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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> General Forum --> Chitchat --> Who says you should only store yeast in a jar for a few months?

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mutedog
Washougal, WA
29 Posts


I harvested some yeast from my neighbor's unpasteurized honey in september of 2012, after the initial large batch I made, I dumped all the yeast cake/trub into a jar and it's been in the fridge since then. Whenever I want to make some beer with that yeast I just take some of the stuff from that jar, add it to a starter and step it up.

So that jar has been sitting in the fridge door for nearly two and a half years now, just took some yeast out of it and added to a starter. It's still kicking!





Posted 34 days ago.

Matt
Charter Member
Normal, IL
341 Posts


I most certainly do not!

If you have pictures of everything, I would love to append the article a bit with your real world example! If you're going to do an article of your own then no worries!




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


This is great.  I've successfully used yeast nine months old, but two and a half years is impressive!



Posted 34 days ago.

mutedog
Washougal, WA
29 Posts


@Matt I can take some more pictures, I operate a pretty ghetto lab though. I basically suck a bit of yeast sludge out of the jar with a turkey baster and dump it in the starter. I typically use a slightly hopped starter since I'm working with wild yeast and like to suppress any lacto that may be along for the ride.

This starter took a bit longer to show activity than some in the past have done (about 36-48 hours) whereas the other starter in the picture showed activity after about 12ish hours (that one is also a wild yeast I harvested this past fall) neither starter used a stir plate.

I should probably plate and slant this yeast but I haven't because laziness.




Posted 34 days ago.

Matt
Charter Member
Normal, IL
341 Posts


That is all totally ok, I would love to have the anecdotal experience to add! Sort of a "check this out, this guy used yeast 2 and a half years old and got some viability. Screw your fears."

But in a nicer way.

And if you're getting viability after this long, I see no reason to plate and slant. 




Posted 34 days ago.

mutedog
Washougal, WA
29 Posts


okay, well what would you like to know other than what I've already posted here?

It may be that the wild yeast is a little more resistant to dying quite as easily as those namby pamby cultivated strains?




Posted 34 days ago.

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