Reusing Dried Yeast from last year

[bill_face]

Hello,

I've fairly new to brewing and started making some 10 litre brews last year which used half a packet of yeast. So I folded the packet over, sellotaped it shut, put them in a zip-lock bag which i put in a tuppaware with my leftover wheat in my garage. I'm going to have a go at some of the same brews again this year, and as I'm at the ordering ingredient stage, am wondering how well my sealing will have worked. Most of them seem pretty could, and when I shake them I can hear sprinklable bits. However one is a bit solid. All of them are still within their original use by date

I was thinking I could do a little primer when I start the mash to see if they are fermenting and if not make a mad dash to the local brew shop and hope they have what I need.

Any thoughts?

 

[Slid]

Hello,

I've fairly new to brewing and started making some 10 litre brews last year which used half a packet of yeast. So I folded the packet over, sellotaped it shut, put them in a zip-lock bag which i put in a tuppaware with my leftover wheat in my garage. I'm going to have a go at some of the same brews again this year, and as I'm at the ordering ingredient stage, am wondering how well my sealing will have worked. Most of them seem pretty could, and when I shake them I can hear sprinklable bits. However one is a bit solid. All of them are still within their original use by date

I was thinking I could do a little primer when I start the mash to see if they are fermenting and if not make a mad dash to the local brew shop and hope they have what I need.

Any thoughts?

You could make a starter with half a litre of warm water and 100g DME and add the yeast. If you put it in a screw-top PET bottle - maybe 2L lemonade or cider bottle, 2-3 days before brew day, then if it starts to ferment OK, should be good to go. Any issues - ditch it and get some more yeast.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Dried yeast is cheap, so often it's safer to pay an extra £3 rather than risk spoiling a batch.

However, brewing is all about having fun and trying things. In all likelihood, the yeast will be fine and your sealing will have kept most bugs out. Remember that for brewing, we don't try to eliminate contaminants - we just try to reduce them so that the yeast can easily out-compete everything else.

So give it a try! As mentioned above, try it in a starter to proof it, and if it doesn't work out (smell and taste the starter) then run to the LHBS and buy another sachet

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I've fairly new to brewing...I'm at the ordering ingredient stage...if not make a mad dash to the local brew shop and hope they have what I need.

Those who are less new to brewing will always have at least one pack of dry yeast kicking around the place as a backup - it's cheap, it keeps nearly indefinitely when unopened, and it's a lot less stressful having it in stock than having to make that mad dash. So I'd put another pack or two on the ingredient order, but it sounds like you should be fine with the old lot. I'd bin it if it was obviously "caked" implying it had got a bit damp, but if it's free-running it should be fine.

OTOH, if you're at all concerned about whether it's got contaminated, then don't hesitate to bin it - it's not like it's a rare expensive thing.