Yeastage (Yeast Age)

When I started brewing, I found that liquid yeast was a better choice for the beer that I was making. Knowing that I also found that yeast was a large chunk of the cash I was spending on ingredients. So I did some research and found that I could reuse some of the yeast that had fallen out of the beer by using a process known as Yeast Washing. I began collecting a selection of yeasts that I used commonly and of some specialty yeasts.

After reading a post about a fellow brewer on twitter. He was using a yeast that had expired almost 2 years ago. This was a packaged yeast from a major named supplier. Which got me to thinking, how long will my special yeasts last? I’m not worried about the common yeasts because I use them frequently enough that they don’t age that long before I reuse.

The oldest one I have currently is a seasonal Belgian Clone yeast. I usually save two small jars of yeast during my washing process. I know don’t wash it more that 5 times. So how long will it last. I have not made the Belgian in almost 8 months, and don’t have any plans for one anytime soon.

Will Yeast Dictate what beers I brew? How about you, do you wash yeast and how old is the oldest washed yeast you have brewed with?

Cheers

Preston