I have never bought liquid yeast via mail order before, but I wanted to try a Wyeast variety in my next batch (my LHBS carries White Labs exclusively). I just received the order yesterday, and noticed immediately that the pack was already quite swollen.
The yeast was packaged in a separate padded envelope along with a cold pack, but it was no longer cold. I am not positive how long this shipment had been in transit - No longer than 7 days, since that’s when I placed the order in the first place.
Should I be concerned? I am going to make a starter (I always do), but I would rather not waste my time if it’s a lost cause…
Having no experience with receiving a swollen package of Wyeast, I suspect that you may need to scale up the starter especially if you are making a 10-gal batch.
Yes, make a starter it should be fine. But also notify the shipper, because either the pack was defective or their yeast shipping procedures are. They may give you a refund or replacement pack, whether you can use the yeast or not. It’s worth a shot.