Wyeast how long to swell

Only today did I realize I'm missing a fermenting bucket to actually ferment with d'oh, big mistake! The Wyeast pack is completely swelled and I'm worried that my yeast will begin to die off before it's even grown. Will it still be good tomorrow? How long between activating the Wyeast pack do I have to use it? Put the yeast in a cool place and you'll be fine. Bring it up to pitching temperature before pitching and you'll be good to go. When you smack the pack it's just giving the yeast more nutrients, so they're not in any worse shape than before you smacked the pack.

Keeping them cool will reduce any loss in yeast health. Making a starter is a good way to go, but equally, if this is your first brew, you may want to keep things simple.

I suggest use this as a chance to make a starter. Get some DME, cook it and make a 1. When it has cooled to fermentation temp pitch the yeast and aerate as much as possible.

I agree, what a great chance to make a starter for your delicious new batch of beer! If you don't want to do that, I understand putting the wyeast package back in the fridge is the safest storage for an already "proofed" pack of yeast.

I don't believe there is all that much growth from smacking the activator pack. It's just a way for you to visually see that your yeast are viable or proofed.

Sign up to join this community. Acid wash : There are a number of acids that can be used. It is recommended that 0. Stir constantly, and slowly while adding the acid to the yeast. Still looking around for more on the subject before I build up a from about 5mm of 6 month old slurry for an EIPA. Agitation is not normally necessary as the aeration process and CO2 evolved during active fermentation are sufficient to keep the yeast in suspension.

As is the usual, many different sources and many different opinions. I personally don't see the need for a stirplate but I do agitate, maybe I need an aerator.

I'm downloading a podcast at the moment, el-cheapo dial-up so I have to be patient. I don't know if it's just that but the CO2 does seem to be keeping the damn thing well stirred.

Granted that the mix I used this time is a lot richer, but overnight on the bench and NO yeast settling out. That CO2 keeping things stirred might have some truth to it, at least if the starter container helps it along. I'll post a pic of it in a bit. Cheers Jon. Duff Worst Website Ever I have a number of packs in the fridge which are over 2 years old.

Smacked a Pils Urquell recently and it took about 2 weeks to swell. When it did swell it was as hard as a fresh pack. Am going to add that to a starter with a fresh pack of for a large cold pitch in an upcoming pilsener. I did read the whole post but this jumped out at me. What to do with all my stirplates Bit more rant from 'Brewing Yeast Fermentation Performance' Brewing history originated with spontaneous natural fermentations.

This should be consistent from propagation to propagation. The propagated yeast should be free from variants and contaminants. Thus, the shortcomings of the historical practices can be summarised as follows. The cycle required a lot of time. The conversion of nutrients into biomass was inef fi cient. The resultant yeast produced was of low vitality owing to low oxygen supply. Connor Cox et al. In addition, biomass productivity has increased with improved aeration Table However, several questions about such practices need to be answered.

I brewed a high gravity beer, can I re-pitch the yeast from this batch? Do not re-pitch yeast from a high gravity beer. Yeast left from high gravity brews is usually very unhealthy or dead and will not perform well in subsequent brews. I brewed a high gravity beer and I am having a difficult time getting the beer to attenuate. What went wrong? There are many factors that lead to incomplete attenuation. At the beginning, it is very important to increase your pitch rates according to the original gravity of your beer.

It is also important to remember that it is more difficult to get oxygen into the solution in a high gravity wort. At the end of fermentation, high alcohol levels, lack of nutrients, poor yeast health and lack of fermentable sugars can effect attenuation. Do you need more yeast for high gravity fermentations? Yes, anytime you are pitching yeast into a harsh environment high gravity, low temp you need to add additional yeast.

A rough rule of thumb is to double pitch rates above 1. My fermentation took longer than normal to complete. Is my yeast bad? Fermentation is dependent on many factors. The issues to consider are: How fresh was your yeast? What was your pitch rate in relation to your original gravity? Is the fermentation temperature appropriate for the yeast strain?

Did you effectively oxygenate your wort? Have you calibrated your thermometers lately to be certain that your mash, run in, and fermentation temperatures are accurate? Are you using a yeast nutrient to make up for any nutritional deficiencies in your wort? All of these factors plus many more will affect the length and vigor of your fermentation. What should you do if there is no activity in my carboy in the first 24 hours? Some fermentations will not take off for 36 hours due to many variables.

Once past 36 hours, take a gravity reading, make sure that the temperature is warm, and agitate the carboy. Agitate every so often for 12 hours, then take a gravity reading to see if fermentation has begun. What temperature should I pitch lagers? More yeast double- two packages or make a 2L starter is required for cold fermentations. There are different views on this topic. The individual brewer ultimately has to weigh the pros and cons.

What should you do if the yeast is frozen? Thaw out in fridge. Activate and assess the time that it takes to swell. If there is no activation within 24 hours, do not use. If there is activation, make a starter to revive culture. What strains are typically slow activators and slow starters in fermenters?

Belgian Ale and Belgian Strong Ale are typically slow starters. Why does Wyeast sell smack packs rather than tubes? We feel that our Activator is the best product on the market. In addition to the oxygen and UV barrier, our packages include the activator system. This also works as a built-in viability test. Unfortunately, Wyeast cannot make small quantities of any strain for home enthusiasts. However, if there is a certain strain that you would like to see offered, let your local retail supplier know, and they can get in touch with Wyeast.

If there is a problem with the yeast performance, who should the customer contact? Please contact your local retail supplier of Wyeast Laboratories products and allow them to help you identify and solve the problem. If you have a question they cannot answer, then they can contact Wyeast with your question. If a retailer is shipping yeast, how should it be packaged? All yeast shipments should be packed with enough ice to keep the yeast cool until it reaches it's destination. Remember this is a living organism that will be damaged by extended or repeated periods of warm temperatures.

What is the best way to store yeast before use? In a refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing. What should the gravity of a starter be?

The gravity for a starter should be 1. What are the causes of swollen packages? Can you sell them? Swollen packages are almost always the cause of a small amount of sugar or CO 2 being left in solution at the time of packaging. Upon shipment, CO 2 can be released from solution or the yeast can consume the sugar and create a small amount of CO 2. Cell autolysis, or cell death can also be a cause of swelling packaged. However, this is only in rare cases where the yeast is exposed to high temperature for an extended amount of time.

If a package is swollen and has not been mishandled, it can be sold with confidence. What questions should be asked to a customer that has a problem fermentation? What strain, date, size of package, and manufacturing code? What is the gravity and temperature? What was the OG and pitching temp?

How many hours since pitching? Did you make a starter?