wow, theres some good reading here. I have always wondered how accurate these calculators could be. one other question, is it just me or did the viability calculator in yeastcalc also change? last week I could have swore that when I entered the date of 10-2012 from my wyeast pack into the calculator it predicted a 1% viability. now it is 30%. WoodlandBrew, how much viability do you think a WL vial or a wyeast smack pack loses over a month, year, etc? just playing with the numbers with yeastcalc, there is such a variation on what I could have pitched into my beer. when I calculated my smack pack of being 1% viable, I started with a .5L starter, then a .75L, then a 1.75L, all on a stir plate, stepping up about every 24hrs. is that bad?