OK to step up half a vial and save the rest?

[Lando]

I have always used dry or Wyeast in past brews, but want to try white labs for a change. Is it OK to dump half a vial into my starter, step it up and save the other half in the tube for later use?
Anything wrong with this that I am missing?
In all honesty I don't plan on doing it cause it's a strain that I do not plan to use again any time soon and the best before date is in two weeks, but wanted to know if people do it with good results. $8 a batch is too much to use it all the time.

 

[-TPM-]

I think you'd just need to start off with a smaller starter and take a couple of days then put that in a larger starter.

 

[RiverRat280]

NO reason you can't. I've used a small 1/2tsp scoop to take a little out of a vial and use it to build a starter and save the rest for more uses later. I sanitize the scoop first obviously. The less you use the more you'll just need to step it up, half a vial is probally overkill for your starter anyway.

 

[PseudoChef]

Why don't you pitch the whole thing, then, when your starter is ready, re-sanitize and fill the vial back up.

 

[RiverRat280]

Why don't you pitch the whole thing, then, when your starter is ready, re-sanitize and fill the vial back up.

You could and it would be a good way to always have yeast so you wouldn't have to buy anymore but it has a greater chance of mutations or infections.

 

[rsmith179]

And don't you think using a "sanitized" measuring spoon to take some yeast out will increase the chances of your master culture becoming infected? Either way you do it, the risk of infections will increase.

There are many ways to save yeast, and yes, this is one of them. You could also wash your yeast cake afterwards, use a slant to save a very small amount of yeast, or you can even suspend them in distilled water for pretty much indefinate periods of time. Any way you choose to re-use yeast, just remember to be as close to STERILE as possible. That will ensure that you have done your best to prevent any infections in your yeast.

 

[Lando]

I went ahead and pitched the entire thing into a well aerated starter about 4pm yesterday and it has not made so much as bubble as of about 8am today. I have never had a starter take this long, but this is also my first attempt at using a White Labs product too. Yeast is within date and was in a fridge at the store. Hopfully this thing isn't a dud!

 

[grove]

Hey Lando, I made a 1200ml starter last week with 120g of DME in a flask. I poured another 200ml of cloudy yeast water (WLP001) that I had just decanted from a primary fermenter. It took about 36h to take off, but when it did, it was very vigorous--2 inch layer of krausen on the top, and streamers of yeast shooting up from the bottom and hitting the side of the flask. So just be patient--the yeast will perform when they are ready.

 

[PseudoChef]

You could and it would be a good way to always have yeast so you wouldn't have to buy anymore but it has a greater chance of mutations or infections.

Meh. I've been doing this for two years now and no infections or wry taste profiles that would be indicative of mutations.

 

[RiverRat280]

Do you just wash the yeast and keep it in the fridge or do you freeze it in a solution? I want to keep a few around so I don't have to buy at least the common yeast I use frequently. Since I buy my hops and grain in bulk the yeast has been one of the more expensive ingredients.

 

[PseudoChef]

If I am using the yeast soon (<1 month), I usually just keep it at refrigeration temperatures.

To save yeast, I put it in 15% glycerol solution and store at -80°C. To store in a home freezer, place the yeast inside of a styrofoam cooler lined with ice packs. Home freezers usually have freeze-thaw cycles to prevent frosting over, and this is extremely detrimental to yeast viability over time.