It's not that it wasn't enough .. it's that it was not active. You can't have yeast blobs in the fridge for 6+ months and then just drop them into fresh wort without a possible setback.
I used to "save yeast" but now I get a strain up and running (starter for a lager yeast, probably a swollen Wyeast pack for an ale) and then I brew with that strain multiple times in a row. I wait until I have a couple 2-3 empty kegs and then start. I don't let more than 3 weeks time pass between brewdays so the yeast is always active and ready to go. But you don't have to do that if it doesn't fit your schedule. Dry yeast has come a long way. Pick up some Diamond, 34-70, S-23, Nova, S-04, etc. and keep it around for a spontaneous brewday. You can absolutely repitch a dry yeast slurry but the same rules apply .. about 3 weeks. Or .. make starters. I hate, hate, hate making starters so I try to use a blob of yeast a good 7-8 times before I retire it. I'm using Omega 113 right now and I just brewed my 6th beer with it. Two more are scheduled. Then I'll retire it and start the next strain .. Omega Bayern.
Interesting procedure you have there. I'm not the biggest fan of doing starters either... Maybe I was reading wrong, but it sounded in one discussion here as if a person does a mash and brews their starter malt from grain. Ahhh, ok... And with DME @ north of $7/lb, I could see me doing that too. I need my head examined.
This last 2 brew days I tried something I've never done before, 2 concurrent batches. Meaning, get the first sparge going and have the second mash ready to begin as soon as the mash tun is empty. Do the #1 boil and #2 mash at the same time, then finish the #2 boil while working on the #1 transfer to the fermenter. It began as a way to save time making 2 10gal lager batches in one day, but this past weekend it was just a time saver making an Irish Red and Pale Ale. I will say it works quite nice. I had not brewed in months due to working on my house projects, and now I should be getting close to putting the brewing equipment up for a while longer. I need to make a Kolsch yet because that and my PA are going to kick literally any pour now. There's no Irish Red currently, (a sacrilege). So when they kick all I'll have is stout and porter at 7+%, and a IIPA at 8+. Not the best stuff for school nights.
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Nearly every fermenter I have is full at the moment. There's 2 old glass carboys still empty. I used one of them and a bucket for the last batch, neither of which has had beer in it for at least a decade. So, something needs finished and kegged before any more brew days...
It's a challenge balancing all my wishes. A) Don't run out of beer. B) Don't spend every weekend brewing beer. C) Don't end up with more beer than you can drink before it's flavor profile degrades... D) Don't entertain so often that I can't balance production and consumption...
When I have gatherings at the house, they can go through a LOT of beer!
Really, my Kolsch is the tricky one that I love from young to about 3 months, but after that it's not 'quite' as good. That one I could do more often if time wasn't an issue. I'd love to brew it ahead and just store it, but I am not sure that would work. From what I understand, in Germany it's served super young. Like, force filtered from the fermenter and then straight to the stein. I read where they often announce when it's coming on so you can get it the first day it's ready. I can see the reason for that because it's really interesting in it's young state. Even though I don't / can't filter mine, it's still pretty amazing day 1. At least by my standards. I've never been to Cologne (Koln) to have a real one.
But I digress. Thanks for the tips, and while I may not use them right away, I'll store them away for sure. Cheers!