Wyeast Slappack swelling... Not Slapped yet!

Hello, I have aWyeast yeast slap pack in the fridge. I know I didn't slap it, someone may have bumped it with some fridge contents. Its about 1.5 inches thick and has been swollen for like a week and a half. I was hoping my Saison would be out of my primary by now, but its not. How long is the yeast good for in the slapped and swollen condition? Its about the same size as it would be when you're ready to pitch it...

I've had that happen to me before. It was an excuse to brew for me, but I have extra primaries.

1. Keep it in the fridge.
2. Warm up the Saison.
3. Brew
4. ?????
5. Profit

I had one get knocked between the car seat and console on my way home from the brew shop. had to change all my plans for the next day so i could brew. priorities and all. The wife was not happy but hey, she's a good girl.


like was said...keep it cold.

Another reason to use dry yeast...

DansBrew said:

How long is the yeast good for in the slapped and swollen condition? Its about the same size as it would be when you're ready to pitch it...

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Don't worry about it. It'll last a good long time in the fridge. It wouldn't bother me to keep it a month that way. Just make a starter before you use it.

A Wyeast pack swelling will not affect anything if you leave it in the fridge. The smack pack just proofs the yeast. Having the yeast proofed before your ready to go really does not change the yeast inside of the package. Some strains of Wyeast swell before the package is even smacked. Any residual fermentables that make it into the yeast package will cause the pack to swell. Nothing to worry about, just use it as normal.

Ed

When in doubt, go straight to the horses mouth:

From Wyeast's FAQ:

7. I popped the inner nutrient pouch and the package swelled tight but I can’t use it right away. What do I do?

If you have activated a package but can’t use it right away, simply allow the package to swell and then refrigerate the package. The yeast will survive for extended periods if refrigerated. Before using, take the package out of the refrigerator and allow it to come up to room temperature before using. It is best to use the yeast as soon as possible.

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I have bought them like that before, was told by the person working at the LHBS that it happens alot, the inner pouch isn't broken. And they were right, if the pouch swells up all the way, then you have a broken inner pouch.

ol' rummie said:

I have bought them like that before, was told by the person working at the LHBS that it happens alot, the inner pouch isn't broken.

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That's not entirely true. It is true that they can & have arrived with some swelling, but in that case, there has to be some leaking from the pouch for that to happen.

Bottom line: It's really not a problem if you keep it in the fridge and make a starter before you use it...

This is taken from the Wyeast website (under the warranty heading) :

Wyeast Laboratories. Activator™

Activator™ packages will sometimes swell slightly, or moderately during shipping or later while properly stored. This is not an indication of deterioration if the package is less than 6 months old and has been properly handled. This is result of trace amounts of nutrients, still available at the time packaging, causing small amount of culture activity and CO2 production. Some strains are more prone to this than others.

Thanks for all the replies. I definitely should have checked the website before posting. Flog me with racking canes. Well the Saison is at 1.010. I dropped the hydrometer right after measuring. If I was a gamblin' man I would bottle anyway... But I'm not pissing that much time in the fermenter away, since I know that yeast pack should be ok... I'm gona wait til Friday, and Bottle. Then brew right away... Thanks for the help and confidence in that little yeast pouch.

Just figured I would post a Final Update her. The pack was still viable. I popped it the night before I brewed. I left it on the counter to swell a bit, and put in fridge after about 3 hours. I took it out as I was setting up my wort pot. Everything seems ok with it so far. Point the tip into wort when opening, in case it spouts yeast out. It did not happen with this pack, but it hissed like a 2 liter soda bottle and then some.