Using old yeast packs

[macgruffus]

I'm planning a brew session this weekend of a Midas Touch clone. I wanted to use this old smack pack of Wyeast 3787 (Trappist). Since the manufactor date is May 2006 (eight months old) I brought it out early to "revive". I let it come to room tempurature and "smacked the pack." It's now two days later and it does not seem to have swollen at all.

I went to my HBS but all he had was one vial of White Labs WLP500 (Trappist) dated Mar 2004 and two vials of White Labs WLP575 (Belgian), both dated May 2006.

Using the Mr Malty starter calculator I was planning on using a 4L starter for this batch but was wondering if or how I should use all these different yeast packs. Being a frugal Scot I hate to either waste yeast or throw out 5 gallons of unfermented beer. I don't really mind mixing the different strains but am trying to figure out how many of them to try. Here are the options I'm considering ...

[bub]

I say WTF and go for it... put em all in there and be sure that you get some fermentation before brewing... worst case you toss a starter... could get some wicked good / complex beer out of it.
BUB

[macgruffus]

I say WTF and go for it... put em all in there and be sure that you get some fermentation before brewing... worst case you toss a starter... could get some wicked good / complex beer out of it.

I'm with you Bub. With some of these Belgian strains, what can you tell anyway?! Way more complex and challenging.

[Bugeater]

Considering what you are trying to brew and the age of the yeast, I think you should wait a week to brew. Get your starter going this weekend and feed it during the week to get it built up to size. You just aren't going to get the cell count you need this quick.

A blend of the yeasts might be good, though I am partial to the 3787 myself. Tonight I jkegged a belgian dark strong ale made with that yeast. Heaven in a glass! and that was warm and uncarbed yet!

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[macgruffus]

Considering what you are trying to brew and the age of the yeast, I think you should wait a week to brew.

Ahhh, a third option! I guess I could bottle my heather ale and my cider this weekend and begin building the starter...

So much to do, so much to do. Think the boss will care if I call in "brewing?"

[macgruffus]

Here's what I ended up doing. I made a gallon and half batch of 1.034 wort. I canned four quarts and then put the rest in my 100 mL flask. I aerated and pitched the smack pack of Wyeast 3787 (which never did inflate), a vial of WLP500 and one of WLP575. I figure some of the yeast had to survive.

I'll let it go a day or so and then aerate and pitch in another quart. If I can get it up to 4L by next weekend, I'll use it for the Midas Touch batch. If not, I'll try and get another vial of one of the White Labs yeast.

David

[macgruffus]

Update ...

The 200ml starter finally started bubbling last night so tonight I'll pitch all that into a litre of aerated wort and maybe once more later. Hopefully it'll be up and running for the batch this weekend.

ANother question though. Since I know I'll have a bunch of dead yeast sitting around at the bottom of this starter when I'm ready to pitch this weekend, should I only pour in the "good wort" off the yeast cake in my starter, mix it all together and pour it all in the fermenter or decant off the liquid and just pour in the slurry? I'm still getting comfortable with the whole starter process.

Thanks

David