Yeast viablity in HB bottles

[MyQuL]

I've propagated yeast from both commercial bottle conditioned beers and my own HB bottled beer.
What I'm wondering is how long is the yeast viable in HB bottles, kept at room temp, so I can cultured it up again, If I so wish. Ive cultured up from my own bottles after about 2 months but would it stay viable for say 6 month or even a year

 

[specharka]

I'm fairly certain you can culture yeast cells from bottles no matter their age, depending on the storage methods and exposure to temperature swings. I've personally built yeast starters from 3-5 year sour dregs with no issues with respect to viability.

 

[ericbw]

I think shelf life of yeast is way underestimated. You can use a bottle from who knows when that was treats who knows how.

You're culturing up, so it will grow.

Prob a year at least.

 

[Qhrumphf]

The older it is, the harder you'll have to work. But you can grow an entire pitchable quantity for a thousand barrel batch from a single viable cell (not at once, obviously, just time and subsequent growth cycles), and as long as there's nothing that effectively kills all the yeast (freezing or excessively high temp), you'll likely be able to harvest something.

Issues are going to be sanitation, particularly in older bottles, and not just in how you harvest, but how the donor batch was treated. The more contaminating orgs in either side, the harder it'll be.

Basically I'd treat it just like harvesting from commercial beer. Small volumes of VERY low gravity wort to start, and build up from there.

 

[MyQuL]

Thanks guys. I figured that I would be able to use the yeast after quite a long time as long as I started my step ups slowly.
My usually step up process for commercial bottle conditioned yeasts is 2x [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] dont have a stir plat btw and just shake the jar/pop bottle the step up is in 4 times a day.

 

[ericbw]

Thanks guys. I figured that I would be able to use the yeast after quite a long time as long as I started my step ups slowly.
My usually step up process for commercial bottle conditioned yeasts is 2x [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] dont have a stir plat btw and just shake the jar/pop bottle the step up is in 4 times a day.

Do you decant in between steps, or just keep adding to it? The last time I did it, I think I just kept adding, so you don't lose the yeast still in suspension.

I start it off in the bottle it came in, then eventually move it to another jar.

 

[MyQuL]

Do you decant in between steps, or just keep adding to it? The last time I did it, I think I just kept adding, so you don't lose the yeast still in suspension.

I start it off in the bottle it came in, then eventually move it to another jar.

I either keep adding it or crash it in the fridge for a day or two, decant and add more wort