Using starter with Dead Yeast?

[laughingboysbrew]

Ok...so, I have this friend... who accidently pitched a pkg of yeast into his hot 2L starter. He's embarrassed. Anyway, the yeast is dead, but is the wort bad? Once cooled, can he pitch a new pkg into the 2L starter and just supplement pitching into the fermenter with another new pack (or two)?

 

[Culbetron]

Hehe, "a friend"...

You can still reuse the wort. If you want to you can chill the wort in the fridge, let the dead yeast settle out, then decant the liquid off of the top, leaving the carcasses behind. Such a small amount of dead yeast shouldn't hurt things that much though. I guess it depends on how particular you are... I mean, how particular your friend is.

 

[philosofool]

I would re-boil the whole thing after decanting, but dead yeast cells are basically yeast nutrient, so no worries.

 

[eastoak]

no need to reboil, the dead yeast is a good thing for the live yeast.