White Labs vial explosions

Is it just me, or does anyone else have the problem of White Labs vials "exploding"?

The past few vials I've used have exploded everywhere when I open them...I usually let them warm up to room temperature before opening them, but every time they blow up, especially with the Irish Ale strain. What's going on?

Yep; it happens to all of us.

When you take it out of the fridge for awhile, the yeasties get all excited and the CO2 pressure builds up. It's similar to shaking a soda before opening it.

The best fix is to do what you do with an over carbed soda bottle. Open it, and close it quick; repeat a few times to vent the excess CO2.

Or buy Wyeast.

Yeah, trapped gas (in the settled yeast) or CO2 in solution is the culprit... we won't get into causes. The best thing I can recommend is to crack the vial open as soon as you remove it from the fridge. Then give it a little agitation and crack it open again. Do this several times as it warms up and the CO2 comes out of suspension.

You didn't think you should be more careful after the first vial exploded?

A tip I saw recently is to crack the vial as soon as you take it out of the fridge, while it's still cold (and prop it vertical of course). Then as it warms and the gas expands, it'll ooze out slowly.

I'm so new to this tip I've only had one chance to try it, but it worked very well that one time.

It says right on the vial label to open carefully!

I also read threads here before I tried White Labs. I open mine a tiny bit to release some pressure, close at the first sign of liquid, repeat until all the gas has escaped.

On another thread someone suggested opening while cold. Then tighten the cap. While it warms, crack it a bit every ten minutes or so. Again, carefully to release the co2.

i thought it was just me and the slutty outfits i wear when pitching yeast. nice to know i'm not alone.

spearko520 said:

i thought it was just me and the slutty outfits i wear when pitching yeast. nice to know i'm not alone.

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This, a million times this!

step said:

Yeah, trapped gas (in the settled yeast) or CO2 in solution is the culprit... we won't get into causes. The best thing I can recommend is to crack the vial open as soon as you remove it from the fridge. Then give it a little agitation and crack it open again. Do this several times as it warms up and the CO2 comes out of suspension.

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+1 works like a charm!

Thehopguy said:

You didn't think you should be more careful after the first vial exploded?

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Well of course I thought to be more careful, but nothing I've tried has really helped. I literally spent 30 minutes last night venting pressure and no matter how slightly I cracked it, liquid and yeast came forcing it's way out all over the vial.

The thing that got me is it only happens with certain strains...probably 3 out of 4 open fine, but the Irish Ale and sometimes California Ale go crazy. I have never tried opening it as soon as I take it out of the fridge though, so I'll definitely give that a try.

spearko520 said:

i thought it was just me and the slutty outfits i wear when pitching yeast. nice to know i'm not alone.

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I nominate this for HBT Hall of Fame...do we have one of those yet?

If you are not making a starter, just aim it into the fermenter when you open the vial. Even if it spurts out, it will go where you were trying to get it, anyway.

You do have to be careful when opening the bottles to avoid premature inoculation.

neophilus said:

You do have to be careful when opening the bottles to avoid premature inoculation.

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Heh heh! You said "premature inoculation"!!

Hmm...never had a wyeast pack explode lol

KuntzBrewing said:

Hmm...never had a wyeast pack explode lol

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then you're not doing it right. move your hips more.

I shake mine up right out of the fridge. Then one it is ready to add to my starter it has settled down enough that I can just lightly shake it and open without incident(I never where slutty outfits though).

I had the same problem just yesterday with 2 vials of the San Diego Super Strain. I tried to open both very carefully, but both just blew up. I think only got about 3/4 vial in there, between the two of them. Fermentation started okay, but I'm concerned I'll have to add another, if fermentation stalls (it's not as furious as I've seen SDSS get). Thanks for the "right out of the 'fridge" tip, I hadn't heard that one before.

No slutty outfits, unless you count my Arsenal jersey (sexy for some).

"Premature inoculation," heh.

step said:

Yeah, trapped gas (in the settled yeast) or CO2 in solution is the culprit... we won't get into causes. The best thing I can recommend is to crack the vial open as soon as you remove it from the fridge. Then give it a little agitation and crack it open again. Do this several times as it warms up and the CO2 comes out of suspension.

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Thanks for the tip.

The same thing happened to me with the Irish Ale strain. It exploded all over the vial itself but we had enough yeast still in the vial to pitch. No problems with the fermentation. My buddy and I have a vial that we are going to use and I will try to open it more carefully.

Yay! It's not just me! I always do a starter because, even with ice packs, my yeast arrives hot. 20 years in the military gave me this bad habit of following directions, so I've been taking the yeast out of the reefer a few hours early, then shake it up, and open. This last one caught me full in the face....I hope enough made it into the funnel!