Hombrew Stores Selling Old Liquid Yeast

Wyeast's website claims (or used to claim? I can't seem to find it now) that their yeast was best used within six months of manufacturing. Is that too old? for me, probably. But a few starters will get it up to pitching rate. In the future, some homebrew online shops will ship you fresh yeast if you ask.

 

You live in WI. I buy online from a Wisconsin store and they guarantee 3mo or less. If you are willing to preorder it will be about a week old and very reasonably priced.

http://www.ritebrew.com/category-s/1998.htm

 

I use RiteBrew pretty much exclusively, never have received old yeast from them. Plus shipping in WI is super fast and fairly cheap. I order Monday, and have my ingredients on Tuesday if I order before noon and by Wednesday if after noon, every time. Makes it easier to plan a weekend brew, even with a starter. I'm brewing today and the yeast was dated August 25th, probably about the oldest I have received from them.

 

I feel your pain. After a few times of hit or miss I switched to a mom-n-pop supplier (small, two employees). I actually call and talk to the person responsible for bagging and shipping my order before hitting the "Enter" button online. I actually have two suppliers who don't mind walking to the back of the store and checking dates for me . . . 'cause we all know if the Yeast ain't happy, then nobody's happy.

 

One of the few good reasons for buying from a LHBS

 

My store keeps theirs for up to 6 months, but if it is more then 3 months old it is half price.

 

I had a homebrew store in Bloomington, IN that sold old yeast at a discounted price. If they didn't have your strain in fresh you could wait for them to order more or you could take your chances.

I believe my current store in Indianapolis does enough of their own brewing that they either use some of the older stuff or they ship it back to Wyeast for a refund.

 

This. My LHBS does the same. They have a separate fridge for 'old' yeast, and being the cheapskate that I am, I'll usually buy from there and just build up a decent starter. I am in total agreement though that if a vial of yeast is 5 months old it should NOT be priced the same as a fresh vial.

 

I've been thinking about buying up one of my LHBS supplies of these, building them up and storing them. Would give me an arsenal of options, and could experiment a lot more!

 

One of the benefits of Wyeast smackpacks is that they permit you to validate that there is viable yeast within the package. I would let the smackpack 'sit' for a few days and if there was zero signs of expansion I would just throw that pack away.

Cheers!

 

I manage a LHBS and liquid yeast is a money loser for us. This was also the case at the other two shop I have worked. So please keep that in mind before getting to PO'ed. Your LHBS has to make money or they will not be there for very long.

Dry yeast has really cut in to liquid yeast sales in our area. This has made turn over slower. Liquid yeast cost twice as much to buy and since it has to be shipped over night or two day it adds a lot to the cost.

I also have to point out that you grabbing the newest package first is exacerbating the freshness issue at that shop.

We carry White Labs and are part of their Freshness Assurance Program which allows us to send back some of the past date product. But you still lose money, just not as much.

 

At the home brew shop I go to I dig in the back of the cooler for the newer yeast. More and more I have been using dry strains. The variety is getting better.

 

Jim, I am the same way. Of the past seven batches I have brewed I used dry yeast in six of those batches.

Cheers!

 

Access to Mangrove Jacks certainly has increased the number of dry strains available. Liquid still has more variety, but dry yeast is getting much better.

 

Not to fully derail the topic but I somewhat agree. I have only been using smack packs lately because that is what my LHBS suggests. I had always used dry before. While am sure the liquid yeast is better suited for what I am brewing, price and "freshness" have always seem like something that is always being thrown around with them. Also there is that part where a lot of people suggest starters with the liquid yeast, which is something I am not ready to dive into.