Intersesting result?

[NaymzJaymz]

I recently found some WLP099 yeast, still in the old glass vile, in the back of my refrigerator. It was almost 1 1/2 years overcode, but I decided to try and do a starter with it. I added it to one pint of 1.040 sterile wort and put on the stirplate for the usual 48 hours. I never saw the slightest evidence of fermentation--not so much as a bubble, nor did the wort change color in the slightest way(something that has never happened to me with any yeast). The result however, was a FG of 1.014. Just curious. Is this a nuance of this particular yeast. I didn't use it, but what of happened if I did? Thanks.

 

[balrog]

Typo? Started with 1.040 not 1.400, right?
Ended with 1.040?

FG = OG = dead yeast.

 

[NaymzJaymz]

Typo? Started with 1.040 not 1.400, right?
Ended with 1.040?

FG = OG = dead yeast.

Yes sir!!! Sorry, I'm not too word savvy. I corrected the typos above. Also note the alcohol smell and a noticeable amount of yeast in the flask.

 

[RM-MN]

I'd say you verified what I have thought, yeast is much more hardy than the calculators give it credit for.

 

[balrog]

Yup. OG 1.040, FG 1.014, that's a ferment, folks.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

It's worth noting that WLP099 seems to be a blend of a "wine" yeast (hence high ABV tolerance) and a diastaticus beer yeast (which can munch up complex carbohydrates to provide simple sugars as food for the wine yeast), so it's always possible that in this kind of situation one will die off but not both. But the odds are that both are still in the mix, possibly not in the same proportions as before.

 

[NaymzJaymz]

Thanks for your responses. This is the latest reading. The starter wort is fully fermented without ever the slightest bubble or foam on the surface, and only the usual 48 hours on the plate. It has continued since. Also as I said the wort stayed much darker than usual. Picture isn't showing for some reason.

 

[Calder]

You just started with very few viable cells, so it was slow to ferment.

I keep yeasts for up to 2 years (saved part of a starter), they usually seem to do nothing, but when I step them up after a week, they always, work fine. I've done this with numerous yeasts, they always start fine in the second starter ....... only problem I get is occasionally I get a contaminated one that I have to toss, but they always take-off.

 

[NaymzJaymz]

You just started with very few viable cells, so it was slow to ferment.

I keep yeasts for up to 2 years (saved part of a starter), they usually seem to do nothing, but when I step them up after a week, they always, work fine. I've done this with numerous yeasts, they always start fine in the second starter ....... only problem I get is occasionally I get a contaminated one that I have to toss, but they always take-off.

You mentioned you at times have a contaminated one. How do you know when you have a bad one?

 

[balrog]

I don't know about @Calder but when I'm making a generation 6+ overbuild, there are two senses (sight and smell) that will quickly tell me something is different. Dark dust layer on top of sediment in the saved overbuild I'm about to make a starter with (with which I'm about to make a starter, for the grammar police), and smell that can be paint/meat/gross, instead of yeast. I don't use taste cuz homey don't put in his mouth what smells or looks bad.

 

[Comfort_Zone]

Given the very low viable cell count you may never actually have had fermentation as the yeast only went though a non-fermentative growth phase. Fermentis actually does that but they have their process perfected.