How Long is a Yeast Starter Good?

Yeast & Fermentation
1

Quick question. I have made several yeast starters in the past, but have always made them the night before my brew day. I am planning on making a starter for my next brew, which I will do Saturday morning. However, due to plans tomorrow night I was planning on making my starter tonight, which will be about 36 hours before my brew day. I haven’t read where it is an issue, but as a novice brewer I wanted to check with everyone to make sure this timeframe would not cause any issues with having a quality starter.

Thanks! :cheers:

2

You will be fine. I usually make my starters as early as a week beforehand. You only lose about 5% viability over a week.

3

I usually make mine 3-4 days in advance. I let it ferment out, then chill and decant the spent wort. Never had any issues.

4

Perfect, thanks for the advice. I figured I would be safe, I just didn’t want to risk ruining a good Wyeast pack that I cant get at my local shop.