So I brewed yesterday a 1.080 stout and pitched a wyeast smack pack with a 1L starter on a stir plate. The yeast was packaged in March. It's been about 36 hours and no signs of fermentation so far. Should I give it more time or get another package and pitch again?
7 month old yeast
- Thread starter chadkarol
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That's a huge beer with a small starter of old yeast. Mr. Malty indicates 3+ packs w/o a starter if they were fresh. One pack of fresh yeast would require a 5l starter.
You're definitely going to need to repitch, probably with multiple packs.
You're definitely going to need to repitch, probably with multiple packs.
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chadkarol
Well-Known Member
Anyone have any experience repitching a couple days after their brew day? I've never been dumb enough to use expired yeast, and sort of wondering what my odds are that this batch will still turn out perfectly fine.
I'm going to the homebrew store after work today and will pick up three packs of yeast.
I'm going to the homebrew store after work today and will pick up three packs of yeast.
Well you are already dealing with stressed yeast in the batch but since it really hasn't taken off yet and you're getting some fresh yeast to pitch, most likely things will turn out fine but in the future be sure to properly calculate pitch rate first, don't just assume a 1L starter will work for every beer, even with fresh yeast and especially for big beers
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chadkarol
Well-Known Member
Well you are already dealing with stressed yeast in the batch but since it really hasn't taken off yet and you're getting some fresh yeast to pitch, most likely things will turn out fine but in the future be sure to properly calculate pitch rate first, don't just assume a 1L starter will work for every beer, even with fresh yeast and especially for big beers
Thanks for the advice. This is the first time brewing a big beer (just got a 10 gallon cooler as my mash tun, instead of the 5 gallon I've always used), and should have known better than to pitch with expired yeast, even if it was just a couple weeks past the 6 month point. Plus I do see on Mr. Malty's website, should have pitched two yeast packets with a 1L starter. That's ok though. Won't make that mistake again.
I would taste the wort first before pitching 3 packs. The one time I used old washed yeast I didn't make a starter and it took 3 days before it started to show signs of fermentation. That batch turned out sour and I dumped it. 36 hours later you might be ok but I'd taste it before tossing $24+ down the drain in yeast.
brent77
Well-Known Member
I forgot to check the date once, and got an old vial of yeast. Didn't realize it until I was about to make the starter. It was a slow starter, but I pitched it anyway and went and picked up a couple more vials the next day to pitch in. That beer just won a 2nd place in competition.
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