smack pack did not inflate, made yeast starter

So i ordered a caribou slobber brown ale from northern brewer and decided to try a wet yeast smack pack for the first time. my kit arrived on a saturday and i didnt get home until sunday, so the yeast was sitting out for a day,i then put it in the fridge as soon as i got home. the next day i took it out and let it sit on the counter for an hour or so and then smacked it, came back 3 hours and nothing,the next day still nothing. so i decided to make a starter,for the first time. i used about a half pound of dme and 1 liter of water. today i came home and it seemed like no activity had gone on but there is a bunch of lighter colored sediment on the bottom, this is my yeast right? did i go about this the right way?

Ouch, that is some thick starter that would be around 1.090 SG. Probably try to back off the DME for the starter you are shooting for around 1.040 max sugar content. Most people use around 100gm/1000ml or 3oz per 1L this should get you in the right ball park.

Just because you don't see activity does not mean it is completely dead, however I would bet it has extremely low viability, you might be able to revive them given a few days and step up the starter of lower gravity. If I were you I would set this aside get another smack pack or dry yeast and use that.

If you have the time you could play with the other yeast as see if you can revive it do some reading on making starters and stepping them up.

For starters get that thick wort off them that will just stress them out (like training to do a 10mile run by doing a marathon the day before). So put it in the fridge for 24-48hrs. Make a fresh starter of appropriate strength and about 500ml in volume. Decant the old wort from the starer leaving the yeast cake on the bottom. Put the new wort in oxygenate and wait. Shake it as often as you can to promote O2 dissolving into the wort and keep the yeast in suspension. If you see some signs of life try stepping it up using the same technique (fridge, decant, more wort, O2, shake) until you have enough nice white yeast cells at the bottom.

Clem

thanks alot, ill probably get some dry yeast and go from there. did i go about this the right way as far as making a starter, just next time not so much DME? i did a reading on the yeast stater and it was around 1.080, if i were to pitch it whats the worst that could happen?

Worst: Nothing happens. Let it go 24 hours and see if there is any activity.

That was one potent starter. Too high a gravity (and I've just pitched to a 1.090), and you can kill the yeast due to osmotic pressure. If your starter was 1.080, I suspect some. if not all the yeast survived.

Always keep a pack of dry in the fridge in case of emergency

DME to starter volume is typically 3.5oz per liter... I've made starters that used 3.5oz in 1.75L of water and had activity, yeast reproduction, and very good fermentation (using a stirplate)...

I wouldn't swear off the Wyeast Activator packs over this. I would just either get them from a closer HBS (no locals?) or make sure you include cold packs when you place the order. I would also make sure you're home when it arrives, so that you don't leave it out in the heat/cold...

You could order from Strange Brew (www.home-brew.com) since their in Marlboro, MA... UPS ground shipping would be same as overnight to you, and you can get them to pack it with an ice pack during the summer.

I interviewed for a job up in Lewiston, ME last week (7/22, waiting for next steps to be communicated). If there's no LHBS in that area (I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes each way for my supplies) then I'll either order from Strange Brew, or make sure to swing in there when I come back into MA... As it stands now, I'm purchasing a few yeast packs at a time, keeping them in the fridge. I can make a starter a few days ahead, on the stirplate, to ensure the yeast is still good and then use it. You can safely keep the Wyeast packs for ~6 months without issue. Just make sure you make a proper starter once they go past a month old. The two I have now are from end of June, so when I go to use them, I'll be making a starter. Of course, I was going to make a starter anyways, since the OG of my brews will be over 1.030...

There are a couple home brew shops around my area just not a huge selection on extract kits, maybe ill order online with out yeast and then pick up yeast at a shop.
thanks.

If the local shops have good yeast on hand/in stock, then get at least that there. I would also advise starting to make your own recipes so that you're not dependent on 'kits' for brews. Then you can order/get supplies from where ever you wish.

There's plenty of recipes posted in the database here, plus plenty of books with solid recipes to start with. Once you see what the thoughts are behind a recipe, I think it will be easier for you to figure out your own. IMO, using software also helps since you can see how changing ingredient amounts, and what you're using, impacts the recipe.

Maybe I'm jaded since I only used kits for the first few batches I brewed. Even then, I modified them. I even have 4 cans of dark LME that I picked up intending to brew and extract batch, but I switched to partial mash, and then all grain before I could get to use them... I really should see if someone wants them (that can pick them up)...