How long can a starter/smack pack last

[Redpappy]

Does anyone know how long a smack pack (wyeast) or even a stadrter will last?

This is my issue, it seems Mother Nature is against me brewing. My off days seems to be when Mother Nature decides to rain, which mean no brew for me . My next brew that I have lan i# a milk chocolate stout which uses a Smack pack. I can Change 5o either @ pal3 ale, or to a wheat, but that require a starter ( used yeast in the fridge from previous batch). So I’m kinda stuck. Next availed day is Wed. To brew, but due to predictions, I am uncertain, since it tends to rain on my days off lately. I was going to bre2 today, but weather reports said rain.... and what do you know, no rain, and no activeyeast.. just my luck....

Which brings me to my wuestion, how long do smack packs last after smacked, and /or starters.

 

[Beerwildered]

My guess is that you’ll always be playing the viability game. Think of your smack pack as a starter. If you don’t use it right away, yeast die - but not all at once.

If it were me, I’d make a new starter with your old smack pack and see what happens.

 

[RM-MN]

My next brew that I have lan i# a milk chocolate stout which uses a Smack pack. I can Change 5o either @ pal3 ale, or to a wheat, but that require a starter ( used yeast in the fridge from previous batch).

No, the wheat does not require a starter. While lots of people will say that any beer requires a starter the fact is that probably the only beers that do are the very high OG ones. A starter does a few things for you. It proves that the yeast aren't dead, it grows more cells quickly, and with those more cells it makes the fermentation start quicker. As long as you are confident that the yeast are still viable (they are far more hardy than many of the yeast calculators give credit for) you can pitch directly into the wort provided that you make the conditions for their growth in the wort. That means you need to provide oxygen since your wort had just been boiled which drove out most of the oxygen. Aerating the wort well provides the oxygen the yeast need and fermentation should only lag a few hours more than if you used a starter.