Is this enough yeast?

Hi,

I want to brew a very hoppy (10 oz or so of hops) 6% IPA tomorrow and I need some advice on yeast. I have a slurry of some 1056 that I bought in December of 2012, used for an IPA of about 6%, washed the yeast and then brewed a 7% coffee stout with it, then washed it AGAIN and now this is what I have. It's a pint jar. Can I just decant and pour this yeast into my IPA tomorrow or should I make a starter?

That's probably plenty of slurry, while just pitching it is probably fine, I would still make a starter to wake it up and make sure it is still viable.

I would certainly make a starter. That is plenty of yeast for another batch of beer but I would give it a jump start to ensure it is healthy enough to do its thing.

I know some on here would argue that the yeast is far too old and past its prime to use. I would disagree. I have washed yeast and used it in batches out to almost a year without any off flavors associated with stressed out yeast. The only thing that may impact your beer is the color.

You can decant the beer layer off the top as much as you can but since your last beer brewed with this yeast was dark, the next batch will more than likely pick up a bit of darker color. If color isn't a concern, than no worries. If it is, next time plan on brewing a lighter beer first then darker subsequent beers.

Great, thanks!