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SmackPack Emergency Q: Smacked wrong pack. Can I leave it in the fridge overnight?

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hofmeister

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Nov 27, 2011
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Good evening! Tomorrow's a big brew day (3 batches!), so I was going to make a yeast starter for a Scotch ale. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong Wyeast pack -- my Bohemian lager.
I'm making just a 1-gallon test batch of pilsener, so I don't need to make a starter for that. Question 1: can I just stick the smack pack back in the fridge and make sure I brew my pils first thing in the morning after I have my coffee and first pint of beer? Question 2 (related to Q#1): how long will a smacked pack of yeast last in the fridge before it's game over?
 
If you're worried about it you can make a starter out of it and split it up between two mason jars. Save one jar for as long as 6 months (maybe more) for a future batch, and use the other one in a few days for your one gallon batch...
 
I would honestly question whether smacking has any impact on shelf life. Maybe it does, but I'd be kinda surprised.
 
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