froze my packet from Nothernbrewer . .

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

GLoBaLReBeL

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Messages
192
Reaction score
0
Location
Mission Viejo,CA
Hey guys . . . I just wanted to ask . .

I just wanted to ask; I bought the Belgian Witbier extract kit from NB, and I got their liquid yeast packet from them. I accidentally froze it for like 30 minutes a while ago, and then put it in the fridge for the last 2 weeks. On the bag it says to not freeze it, and I was wondering if me freezing it for those 30 min, killed all the yeast?

Also, I did my first brew at the house yesterday and started off with 5 gallons of water, and i think I ended up with only 4.5 gallons of wort after all was said and done. Should i fill it up with another half gallon or does it really matter?

FINALLY, I popped the packet inside the yeast packet and let it sit for about an hour and a half. It said that the packet should inflate over this time, but mine never did. I just pitched it when the temp of my wort got to 78F.

How do you think I am? I pitched yesterday at 9PM and no activity today at 9AM. I know it can take 24 - 72 hours, but just being a noob :)
 
On the bag it says to not freeze it, and I was wondering if me freezing it for those 30 min, killed all the yeast?

did it actually "freeze" for 30 minutes, or did you just put it in the freezer for 30 minutes?

It probably didn't kill them all, unless it was really cold when you put it in the freezer.
 
Freezing will kill yeast...

But like AZ asked, were they FROZE or just in the freezer for 30 mins. Huge difference.
 
yeah if that yeast was actually frozen, its likely they are all dead... Freezing creates crystals, and those crystals rupture the cell walls of the yeast...
 
DAMNIT!!! Well, that sucks big time! Should I just wait a day or two and see if I get any fermentation? Or should I shoot down to my local HBSS and pick up a yeast of the same strain and throw it in there?
 
I emailed white labs and wyeast about this last winter after having some freeze in shipping. They both said that it would only reduce viablilty by 10% and that it's much better than them getting too hot. Just make your starter a little bigger, if you use the pitching rate calculator you can decrease the viability by 10%.

By the way I made a starter out of my packs that had frozen solid and had a wonderful fermentation. In fact that beer won every competition I entered it in.
 
well that some good news for sure. It's always better to wait and see what you get. I mean, I shouldn;t have said they would be "all" dead... But I am very surprised at the 10% viability reduction quote. I would expect it to be a lot more.
 
So, if it only affects viability by 10%, why do people mess with freezing yeast with glycerine? Why dont we all freeze yeast? Papazian was just looking to fatten his book eh?
 
Sounds like you didn't make a starter either. This fact coupled with the reduced viability = wait 3 days before you freak.

And after 3 days check it with your hydrometer to make sure your freaking for good reason.
 
So, if it only affects viability by 10%, why do people mess with freezing yeast with glycerine? Why dont we all freeze yeast? Papazian was just looking to fatten his book eh?
Because Papazian is a butt.

Seriously though, I don't know the answer, you'll have to take it up with Wyeast/White Labs. I have also heard Chris White say the same thing in interviews before and after my experience with it I feel very confident using frozen yeast. Perhaps they treat their vials/smack packs with glycerine or a form of it incase of freezing.
 
Why don't we all no-chill? :D More than one way to skin a cat in this hobby....

Not the same thing.

If you freeze your saved yeast, you can bank it MUCH longer than most of us do in the fridge. BUT, Papazian had to write a whole chapter about yeast banking and using glycerine to avoid killing the yeast.

Freezing it would have a different outcome.

No Chilling has the same outcome.

So why dont we all freeze yeast, if the outcome is better?

Maybe I will start freezing all of my washed yeast, since it will store much longer that way. 10% loss in viability is nothing when you are making a starter anyway. We will see if it will start after a month in the deep freeze.
 
No Chilling has the same outcome.

if you tinker with your process (hop schedule) and get new equipment (HPDE) - which I may do someday - I'm not knocking no-chill; it's just not for me with my set-up.

Maybe I will start freezing all of my washed yeast, since it will store much longer that way. 10% loss in viability is nothing when you are making a starter anyway. We will see if it will start after a month in the deep freeze.

If I wash yeast from my next batch, I'll sacrifice a jar of it in the freezer - would be interesting to see if it would start...
 
I emailed white labs and wyeast about this last winter after having some freeze in shipping. They both said that it would only reduce viablilty by 10% and that it's much better than them getting too hot. Just make your starter a little bigger, if you use the pitching rate calculator you can decrease the viability by 10%.

By the way I made a starter out of my packs that had frozen solid and had a wonderful fermentation. In fact that beer won every competition I entered it in.

Well, the thing that scares me, is that when I got my package w=from NB the yeast was packed in with 2 ice packs, and the ice packs had melted and the bags where not cold when they got here. So, that's why I threw it into the fridge for 30 min. I wanted to get them cold again ASAP!

And yes, I did not create a starter yet. This was my first batch and I was a little overwhelmed with using the wort chiller, and sanatizing everything, etc. I didn't even get to take a SG (or OG) reading yesterday. Should I take one today and then do it again on sunday?
 
Well, the thing that scares me, is that when I got my package w=from NB the yeast was packed in with 2 ice packs, and the ice packs had melted and the bags where not cold when they got here. So, that's why I threw it into the fridge for 30 min. I wanted to get them cold again ASAP!

And yes, I did not create a starter yet. This was my first batch and I was a little overwhelmed with using the wort chiller, and sanatizing everything, etc. I didn't even get to take a SG (or OG) reading yesterday. Should I take one today and then do it again on sunday?

Dont worry about gravity now... let it ferment for a couple weeks, then check it.
 
I've never frozen the liquid yeast, but I keep most of my supply of baker's (not brewer's) dry instant yeast in the freezer. Once it took me two years to go through those two pound brickes, and the yeast seemed about as good to me at the end of that time as it did going in.
 
I've never frozen the liquid yeast, but I keep most of my supply of baker's (not brewer's) dry instant yeast in the freezer. Once it took me two years to go through those two pound brickes, and the yeast seemed about as good to me at the end of that time as it did going in.

Dried yeast is a completely different animal than slurry. There is no liquid to freeze into crystals in your dry yeast. Storage issues are not comparable.
 
one last thing . .

I started my boil off with 5Gallons, but i think from all the steam and so forth, I only have about 4.5 gallons of wort. Is there any chance i should just add some boiled water to the wort to bring it more up to 5G?

Anyone know how far up a 6.5 G carboy 5G of water is? Like 5 inches from the top down? Or 24 inches from bottom to top? :)
 
one last thing . .

I started my boil off with 5Gallons, but i think from all the steam and so forth, I only have about 4.5 gallons of wort. Is there any chance i should just add some boiled water to the wort to bring it more up to 5G?

Anyone know how far up a 6.5 G carboy 5G of water is? Like 5 inches from the top down? Or 24 inches from bottom to top? :)

This has been in the fermentor how long?

I would seriously leave it alone at this point. You will only be introducing more potentially undesireable variables at this point.
 
Sorry to bring this back up from the dead . .

But everything is going great now!! I get bubbles in the airlock every 3-5 seconds. I can see everything moving around fine now in the wort.

BUT

I have noticed that after boiling the 5 gallons of water, I only have maybe around 4 gallons of beer left over!!! I know it has been almost a week (pitched it 9/17/09) but can I boil some water and add another gallon to bring it back up to the 5 gallon mark?
 
I would leave it be you will a stronger beer thats all. Next time take into account boil off . for 5 gallons I start with 6.5 I am just about dead on 1 to 1 1/4 gallon per hour boil off (if I don't have a boil over:eek:). So I get 5.25 to 5.5 in the carboy. This will give me 5 gallons of beer after I rack off the trub.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top