1 Week old yeast culture, ok???

[Swifty]

I made two yeast cultures last weekend from CSA longnecks, used one and didn't get around to using the other. Was going to use it tonight, do you think it will still be ok to pitch????

[Ash]

did you chuck it in the fridge when it finished or just left it be?

[Swifty]

I just let it be, I kept saying to myself I would put the brew down tomorrow, next thing I know it's Friday!

[Cortez The Killer]

You could pour off most of the liquid and add the yeast bed to some more fresh wort and let it fire up again.

It shouldn't be off as long as your were sanitary in your methods.

Cheers

[rwh]

I would have a smell (without getting your nose too far into the bottle ). If it's off you should be able to smell it. Then I'd either pour off the beer, add some water, then swirl and pitch it directly into your wort, or do as Cortez said, pour off the "beer" from the top of the sediment, or then boil up some more water and malt, cool it, then pour it in to create a new starter, and use it at high krausen.

[Swifty]

I won't have time to add it to a new wort as I wanted to do the brew at about 7 tonight and don't get home till 5.30 ish. Would I therefor be better off draining most of the liquid off and adding or just chuck the whole thing in? What's the best way to know if it's off??

[rwh]

Haha, think i answered your questions already, probably at the same time you were writing that post...

[Swifty]

Yep, perfect timing rwh. When viewing my post, there was the answer. Thanks. I might do as you said and add a bit of water as it won't have time to get to high Krausen before I want to pitch it. Although I have pitched cultured Coopers yeast before when only ours old (very unorganised) and they have taken off a bit slower but no probs. Why bother with the water though? Why not just pitch the slurry or the whole liquid?

[rwh]

You don't pitch the whole liquid because it's been fermented with uncontrolled temperatures and without hops or whatever, so it probably doesn't taste very good. As for adding the water, it's just so you have a decent amount of fluid to stir up the yeast with!

[rwh]

One consideration when pitching a large starter is to pour off some of the starter liquid and only pitch the yeast slurry. One recommendation when pitching a large starter is to chill the starter overnight in the refrigerator to flocculate all of the yeast. Then the unpleasant tasting starter beer can be poured off, so only the yeast slurry will be pitched.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-6.html

[Swifty]

Thanks rwh, should've thought to read howtobrew. Usually answers all queries. Very interesting read, alot of stuff I've never thought about. I'll just pour off as much of the liquid as possible and add 200ml of water and pitch. Hoepfully all should be good, I have a US-56 in the freezer if the starter smells bad.

[rwh]

I have a US-56 in the freezer if the starter smells bad.

in the freezer? I wouldn't use it then, because it'll be dead!

[Swifty]

Serious?? I've been told to keep all hops and dry yeast in the freezer to keep it fresh. I guess this could now go in the "bad advice" post that was going a while ago
Where is the best place to keep it? Fridge? Cupboard?
I'm sure I've read in a post on here that fridge or freezer for both hops and yeast is fine, so sad now.

[rwh]

Freezer will kill your yeast (or at least reduce its viability by around 90%); hops are fine though. Fridge is the best place for your yeast.

[KEG]

following on from what i always did successfully with bakers yeast, i've always stored my dry brewing yeast in the freezer with no ill-effects. you can't do it with liquid yeast because the hydrated yeast cells will burst, but with dry yeast i've never had an issue, and always had a good fermentation happening 12 hours later from just 12g of yeast.

[rwh]

Well, it might work, but I've never seen it recommended by any yeast guys.

Active Dry Yeast in vacuum packages or nitrogen-flushed envelopes should
be stored under refrigeration to extend shelf life. While it is OK to
store at room temperature, remember that time, temperature, and oxygen
contact are the killers of packaged yeast. Store at room temps only if
you are positive of the young age of the product. Do not freeze.

Kevin Harrity
Red Star Yeast
Oakland, CA

http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/yeast/1999 ... 08720.html

[Swifty]

AAaarrrhh, my poor yeast! I have used two packets of yeast out of the freezer and haven't had any problems yet though? How come? Fermentation has been ok and kicked off after 14 hours or so. To be safe I'll keep in the fridge from now on, but at what temp does the yeast get killed then as some fridges are near freezing temp anyway???

[Pale_Ale]

I keep my dried yeast refrigerated.

[Cortez The Killer]

Ibid

[Slacker]

Getting back to the yeast culture topic....

How long is too long to keep a culture bottled, capped, and in the fridge? Days, weeks, months? Anyone with positive (or negative) experiences?

I brewed a batch in the middle of December, threw the sludge in a few capped bottles in the fridge, and promptly left for a month and a half holiday. Back now and putting down a porter tonight. I poured off the 'beer' from the culture (quite flat, but tasty all the same), threw in some fresh water/sugar mix, airlocked (plastic wrap and a rubber band) and set it in the brew closet for a couple hours. Came back to find the plastic wrap bulging and bubbles on the surface. Can I trust this? It smelled fine, but I'm just looking for some reassurance from someone who's done this before.