Yeast age

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I cultivated yeast from a bottle-conditioned beer 18 months ago and successfully used it in a brew. I then saved some trub, washed the yeast, stored it in the fridge...and promptly forgot about it.

Found it last week so thinking "nothing ventured, nothing gained" mashed some grains to make 0.5L starter and chucked it in. To my surprise it's going.

My question is, given the age, will it be OK to use? Seems healthy enough.
 
I would say if it's fermenting then use away. I would probably recommend a stepped starter because the cell count is bound to be pretty low.
 
As steve says you'll need to build it up to a pitchable amount but if it seems fine it probably is. When you put the old yeast into wort your then creating brand new cells. I've read anecdotal accounts across forums of people 'reanimating' 5 year old yeast
 
As steve says you'll need to build it up to a pitchable amount but if it seems fine it probably is. When you put the old yeast into wort your then creating brand new cells. I've read anecdotal accounts across forums of people 'reanimating' 5 year old yeast

That makes it sound like necromacy
 
That makes it sound like necromacy

I've even read an account of a wreck being found from (I think the nineteenth centuary) with unopened beer bottles being found on board. They were sent to a university lab and a few yeast cells were cultured up to be then used to ferment a brew. It seems yeast is virtually immortal!
 
This is useful I have a WLP400 wit yeast sat in the fridge for over a year.. may try and revive it slowly and see if I can grow it up for the summer.
 
This is useful I have a WLP400 wit yeast sat in the fridge for over a year.. may try and revive it slowly and see if I can grow it up for the summer.

Just treat it like you were culturing up yeast from a commercial bottle. As you approach the pitchable amount taste and smell the spent starter wort. If it tastes and smells ok I'd go ahead and use yeast. You could of course do a small 5L tester batch too, to both grow the yeast and test whether it's ok
 
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