04 will ferment your beer.

 

[rustygates]

Using liquid yeast, you should always make a starter!

1. It proves viability
2. It grows more cells
3. You can ranch some of the starter to make a new one for your next batch
​

If you don't see/read any activity after 48 hours (take a hydro sample!) re-hydrate some dry yeast (e.g., S-04) and pitch, then whip some air into the wort with a well sanitized SS whisk. At best, both sacch strains will work together, at worst S-04 will ferment your beer.

Thanks. I wish I had read this before going to my LHBS but I will take this advice going forward. Quick update: took a hydrometer reading last night and it was only 1 or 2 points off so I re-pitched a 3 week old WL London ale yeast. Hoping something else didn't get to it before that. Here's to the journey!

 

[unionrdr]

I was going to say, at 6 months old, it may be dead or nearly so. I found that out the hard way with my Mumme & WY1275 Thames Valley Ale Yeast that was from last Nov, in my fridge since the turn of the year. Got impatient & didn't make a starter to proof it. Had to replace it with WL023 Burton Ale yeast I got at Cleveland Brew Supply. It finally took off at that point with no infections of any kind visible.
So the moral here is, dry yeasts can store well in the fridge for a couple years...liquid yeasts, not so much.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Let us know how the re-pitch goes. Hoping for the best.

 

[rustygates]

Update: 2 1/2 days after re-pitch I am looking at what appears to be a healthy fermentation. A good layer of krausen, lots of airlock activity (I just plain like to see it) and still going.

I think the lesson here is that when it comes to the yeast we need to "treat 'em as one of the family" - Charlie Bamforth

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Good news man.