What to do with half a packet of US-05?

[seanppp]

I'm brewing a beer in a few days that I plan to pitch 1.5 packets of US-05 in. Any ideas what I can do with the other half a packet? I don't really want to save it for further brews (for sanitation reasons).

Thanks

 

[JohnSand]

You could just pitch both packs. Or use it in the boil as yeast nutrient. Or make it a starter with some of your wort, then chill that for your next batch. I have succeeded in saving a half pack by folding and taping it for a later half batch.
Other than that I have no idea.

 

[Oberon67]

Under the circumstances your best bet is to pitch both packs. If you were not averse to keeping it, I would have said make a starter and put it in the fridge for your next brew.

 

[dyqik]

There's no real sanitation issue with pouring half of the yeast out of the pack and folding and clipping the bag and keeping it in a fridge or freezer. Bugs can't crawl round corners in a dry environment. If you're really worried, put it in a small Ziploc.

I've done that for 9 months (used 1.5 packs in a Pliny clone), and the starter took right off, and just finished fermenting a 6 gallon batch of all day IPA clone.

 

[BrianMac]

Make bread?

 

[thrashandburn]

Use it to experiment with a couple gallons of hard apple cider if you haven't before. That much yeast should be enough to ferment 2 to 2.5 gallons. Just pick up some apple juice the next time you're at the grocery store. You can use Motts or the store brand as long as it doesn't contain any preservatives that would kill the yeast. Ascorbic Acid is ok it's just vitamin C. If you have a fermenter that small, awesome. Sanitize it, oxygenate and pitch. If not, just pour a few cups out of the gallon to make headspace and chuck the yeast in. Put the cap back on, but only tighten it down about halfway so C02 can escape. Give it a couple weeks and bam, you have hard cider. Once it's fermented you can bottle it up and drink it still, you can add priming sugar and drink it carbed, you can add some splenda to sweeten it a bit and then carb it and drink it. It's really easy and you'll get a pretty good product with minimal work involved.