Activator pack
- Thread starter codyjack
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3 hours is usually a good amount of time, though it doesn't really matter. I often don't bother smacking it at all, and there's no harm if it's longer than 3 hours. It won't explode in any case.
If the beer is over 1.040 OG, I'd advise you to make a starter.
Thanks for the replies. The beer is a hefeweizen brewed this morning with an OG of exactly 1.040. Steeped carawheat at 155 for 30 min, 1 oz hallertau for 60, 1/2 oz for 15, and 1/2 oz flameout. Pitched at around 75. Think ill be ok? Anything you would have done different?
I would have gotten the temp down to 62-65 before pitching.
Skunking comes from exposure to light. No, a warm pitch isn't better. If your sanitation is as good as it should be, you can let it sit overnight to cool down before pitching. Warm fermentation create fusel alcohols, which give you headaches and make the beer taste like nail polish remover. Fermentation is exothermic...it creates heat. So, pitching at 75 means your beer could be fermenting at 80-85. Definitely not a good thing.
mgortel
Well-Known Member
Ditto to that!
Took me many brew sessions to finally start using a starter.....and you really do need a starter for liquid yeast....
codyjack said:
Yes
It's better to pitch cold and let self rise to the desired fermentation temperature.
Active fermentation will raise the internal temperature 5-10 degrees so you want to try and get the temp down before that happens-swamp cooler-a tub of water filled with cd water, place the vessel in it and add frozen water bottles as necessary to bring the temperature down and maintain it there for at least a week
Yep.
I usually smack them 24 hours before brewing. And I usually just buy two packs instead of doing a starter. I still need to get/build a stir plate. I've done a starter once and mixed it around as often as I could but when I pitched it there was still a lot of yeast stuck to the bottom of the flask and I felt like it was a failure.
I made starters for years without a stir plate. Sounds like you just need to work on your technique more.
What technique do you suggest?
It sounds from your post like you were having getting the yeast out of your starter container. I use gal. glass jugs for starters. I let them ferment out completely, then refrigerate for a day or 2 to drop the yeast out. When I'm ready to pitch, I pull it out of the fridge and decant most of the spent wort. I leave maybe a cup or two and use that to swirl up the yeast on the bottom. Just keep swirling it until you get all the yeast up. Then pitch.
Starters are about much more than a fast start...it's about a healthy fermentation and great tasting beer.
So, back to your original question. While I don't know the "limit" of how long you can wait after smacking the pack you can wait sometime. I have gone as long as 48 hours and still had a good fermentation. I have done many hefs with good results and no starter. Relax and brew.
I've smacked a pack, had it swell for a couple days, then put it back in the fridge for a couple weeks til I could make a starter. No problem.
The "activator" is a clever gimmick. It's a handy way to make sure your yeast didn't get killed in the back of a hot FedEx truck, but it doesn't actually "activate" anything. It tells you that your yeast is alive, nothing more. Half the time, I don't even bother rupturing it.
Yeah, other than a viability check, it has no value. I get kinda upset with LHBS people who tell homebrewers that they're making a starter by smacking the pack.
