Wyeast Propagator question

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BlackE1

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I am on my third batch of beer. I have used wyeasts propagator for the first two. When i broke the nutrient pouch in the propagator in the first two batches the yeast were very active. Enough to puff up the bag in 3 to 5 hours.

Last night i was going to brew the hop scare IPA. Only problem was the yeast didn't activate as fast as the other two and i was afraid the yeast might have been damaged. This morning i checked on the yeast and it has filled up the bag. So i assume it is active. Is this a common thing? The direction on the bag says it suppose to become active in 3 hrs?
 
It's fine. There's no telling what kind of conditions those bags have been subjected to, so you will get different results from different bags. Also, different strains of yeast will perform differently. You could do yourself a favor and make a starter out of the smack packs to ensure the proper yeast count and good yeast health before pitching.
 
yeah different yeast act differently...I hope you are making a starter with those, that's what they are meant for. I use the activator and still make a starter.
 
hmm i haven't made a starter before and the Irish red i made first has finished tasted good and carbonated in 3 weeks. All the sg readings were what they should have been.

I don't have any dme to make a starter. Any other way i can make one so i don't waste the yeast?
 
BlackE1 said:
hmm i haven't made a starter before and the Irish red i made first has finished tasted good and carbonated in 3 weeks. All the sg readings were what they should have been.

I don't have any dme to make a starter. Any other way i can make one so i don't waste the yeast?
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Unless it's a big beer (+1.060) I wouldnt worry about it but for future batches I'd use a white labs pitchable tube, a wyeast activator,make a starter with the wyeast propagator, or use 1-2 packs dry yeast.
 
The recipe for this hop scare IPA says a starting sg of 1.058 to 1.062. will the propagator be ok or should i use the muntons dry yeast packets i have?
 
BlackE1 said:
The recipe for this hop scare IPA says a starting sg of 1.058 to 1.062. will the propagator be ok or should i use the muntons dry yeast packets i have?
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Id use the liquid. Just aerate really well and you'll be ok....Underpitching aint the end of the World.
 
You should always use a starter for a propagator. They only have a small amount of yeast that needs to be propagated, hence the name.
 
TeleTwanger said:
Underpitching aint the end of the World.
Click to expand...

But it is one of the biggest factors in making a good beer. The yeast have more to do with making the beer than any other ingredient, and it is often the most overlooked ingredient. We do not make beer, we make food for yeast, and yeast makes beer. Our job as brewers is to make sure we produce a good food source for the yeast, that won't overwhelm them. This means using good malts with few adjuncts, mashing properly, and pitching the proper amount of yeast so they can perform their job properly.

You may have made good beer while underpitching, but you will be making great beer if you follow all the steps properly, which includes making a starter to get to the proper cell count for the yeast. It really insn't hard at all, takes about 30 minutes, and you can just order an extra 8oz or so of DME with your next batch, and that's all you need.
 
I will make this a learning experience and read a lot more on yeasts and what to use and how to use it.

Thanks for the help.
 
BarleyWater said:
But it is one of the biggest factors in making a good beer. The yeast have more to do with making the beer than any other ingredient, and it is often the most overlooked ingredient. We do not make beer, we make food for yeast, and yeast makes beer. Our job as brewers is to make sure we produce a good food source for the yeast, that won't overwhelm them. This means using good malts with few adjuncts, mashing properly, and pitching the proper amount of yeast so they can perform their job properly.

You may have made good beer while underpitching, but you will be making great beer if you follow all the steps properly, which includes making a starter to get to the proper cell count for the yeast. It really insn't hard at all, takes about 30 minutes, and you can just order an extra 8oz or so of DME with your next batch, and that's all you need.
Click to expand...

You're preaching to the choir...I make a starter for every batch. But instead of having this guy worry about it he'd be perfectly fine underpitching. Not making a starter isn't going to ruin his batch, therefore it's not the end of the World.
 

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