Oops...Yeast Wash with Tap Water

[wendelgee2]

So...I reclaimed some of my yeast cake and filled up half a sanitized growler with it, topped it off with tap water, and threw it in the fridge. Then I realized, oh crap, I topped it off with tap water instead of boiled water! Oops.

I did let the tap run for 5-10 seconds, and it's delicious NYC water.

What do you think? Should I dump the whole thing, or are the chances pretty good that I'm in the clear here?

 

[Yooper]

Did you "wash" the yeast with the same tap water, too? I think it'd be ok, though. How did you wash the yeast?

 

[wendelgee2]

Well, I haven't really gone through the washing steps yet. I basically just filled up 1/2 a growler with yeast cake and topped it off with water and threw it in the fridge intending to properly "wash" it later. But I guess what I'm wondering is if it's even worth the trouble, or if I likely contaminated it already.

 

[Yooper]

Well, I haven't really gone through the washing steps yet. I basically just filled up 1/2 a growler with yeast cake and topped it off with water and threw it in the fridge intending to properly "wash" it later. But I guess what I'm wondering is if it's even worth the trouble, or if I likely contaminated it already.

I honestly don't know. If it's been mixed with the trub for a long period of time, it might not be very good. I would smell it and see if it has a "fecal" smell to it, and then throw it away if it does. I've never saved trub, so I don't know how long the yeast would be viable in it.

 

[Hombru1]

I was harvesting yeast from a Brooklyn Brewing Local One and accidentally put a few mls (20-30) of tap water into the bottle while I was cooling a starter down. Went ahead and pitched it and it still turned out fine. Although I still washed and stored it in boiled water. I bet it will be fine but I would probably wash it again in bioled water just to be safe.