how to use and store yeast vial

[BrewBoy19]

I bought a vile of yeast for making an ale. it is an english ale yeast. anything specific to do before pitching it? I've never used yeast in a vile before. also I won't be making it for a couple of days. How should I store it? when i bought it they had it in a cooler area, but my fridge feels colder. Is it ok to just put it into the fridge?

 

[Lordracula]

Nooooooooooooooo, don't put it in a fridge, cold of any sort is not good for yeast. Yeast is a bacteria, which means it is just as vulnerable to extreme temperatures as you and me. If you leave it in a snug cupboard it should be just fine.

 

[BrewBoy19]

so what was the purpose of them storing it in the cooler area?

 

[Old_E]

Nooooooooooooooo, don't put it in a fridge, cold of any sort is not good for yeast. Yeast is a bacteria, which means it is just as vulnerable to extreme temperatures as you and me. If you leave it in a snug cupboard it should be just fine.

I'm no expert, but I seriously question this advice.

I have always heard to store it cold, until you are ready to pitch, smack the pack, or build a starter.

 

[veritas524]

Store it in the fridge, it will keep them dormant. Just don't let it get close to freezing. Before You use it let it warm up to room temperature well in advance. A starter is most likely advised, if its a big beer then it is kind of mandatory. I had the same questions, I've been reading non-stop on the subject since this morning.

 

[bob1852]

Nooooooooooooooo, don't put it in a fridge, cold of any sort is not good for yeast. Yeast is a bacteria, which means it is just as vulnerable to extreme temperatures as you and me. If you leave it in a snug cupboard it should be just fine.

Yeast is not a bacterium. And storing it in the fridge is fine.

 

[brewinjunk]

Store it in the fridge and remove it a few hours before pitching or making a starter to reduce the potential shock and wake them up.

 

[Lordracula]

Yeast is not a bacterium. And storing it in the fridge is fine.

I leave a packet of the stuff in a cool cupboard and never saw any problems with it.. aslong as it is not in an extreme temperature i don't see what harm it could do. I just wouldnt put it in a fridge, seems too risky to me.. my fridge is tiny so i wouldn't put it in anyway

 

[pwndabear]

I leave a packet of the stuff in a cool cupboard and never saw any problems with it.. aslong as it is not in an extreme temperature i don't see what harm it could do. I just wouldnt put it in a fridge, seems too risky to me.. my fridge is tiny so i wouldn't put it in anyway

do not listen to this individual. keep it in the fridge until a couple hours before use. it even says it right on the side of the vial in most cases

 

[BrewBoy19]

its a vile of liquid yeast not a packet though and it was stored at the store in the back cooler room. The sticker also says keep cool. I was just wondering what "too" cool would be considered.

 

[ajf]

Storing in the fridge is fine. However, if you are going to brew in a couple of days, I would make a starter (search for yeast starter to see how). This should give you much better results.

-a.

 

[brewinjunk]

I leave a packet of the stuff in a cool cupboard and never saw any problems with it.. aslong as it is not in an extreme temperature i don't see what harm it could do. I just wouldnt put it in a fridge, seems too risky to me.. my fridge is tiny so i wouldn't put it in anyway

If you are keeping it a short time, it may not be a problem. However, the longer you keep it warm, the higher the potential the yeast will begin to use up the reserves in the vial, and the quicker they will go through autolysis. They are packaged to maintain viability, but they can only do so much and things happen quicker at higher temps.

 

[brewinjunk]

its a vile of liquid yeast not a packet though and it was stored at the store in the back cooler room. The sticker also says keep cool. I was just wondering what "too" cool would be considered.

Too cold is frozen, the cooler the better. I agree with the others on the starter, a good, relatively easy way to get those yeasts on track for a healthy fermentation.

 

[BrewBoy19]

can anyone give me an easy instruction on making a starter? I've never made one and have minimal info on the topic.

 

[ajf]

You will need about 1 liter starter. Use Deathbrewers method with the following changes.

Use 3.5 oz DME to 1 qt (4 cups) water. (This is a slightly lower ratio than DB uses, and is scaled to your beer. see http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html )
Don't use an airlock. You can use sanitized foil, or an inverted sanitized jam jar, mason jar, tea cup, or whatever to prevent stuff falling into the starter.
You should use a container with about 1.5 qt capacity (or greater)

Give the starter a swirl every time you think about it.

-a.

 

[Randar]

Nooooooooooooooo, don't put it in a fridge, cold of any sort is not good for yeast. Yeast is a bacteria, which means it is just as vulnerable to extreme temperatures as you and me. If you leave it in a snug cupboard it should be just fine.

Wow. Just... wow. Others have said it already, but pay no mind to this nattering ninny.

Let's just go bit by bit here for full effect:

1) "cold of any sort is not good for yeast" - Quite the interesting commentary since yeast is stored at -80 degrees Celsius in lab settings as the preferred and really "only" way of storing it long term, although they do take precaution to keep the cells from rupturing as they reach sub-freezing temps.

2) "Yeast is a bacteria" - Absolutely incorrect. Yeast are Eukaryotic cells (meaning their DNA is contained within a nucleus) and bacteria are Prokaryotic cells (no nucleus and DNA is effectively uncontained within the cell). In fact, the difference between them is so stark that it is defined at the very first tier of classification beneath basic life (Life-Domain-Kingdom-Phylum-yadda-yadda). Prokaryotes encompasses bacteria, viruses, etc, and has nothing to do with yeast, while the domain of Eukaryotes encompasses literally every other living organism above the Prokaryotic level. Humans diverge from yeast at the next basic level as being under the Kingdom of Anamalia while yeast are under the Kingdom of Fungi. But hey, details shmetails.

3) " which means it is just as vulnerable to extreme temperatures as you and me" - Yet another hilariously incorrect statement. Bacteria are highly evolutionary (a concept the poster here may not believe in given their lack of very basic scientific understanding) and different strains have been found to exist and even thrive from freezing all the way up to 200 degrees F... a temp "you and me" can't survive in...

4) " If you leave it in a snug cupboard it should be just fine." I guess we can let this one slide since we can leave "just fine" up to interpretation

 

[Randar]

its a vile of liquid yeast not a packet though and it was stored at the store in the back cooler room. The sticker also says keep cool. I was just wondering what "too" cool would be considered.

Too cool = frozen or very near it (which some fridges have a penchant for having "freeze spots) so place it on a middle to upper shelf in your fridge and keep it away from the back wall of the fridge (where most "freeze zones" are) and it will be perfectly fine. Just let it sit out for a few hours before using (either with a starter or pitching directly) to allow it to come to room temp.

 

[damnyankee]

I bought a vile of yeast for making an ale. it is an english ale yeast. anything specific to do before pitching it? I've never used yeast in a vile before. also I won't be making it for a couple of days. How should I store it? when i bought it they had it in a cooler area, but my fridge feels colder. Is it ok to just put it into the fridge?

Yes - put it in the fridge. Yeast metabolism slows down dramatically in the cold - so the yeast won't die on ya.

Take the vial out of the 'fridge several hours before you plan on pitching it to your wort.

Good luck!

DY

 

[malkore]

For the record, I keep my dry yeast AND liquid yeast in the keezer to keep it dormant and healthy, although with dry yeast I'm just trying to avoid big temperature swings, especially warm ones in the kitchen cabinets, next to the stove that gets used all winter.