[euge]

I found a full vial of WLP 570 Golden ale yeast in the fridge door.  Yay! I was planning on doing one soon.

Problem is: best by Nov 2008.

Looked and smelled ok. So I made a 2 cup 1.045 starter wort, shook the sh!t out of it and pitched the yeast.

Hopefully I'll find a bit of activity when returning home. What do y'all think? First time I've tried using old liquid yeast like that.

[Hokerer]

Only thing I would have done differently would have been for that starter wort to be more like 1.030-035 but you'll probably be ok.  Good luck.

[tygo]

I've never tried resurrecting one that old.  Most I've done is a year old.  But I'll bet you can do it.  I wouldn't be discouraged if there's no obvious activity from the initial step.  It'll probably be so minor that you'll miss it.

[bluesman]

I've never tried reviving one that old either but it won't hurt to try. Let us know how you make out with it.

I think you'll be fine with the starter.

[cheba420]

I revived a vial of cider yeast that was about a year old. Was pretty impressed with the results. Best of luck!

[a10t2]

I've built back up from stored slurry after 17 months, so if your yeast was in the fridge the whole time I'm sure you'll get some viable cells from it.

IMHO your starter is way too big though. I'd start with 50-100 mL, and step up three or four times to get to a pitchable quantity.

[denny]

IMHO your starter is way too big though. I'd start with 50-100 mL, and step up three or four times to get to a pitchable quantity.

That's how I revived a 3 1/2 year old smack pack.  Used 1.020 wort.

[euge]

I haven't seen much activity, but this is what it looks like 24 hours later.


Since I obviously started this off incorrectly what would be the correct course of action? Take a gravity reading and step up? I was thinking of swirling it...

[Hokerer]

I haven't seen much activity, but this is what it looks like 24 hours later.
...
Since I obviously started this off incorrectly what would be the correct course of action? Take a gravity reading and step up? I was thinking of swirling it...

After just 24 hours with yeast that old, it's way too soon to step up.  Give it a couple more days to "wake up".  Swirling certainly wouldn't hurt anything, though.

[tygo]

Yeah, swirl it around whenever you walk past it and give it another day or two.

[tubercle]

It will be OK, just give it time and TLC.

 Its not like you dug it out of fossilized amber or something

 Though I would like to try that

 Jurassic yeast

[euge]

So it's been more than 72 hours. Swirled it a number of times before and after it started fermenting. Never actually foamed but bubbles were vigorous so it looks like it's done. How do I make sure and how should it be stepped up from 2 cups?

I'd like to take a refractometer reading. Can I use this to calculate ABV? I remember reading somewhere that it doesn't work that way.

[tschmidlin]

I would crash cool it, then put it into a gallon of something less than 1.040.  Maybe add half a pinch of dap+yeast extract.

The problem with a refractometer reading is that the presence of alcohol interferes, and none of the spreadsheets that calculate based on OG work very well in my experience.  After you cool it and pour off the sup you can measure the FG of that.

[euge]

OK thanks Tom that makes a bit of sense. I was expecting up to 2 quarts max but a gallon? I'll do 1.030 and I'll have lot's of happy yeast for the GS.

[tschmidlin]

Well, 2 cups is a pint, there are 8 pints in a gallon, an 8x jump is fine.  If you'd like to go smaller you can, it's up to you.  Since it's shaken instead of on a stirplate you can drop it down if you like, but I wouldn't go down as low as 1/2 gallon unless you feel like the yeast really need to be babied.  I know this was an old smack pack, do you feel like you got good growth in this step?  If you're worried about it do 1/2 gallon, at this point you're in the best position to asses it.