The vial that I used this time was one of the very first vials that I had frozen back in December. These particular vials were not the best of samples. I have a habit of being rather impatient and do things without thinking them out thoroughly. This would be one of those times.
Instead of propagating yeast and getting a good clean sample, I had just frozen some trub scooped from the bottom of the fermenter. No yeast washing or anything. Just a scoop of fermenter crap, mixed with the glycerine solution and into the freezer.
After taking my time and seeing the results of how much better of a yeast sample I get from propagating and yeast washing, I wasn't real thrilled about using those vials.
But it was a done deal and they were there. So I thought at least I'd give one a try to see what happens. I wasn't very optimistic to say the least.
To my surprise, it worked out just fine. It was a little slower to start than the other vials, but other than that, I could tell no difference. Needless to say, I will still continue to propagate the yeast with a starter and wash at least once. The samples collected in that manner make a much cleaner and probably more viable yeast sample to start with.
The frozen yeast library is definitely something I will continue to do. It's just to cool!
