Whippy

Recipes 

I have never used Wyeast Activator packs and have very limited use of my left hand due to an old spinal cord injury.

Do you think it is viable to lay the pack on a table and break open the activator thingy that way? ... or maybe, can you simply break the thing by applying force with one hand while leveraging it on your leg or something?

I imagine I will be able to improvise SOMEhow if necessary, I just have no idea how these things are made and would like to better understand how "difficult" this may be.

THANKS!

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Two weeks to ferment, two more in the kegs
but in just one night it was drained to the dregs

Flywheel

Recipes 

You can smack it against the table with your right hand. You might also be able to squeeze it until it pops. I usually give a hard clap, but I'm right handed and keep it in my left hand and use the power from my right hand.

Whippy

Recipes 

...so would you liken the thing to, say, a little mustard packet inside of the large pack, or like a glow stick, or what?

Like I said, I imagine I'll figure it out but I brew alone so am trying to ascertain whether or not I should recruit a helper just for this one task. Thanks for your feedback, wallerstedt!

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Two weeks to ferment, two more in the kegs
but in just one night it was drained to the dregs

Flywheel

Recipes 

Yeah, like a mustard/soysauce packet inside a bigger packet.

AnOldUR

Recipes 

If you're making a starter you don't even need to smack it. Just pour the yeast into the starter wort and toss the inner packet in the trash. Or you could cut the inner pack open and add it to the starter for the nutrients in it.


edit:
You actually don't need to smack it even if direct pitching. All smacking does is proof the yeast.
(no growth)

Whippy

Recipes 

Excellent.....thanks y'all!! It is nice to know what to expect!

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Two weeks to ferment, two more in the kegs
but in just one night it was drained to the dregs

shamrockdoc

Recipes 

slap it against a table or step on it ..gently of course. You don't need to apply "shock and awe" force to these they are quite weak

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Revvy

Recipes 

You don't even really have to smack if you don't want to if you are making a starter.

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RogerMcAllen

Recipes 

I usually place a hand in the center (like you would if you were karate chopping it) and then push all of the liquid to one side, leaving the inner-pack on the other. I then isolate the inner pack in a corner and pop it by pressing my weight into the inner pack with my palm (like I was giving it CPR).

Bottenbrew

Recipes 

I prefer lining the inner packet up in the corner and then applying the aforementioned "shock and awe" force, but that is more of a stress release than anything. But as others have said, they are really easy to pop open.