White Labs Too Fresh for Mr. Malty?

[MF Tyler]

According to the tooltip on the mrmalty calculator White Labs yeast manufacturing date is supposed to be 4 months prior to the best buy date. But I got this vial yesterday (April 6th 2010):
http://bit.ly/9nUyhB

According to the Mr. Malty Calc I got future yeast - yeast sent from the future to erase the past.

Also, I can't find it now, but it seems like I remember reading that White Labs has a period of two weeks where they store the yeast at the factory - ostensibly to test for shelf stability.

So, what's up with that? Has White Labs changed their best buy dates? Is my thinking just wrong on this one? Was this yeast sent to destroy John Conner?

[thatguy314]

I don't get white labs at my local homebrew shop, just wyeast. Wyeast is always a manufacturing date (yeast packaged on date), which is what the calculator works around I believe.

[aquariumdrinker]

4 months prior to the best buy date. But I got this vial yesterday (April 6th 2010)

4 months prior to April 6, your yeast if from the past not the future.

edit: Didnt see the photo, ok now im confused too.

[Travisty]

Well, August 7 is 124 days from April 6, which would be 4 31-day months from the day you recieved the vial. If they also keep the vials around for some time before that 124 day clock starts and this batch of vials went out early (maybe testing was completed more quickly than usual) it's reasonable that a vial with a best by date of August 7 could be in your hands on April 6. Regardless, that's about as fresh as buying yeast can get!

[Hop]

White Labs itself is the one that says they package 4 months before the "best before" date. That doesn't necessarily mean exactly 4 months. It looks like you just got a new vial from a shipment this week.

We know from studying our yeast that the yeast has a shelf life of four months from packaging. Even after that, there is still viable yeast, but the percentage of viable cells is not considered pitchable anymore.

[siwelwerd]

Yeah, I've gotten super fresh yeast like that before too. Don't complain, just brew with it