Is this yeast dead?

[Ali01]

I had an opened packet of us05 that I wanted to test
It was opened 8 months ago, it was sealed and kept in the freezer, -20c until now
I took it out of the freezer, let it cool down to room temperature and sprinkled some on the surface of a sugar water slurry, this is what it looks like after an hour, should I throw out the packet?

 

[Ali01]

No matter how many times I stir it, it just forms a creamy circle in the center with very little bubbling sound

 

[IslandLizard]

It takes a few hours for the yeast to start fermenting, it's not instantaneous.
What's the gravity of that sugar solution?

Were the yeast still loose granules coming out of the pouch? If so that's a good sign.
If they're stuck together or turned into a paste/liquid, not so good.

 

[IslandLizard]

Is that glass covered with some plastic wrap?
Hard to keep it sanitary if left open.

 

[Ali01]

Is that glass covered with some plastic wrap?
Hard to keep it sanitary if left open.

Hello
thanks for the reply
I'm not sure about the gravity of the sugar solution, no
Ive covered it with a small plate
I'm not going to use this yeast slurry so sanitation is not really a concern here
Loose granules? Not sure what that means
English is not my first language
There's some bubbling activity, like the sound of some foam while it's disappearing

 

[IslandLizard]

Loose granules? Not sure what that means

Dry (dried) yeast when you open the sachet they look like little (round) pellets, think of coarse sand, but as tiny balls. That round shape is an important part of their preservation.
When kept dry, which is what you want to do when storing them, they should remain that way.

If they get damp they become a paste or liquid, rendering them basically useless.

I'm not going to use this yeast slurry

Why not? I thought yeast was expensive and hard to obtain where you are ... a precious commodity.
I wouldn't waste it.

 

[Ali01]

Dry (dried) yeast when you open the sachet they look like little (round) pellets, think of coarse sand, but as tiny balls. That round shape is an important part of their preservation.
When kept dry, which is what you want to do when storing them, they should remain that way.

If they get damp they become a paste or liquid, rendering them basically useless.


Why not? I thought yeast was expensive and hard to obtain where you are ... a precious commodity.
I wouldn't waste it.

I got it now, they were in that round shape, no moisture, no clumps

True, it was expensive and hard to obtain
I only used a very small pinch of the yeast
It's not even 0.5 grams
Maybe not even 0.1
I don't wanna jeopardize the whole batch for that small amount of yeast
Especially now that I didn't do any sanitation

 

[Ali01]

Dry (dried) yeast when you open the sachet they look like little (round) pellets, think of coarse sand, but as tiny balls. That round shape is an important part of their preservation.
When kept dry, which is what you want to do when storing them, they should remain that way.

If they get damp they become a paste or liquid, rendering them basically useless.


Why not? I thought yeast was expensive and hard to obtain where you are ... a precious commodity.
I wouldn't waste it.

The yeast is very much alive and kicking now
All I should've done was wait
Just one more question here
I recently bought a 3 year old packet of Safbrew T-58 because that's the only Belgian wit yeast I could find in my area
The seller told me to rehydrate the yeast with sterilized water before adding it to the wort, do you think that's necessary for a yeast that's currently on the last month of it's expiration date? I know it won't hurt, but I want the process to be as short as possible in order to lower the chances of infection, if there's a part I can skip, I will do it. I have access to star san tho
If it really helps improve the quality of the final beer, considering it's the last month of it's expiration date, I'll do it

 

[hotbeer]

I had a kit given to me and it's yeast was actually expired by a few months from the date on it. It was my first beer. I used it since even expired bread yeast always worked fine for the breads I use to make. The beer had a very active ferment and turned out fine. I was happy with it.

Of course YMMV. If you read around here very much at all, you'll find that some have issues with fermentation no matter how fresh their yeast.

If you have extra, just pitch more yeast than you would if you weren't worried. Even double the amount of yeast if you need extra assurance. Too much yeast is seldom ever a issue for homebrewing.

 

[mac_1103]

I recently bought a 3 year old packet of Safbrew T-58 because that's the only Belgian wit yeast I could find in my area
The seller told me to rehydrate the yeast with sterilized water before adding it to the wort, do you think that's necessary for a yeast that's currently on the last month of it's expiration date?

It's not even expired yet? People here have reported good results with dry yeast used years past its expiration date, as long as the package is intact and it was stored cool and dry. I would just pitch it directly into the wort. Some people would rehydrate. Fermentis says either way is fine. Assuming that you're talking about 20 liters or less with a starting SG or 1.075 or less. You'd probably want to pitch more for a larger batch and/or a bigger beer.