how long does a smack pack live after smacking?

Well last night I smacked my yeast, one of the XL smack packs, planning to brew today. Then my son had a bout of heatstroke and we spent the afternoon in the er instead. So now I'm brewing tomorrow and my smack pack is very swollen. Should I just leave it until tomorrow? I'm tempted to make a starter and throw it in there but tomorrow it would still be fermenting and no yeast would have dropped out of suspension, so I think I'd have to pitch the entire starter wort and all.

Any thoughts on what would be best?

debtman7 said:

Well last night I smacked my yeast, one of the XL smack packs, planning to brew today. Then my son had a bout of heatstroke and we spent the afternoon in the er instead. So now I'm brewing tomorrow and my smack pack is very swollen. Should I just leave it until tomorrow? I'm tempted to make a starter and throw it in there but tomorrow it would still be fermenting and no yeast would have dropped out of suspension, so I think I'd have to pitch the entire starter wort and all.

Any thoughts on what would be best?

Click to expand...

Make a pint starter and pitch the whole thing.

-D

I'd put it in the fridge overnight and take it out in the morning before brewing. Starters, bah!

Make the starter and pitch the whole thing I always do anyway never hurt my beer.

Since your emergencies have past...

I used a smack pack (Wyeast) a few days after smacking... I didn't want to make a starter wort because that's the whole beauty of the smack pack to me.

The first time I did it, I did so because the yeast was delivered the coldest week of the year and it was a bit frozen... so I defrosted it in the fridge (nice and slow over a couple of days) and I wanted to make sure it was still viable after the ordeal. - It clearly says "don't freeze" -

Anyway, I smacked it a few days before I was going to brew to give myself enough time to get some more yeast if I needed it so I would have to postpone brew day. It turned out to be just fine.

Just this weekend, I smacked a pack on Friday night for a brew on Saturday, but I wasn't able to brew Saturday... I ended up brewing Sunday afternoon. It's working pretty good in the primary right now... I think the extra day may even have helped!

debtman7 said:

Well last night I smacked my yeast, one of the XL smack packs, planning to brew today. Then my son had a bout of heatstroke and we spent the afternoon in the er instead. So now I'm brewing tomorrow and my smack pack is very swollen. Should I just leave it until tomorrow? I'm tempted to make a starter and throw it in there but tomorrow it would still be fermenting and no yeast would have dropped out of suspension, so I think I'd have to pitch the entire starter wort and all.

Any thoughts on what would be best?

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with a little extra fermented wort in there. Just adjust your recipe and up your hops accordingly. I'd make a starter, without a doubt.

And next time your kid's stupid medical problems interfere with the sacred ritual of brewing, tell the neighbor to take the brat to the ER.