White Labs explosion

OK,so this is my first time using White labs liquid in a vial(California Ale Yeast). Instructions said to shake good, open cap and distribute into wort. Well I shook it good and when I opened it foamed like a shaken soda. I got most of it in the wort but not 100 percent of it. Will there be any ill effects of losing some of the yeast? I also had to pitch it a little higher than the recommended 75 degrees. Thanks for any info.

You might get a bit more of the yeast's flavor characteristics from stressing the yeast, but you'll be fine. At least you know the yeast was healthy!

I won't get into how you should have pitched it into a starter, and how you should be making a starter for any liquid yeast in a beer over 1.030.

But as to the "exploding" tube issue, it happens to all of us at least once. That's because the yeasties have been farting co2 while they hung out in the tube.

A couple of tips for handling that.

1) No matter what size the mouth of the vessel is that you use to make a starter use a larger funnel (like the ones you can get from your lhbs) sanitize it and holding the stopper end pointing downward "inside" the funnel, open slowly, that way as it gushes it mostly sprays into the funnel.

2) Have starsan or whatever no rinse sanitizer in a spray bottle, and spray the tube as well as your hands thoroughly with sanitizer, that way if it gushes onto your hands and falls you've been sanitized.

3) Open slowly....twist it only slowly enough to crack the "ratchet" ring on the tube, then stop a second to let some of the co2 woosh out, then open the tube.

Thanks for the info. I know nothing about making a starter YET but I am going to research it tonight so I can implement it on the next brew. I am pretty green yet with only 3 brews under my belt thus far but I sure am addicted to home brewing. Always looking for more knowledge.

Here's how easy it is to make a starter.

What was to OG of the beer?

You'll prob get a more fruity flavor profile then you were looking for by pitching that high. As for the yeast explosion, the same thing happened to me the other day. I usually get wyeast yeast but BMW was out of 1056 so I had them substitute wlp001. I didnt lose to much yeast when it exploded and I'm not worried about it bc I did a starter. I guess I was more concerned about sanitation when all the yeast sprayed everywhere

O.G. was 1.058. I too was worried about sanitation. It is bubbling away in the closet right now though.

I've noticed if I follow the directions and take the yeast out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temps before pitching they gush like that. I open them just like a shaken up Coka Cola. Twist .. degass .. twist tight again .. repeat. Not a big deal at all. +1 to starters.

Revvy said:

Open slowly....twist it only slowly enough to crack the "ratchet" ring on the tube, then stop a second to let some of the co2 woosh out, then open the tube.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I am a newbie too, and my first tube exploded in that manner. Luckily it was my very first batch, and I was only doing 2 gallons, so the lost yeast was no big wup.

But I had switched to dry yeast for the last couple batches, specifically because of the pain-in-the-neck explodo factor with the White Labs. Good to know it doesn't always happen, and that there is a sane way to open it.

Just wanted to follow up: I brewed with White Labs yeast again this Sunday. Stepped outdoors for the grand opening, just in case, and did the partial twist-off thing. The mixture threatened to explode outwards again, but I was able to twist the cap back on before I lost any. Thanks again for the tip. Seriously, of all the amazing techniques I've learned while lurking on this site, this has been the number one life-changer so far. Halleloo!