I can't tell if the starter worked!

[EMH5]

I forgot about a vial WLP001 (White Labs Cali Ale) yeast I ordered and refrigerated back in Feb 2015. I just happened to go in my basement fridge and found it. So now I'm looking to revive it by making a starter to see if it's usable.

I've made starters using Wy1318 a few times before and within hours I see vigorous activity. But 1318 is a top crop too. I don't have a stir plate - I swirl/shake it often. I have no experience with this yeast so I can't tell if it has already revived the yeast.

I made a small starter (1/2 cup dme, 2 cups water) about 48 hrs ago and I don't really see any activity. Smells a bit bready with a slight hint of vinegar. With the 1318, I saw the yeast activity through the mason jar but with this one - I don't see anything. I can't tell if the yeast is just bad or dead or perfectly fine. Can someone help me figure this out?

 

[hanuswalrus]

Looks like you got a layer of yeast at the bottom there. I would step it up one or two more times to build the cell count even more. Put it in the fridge until the yeast is compacted at the bottom, decant the beer off the yeast, then add some more starter wort. Maybe do 3/4 cup DME and 3 cups of water on the next step, and then a full cup of DME and 4 cups of water on the step after that.

I've read of people reviving yeast that was over a year old but that doesn't mean every old vial/smack pack can be revived. In this case, I have faith that you can revive this one!

 

[Gavin C]

Decant off the starter beer and check its gravity. It should get down to well below 1.010 for a healthy starter.

Or just a few drops for a refractometer and punch it into the appropriate corrective tool. You'll know for sure if the yeast have fermented the wort or not if the gravity is under 1.010

With a vingar smell/taste it's moot IMO. I would not be risking a batch to a vinegary starter.