White Labs Vials- Best by date after opening?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Davl22, Aug 29, 2015.

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  1. Davl22

    Davl22 Maven (1,341) Sep 27, 2011 New Hampshire
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    So I bought a vial of White Labs Brett C for a Brett Grisette a few months ago and it came out great. After I added half the vial I tightly put the cap back on and threw it in my fridge. A month later I added some to a brett pale ale and a saison. Both of those beers finished with very odd off flavors that I couldn't quite pinpoint but now I'm thinking my yeast was oxidized and/or stressed. Should I be using the vials within a certain amount of time? I'm only doing 1 gallon batches so it seems wasteful to use the whole vial or toss the amount i'm not using. Also, is this oxidation more prevalent with brett and not other yeast strains? Any help would be great. My end goal was really to spread my yeast around so I was getting the biggest bang for my buck. Any help would be great!
     
    #1 Davl22, Aug 29, 2015
  2. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    Was the flavor similar to wet leaves, old shoes, or barnyard funk by any chance?
     
    #2 CurtFromHershey, Aug 29, 2015
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  3. Davl22

    Davl22 Maven (1,341) Sep 27, 2011 New Hampshire
    Trader

    No it was a plastic/artificial aroma and flavor.
     
    #3 Davl22, Aug 29, 2015
  4. Brew_Betty

    Brew_Betty Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2015 Wisconsin

    Not sure what the problem is.

    Next time, you could put the remainder of the vial into a small starter wort. That should keep the brett happy for a couple months as they slowly chew on the starter at room temperature.
     
    #4 Brew_Betty, Aug 29, 2015
  5. Davl22

    Davl22 Maven (1,341) Sep 27, 2011 New Hampshire
    Trader

    Good idea, thanks
     
    #5 Davl22, Aug 30, 2015
  6. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I have always been under the impression that the shelf life after opening was the few seconds it took you pitch into a starter or wort.
     
    #6 MrOH, Aug 30, 2015
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