Yeast banking at home

[Brandon]

I'll update on how it works out for me. I'm just repitching right now, but when it comes time for some fresh yeast, I'll bust out a frozen vial.

I think the science behind the lower temps is to prevent freezing and re-freezing. In a lot of home frost free freezers, the temp gets up to a point where there are ice crystals forming and reforming at microscopic levels that break the cell walls of the yeast. You can minimize this by insulating the container you keep your vials in, and keeping it in the back of the freezer.

You really should get one of those small plastic coolers to keep the vials and some bluw ice packs in while it is in the freezer.

[Evan B]

I'll update on how it works out for me. I'm just repitching right now, but when it comes time for some fresh yeast, I'll bust out a frozen vial.

I think the science behind the lower temps is to prevent freezing and re-freezing. In a lot of home frost free freezers, the temp gets up to a point where there are ice crystals forming and reforming at microscopic levels that break the cell walls of the yeast. You can minimize this by insulating the container you keep your vials in, and keeping it in the back of the freezer.

You really should get one of those small plastic coolers to keep the vials and some bluw ice packs in while it is in the freezer.

i'm going ghetto and packing them in a tupperware container with frozen peas

[Spidey]

FYI, Whole Foods sells vegetable glycerin that works well for making frozen liquid yeast stocks. Get some sterile tubes to freeze the stocks and voila, you have a "yeast freezing kit".