best sealed vials for freezing yeast

[NeverDie]

I'm thinking of storing the vials in one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016NYENPE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
It says ice cold for 36 hours, and that would be easy to test.

Pack the vials in either vodka or glycerin inside it, and then put it in the freezer. Temperature inside should drop very slowly, and I would think it would be practically immune to freezer defrost cycles. Fairly compact too (more so than an ice chest).

Anyone tried this?

 

[z-bob]

You're over-thinking this. What about just drilling holes in a block of Styrofoam to make an insulated vial holder?

 

[NeoBrew]

I'm thinking of storing the vials in one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016NYENPE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
It says ice cold for 36 hours, and that would be easy to test.

Pack the vials in either vodka or glycerin inside it, and then put it in the freezer. Temperature inside should drop very slowly, and I would think it would be practically immune to freezer defrost cycles. Fairly compact too (more so than an ice chest).

Anyone tried this?

I put mine in an insulated lunch box with some ice packs in it. ...I have no data to say if it is good, bad, or a waste of time.

 

[NeverDie]

I thawed the yeast in the refrigerator, and right now I'm attempting to revive them in a well aerated starter. I'll know soon whether it's working or not. If it works, I'll step it to larger starters and then pitch.

I will say this: it's difficult to get all the settled yeast out of the pointy end of the centrifuge tubes. I suspect either a rounded bottom or a flat bottom may be better.

Also, currently testing the 36 hour claim on the thermos bottle. I had already ordered it before getting z-bob's superior suggestion about using drilled foam blocks instead. Perhaps there will be some future occasion where the thermos will be useful....

Now that I know for sure that yeast can still be quite active even at a confirmed 36F (confirmed by TILT and by airlock activity) in my refrigerator, the idea of freezing yeast definitely seems like a good strategy.

 

[NeverDie]

Reporting back: it may or may not be moot, but the thermos has maintained ice water for more than 48 hours now at room temperature, so I think it would probably perform quite well.

 

[NeverDie]

Reporting back: it may or may not be moot, but the thermos has maintained ice water for more than 48 hours now at room temperature, so I think it would probably perform quite well.

Final results: I only checked it once per day, but at 70F ambient the thermos contained ice for more than 72 hours and fewer than 96 hours. I'm impressed. Plainly, the temperature gradient inside a freezer, even one going through a thaw cycle, would be less than my test conditions, and so I expect this thermos would keep temperature inside a freezer even better.