Too much yeast?

I'm a novice. Have brewed about 9 batches so far all with good results. I order my ingredients over the phone from a brewery about 80 mi. away and have my daughter pick the stuff up on her way home from college on the weekends. At any rate, because I'm just learning I simply tell them that I would like a pale ale, IPA, creame ale, on the phone and they hook me up with a recipe, answer my questions, and offer up good advice. However, there is one gal there that has screwed up something every time I've delt with her. Anyway, I asked her to hook me up with a stout. She sent 3 lbs. plain dark dme, 3 lbs plain extra dark dme
1 lbs. flaked barley, 1 lb Briess chocolate malt (6 row), 3 oz kent goldings pellet hops and 2 packets muntons premium gold active brewing yeast. Usually they include some written directions for me but not this time. I brewed the stout about like I have for any of the ales that I brewed in the past. I guessed with the hops adding 1 1/2 oz at the beginning of the boil, 1 oz 1/2 hr. hr. into the boil and 1/2 oz. the last 15 min. I had never used a dry yeast before so when I pitched the yeast I pitched both packets. The next day I came home from work and the lit had blown off the bucket and foam was 6 inches thick all around the bucket. I resanitized the lid but a few minutes after I put it back on it was bubbling/foaming right out of the air lock, and a short time later it had blown the lid off again. Now 2 days later it is bubbling about 4 bubbles a min. so I guess it's settled down. I know I may have some sanitation issues at this point but I'm trying to save the batch. I am just curious, is the two packets of yeast way out of line for a 5 gal. batch? The origional gravity was 1.052. thanks:

Yeah but theres no way it's going to screw anything up. It's just going to multiply faster...which would explain why the top busted off.

It's supposed to 'foam' like that - it's a good thing. You simply need a bigger fermenting vessel with more head space.

yeh that muntons dried yeast is good sh*t man...very active stuff......with all the five gallon kits ive had ive only ever had 1 packet of dried yeast so you used twice as much which is no big deal...next time just be ready with a blow off pipe!

Heh. Looks like the gal at the brewery finally did right by you! Just imagine: if it has that kind of head now, what will it be like a few weeks from now? Mmmmm...

Did you have to mop the ceiling? That's the only reliable sign of too much yeast. Seriously, one packet of dried yeast is about the same as ten tubes of liquid or one of the big smack packs. I doubt you'll have any sanitation problems.

Pitching 2 packs only accelerates the start. When you pitch the yeast (or make a starter) all you are doing is feeding them and they start reproducing. As the colony gets bigger than the food supply they start going dormant or dying and settle to the bottom. so to answer the question: Too much yeast would only be pitching an amount above the critical mass where you will have more come alive than there is food for them and they start eating themselves.

dougb said:

I'm a novice. Have brewed about 9 batches so far all with good results.

Click to expand...

I'm still trying to get over the... I'm a novice part. 9 batches.

I named my second vanilla beer "Boom Boom Ale" because of this. The solution suggested to me was to take my tubing and put in in the carblock hole. It fits snuggly. Then take the other end and put it in a glass of water. This allows more pressure to be released and still keeps it sanitary.

BOOM!