Smack Pack Malfunction

I did my first full-boil extract batch yesterday - a Honey Wheat Ale kit from Williams - and I think I had a smack pack malfunction. I broke the inner pouch (or so I thought) later than I should have - about 2 hours before pitching. However, I used one of these once before and it swelled up pretty quickly, so I wasn't overly concerned. However, by the time I had to pitch, the pack was still flat. I decided to open it and pitch it anyway. When opened the pack, it was obvious that only a tiny hole had opened in the inner pouch and almost all of the yeast was still in there. I opened it up and dumped it in with all the nutrients.

About 15 hours after pitching and there's no visible fermentation activity yet. I know it's probably too early to tell, but if there ends up being something wrong with the yeast, should I just get another pack of the same strain and re-pitch? Will I need to re-aerate as well? Anyone else ever had this situation with the smack packs?

If all the contents of the smack pack , including the inner pouch. Make it into the fermenter it should be fine. You don't get the mini starter advantage, but for normal gravity beers it wont make much difference.

Aleforge said:

If all the contents of the smack pack , including the inner pouch. . .

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Actually, you don't even need the contents of the inner pouch. The pouch contains some nutrient and food, but it's main value is to proof the yeast viability. There really is not enough in there to consider it a starter. If your yeast is not excessively old or has not been abused (heat), you should be fine.

I had a smack pack a few weeks ago that didn't swell...and I still pitched it. And it started fermenting just fine. Just give it time. The pack, I believe, even says "it's not necessary for pack to fully swell."

So, is the inner pouch the yeast, or the nutrients? I thought it was the other way around for some reason. Of course, that assumption was based on nothing...

The pack was outside with me yesterday for a couple of hours in 80+ degree weather before I pitched. I hope that wasn't enough heat to reach the level of "abuse." I guess if there's no activity by tomorrow morning, I'll just re-pitch.

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

AnOldUR said:

Actually, you don't even need the contents of the inner pouch. The pouch contains some nutrient and food, but it's main value is to proof the yeast viability. There really is not enough in there to consider it a starter. If your yeast is not excessively old or has not been abused (heat), you should be fine.

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I was never sure which was what in the pack, but good to know. I smacked one a few months ago and it broke and squirted some of the contents on my shirt. I pitched anyways and it worked fine.

BeerBalls said:

I did my first full-boil extract batch yesterday - a Honey Wheat Ale kit from Williams . . .

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Another note to the OP, according to the Mr Malty Pitch Calculator you should have used 2 packs if you didn't make a starter. That could account for the lag time.





Edit:
Williams lists your OG at 1.052, but not sure what you got.

I actually got closer to 1.06. I measured it at 1.057 shortly before I dropped and broke my hydrometer! First of many, I'm sure...

I pitched a smack-pack a few weeks ago that I could never even find the inner pack. I assumed the pack had broken in transit, but the damn thing never swelled. It took 36 hours, but I got a nice krauzen and all is well with the beer.

Moral of this story: The yeast are strong buggers.

BeerBalls said:

So, is the inner pouch the yeast, or the nutrients? I thought it was the other way around for some reason. Of course, that assumption was based on nothing...

The pack was outside with me yesterday for a couple of hours in 80+ degree weather before I pitched. I hope that wasn't enough heat to reach the level of "abuse." I guess if there's no activity by tomorrow morning, I'll just re-pitch.

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

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The innermost pouch is nutrients. The yeast itself sits in the outer pouch.

The one I pitched two days ago didn't swell either. Now its fermenting, so it's cool.

I had almost the exact same issue last Thursday. "Smacked" the pack about 3 hours before pitching, but the pack never swelled. When I opened to pitch I noticed that the inner pack had just barely broke open and the contents did not get mixed. I poured in the yeast, then poured what was left in the nutrient pack. There was some significant lag time, in fact, I had to RDWHAHB, cause I was getting nervous after 24 hours and no sign of fermentation. Left it for the weekend and checked back on it Sunday night, and it was bubbling away!! So, RDWHAHB!

I used a smack pack for the first time on my beer I have in primary right now. After smacking it, I futzed with it and massaged it until I couldn't feel the inner pouch anymore, just to make sure it all got out. The pack poofed right up over the next few hours and I pitched. It was still 24 hours before I saw the very first bubbles on the surface. That was on a 1.052 APA. Was going crazy the next morning.

Update: I went to my LHBS yesterday after work and picked up a new smack pack (different strain than I originally pitched since they were out of the American Wheat 1010 - got German Wit 3333) and smacked it right there in the store. It swelled up a few hours later, so I went to the basement to pitch the new yeast. What do you know - I opened the fermenter bucket and there was a nice krausen developing. No bubbles in the airlock, and no obvious leaks in the lid seal. I have become a believer - the airlock can lie to you.

I am also glad I didn't pitch the new yeast, although it will probably be wasted. I read afterward that the German Wit yeast has a much different flavor profile than the American Wheat.

The swollen smack pack will be good for a while in the fridge. Go ahead and brew a wit!

The German Wit is much different than the cleaner American Wheat yeast. You can throw the German Wit yeast into the fridge and start planning a brew to go with it. Just because you smack a pack does not mean the yeast is not good to use later on.

On a personal note - I have the hardest time getting the smack pack broken when I use Wyeast. Out of the last 4 smack packs I used only 1 was actually smacked.

Brewmasters Warehouse said:

The German Wit is much different than the cleaner American Wheat yeast. You can throw the German Wit yeast into the fridge and start planning a brew to go with it. Just because you smack a pack does not mean the yeast is not good to use later on.

On a personal note - I have the hardest time getting the smack pack broken when I use Wyeast. Out of the last 4 smack packs I used only 1 was actually smacked.

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I agree! Sometimes I think the whole "smack pack" is more of a pain in the a$$ than anything!! The few times that I've used Wyeast, I've cussed them repeatedly while smacking the pack.

Yeah - when I told the guys at my LHBS that I had the problem rupturing the pack, both of them wanted to take the new pack from me and show me that they could do it right. They did. I felt ashamed of my ineptitude...

Thanks for the advice on refrigerating the new pack. I'll brew a witbier next!