Is my yeast ok?

Hello all. I'm going to brew my second batch ever in the next few days. I ordered it from an online dealer, and the yeast is in liquid form. I have never seen liquid yeast before, so I'm not really sure what it should generally look like. I noticed, after ordering, that many people have yeast shipped to them on ice. Well...I didn't...I also waited until the day after receiving it to put it in the fridge, because I didn't know I was supposed to.

Is there any way to tell if it is bad? How long would liquid yeast generally keep when not refrigerated?

Thanks!

What type of yeast is it? Is it a smack pack?

Do a search on how to make a starter.

double_e5 said:

Do a search on how to make a starter.

Click to expand...

Bingo. Not only will a starter give you a good idea how viable your yeast is, it will allow the surviving yeast to multiply, bringing overall cell count up enormously.

Your yeast will likely be fine unless you're in the deep south and it sat outside.

If it's a Wyeast smack pack, pop the pack inside a day or two before you use it. It should swell up until it's as tight as a soda pop bottle. If it's a White Labs test tube, you'll have to go with it as is.

Making a starter is a good recommendation. As you progress thru your brewing life, it will be one of the first things to put on your list - a flask, possibly a stir plate....
You mix a little dry malt extract with water, boil to sanitize, put in flask, cool it down, add yeast, stopper/airlock. Stirplate keeps it moving, or swirl a few times a day. Do this 3 days before you need it and you'll see many many more yeasties on the bottom than you put in. (that was the quick down-n-dirty. There are starter instructions and stir plate projects all around this forum).

Welcome to your new hobby! :rockin:

Hang Glider said:

Your yeast will likely be fine unless you're in the deep south and it sat outside.

If it's a Wyeast smack pack, pop the pack inside a day or two before you use it. It should swell up until it's as tight as a soda pop bottle. If it's a White Labs test tube, you'll have to go with it as is.

Making a starter is a good recommendation. As you progress thru your brewing life, it will be one of the first things to put on your list - a flask, possibly a stir plate....
You mix a little dry malt extract with water, boil to sanitize, put in flask, cool it down, add yeast, stopper/airlock. Stirplate keeps it moving, or swirl a few times a day. Do this 3 days before you need it and you'll see many many more yeasties on the bottom than you put in. (that was the quick down-n-dirty. There are starter instructions and stir plate projects all around this forum).

Welcome to your new hobby! :rockin:

Click to expand...

I just made the stirplate from https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-stirplate-cheap-easy-build-86252/?highlight=diy+stirplate last night, and have made starters for my last 4 brews swirling them as often as possible, and I have only brewed 6 times (one was Apfelwein so I guess that doesn't count), but starters have made the world of difference.

Mr Malty great resource for all things starter related, there is a pitching calculator there too, which will let you know what size your starter should be when pitching. Also, I try to pitch my yeast starters at "high kraeusen" 18-24 hours after starting them as suggested by MrMalty, of course unless I'd step it up, and I havent done that yet.

It will be nice to be at work knowing my little yeastie beasties are happy and bangin like mad reproducing in my growlers

Thank you , everyone, for your quick responses. I've been searching the net for articles/videos about making starters.

First of all, since I didn't say before, the yeast is a White Labs vial of Belgian Wit Ale yeast (WLP400). It came with a kit that I bought, which may be a little too much for my second brew ever, but I couldn't resist - because I love wheat beers.

It seems that in all articles/vids I saw about making starters, they used dry malt extract to make the starter(this was also mentioned in a previous reply). However, my kit contains 6 lbs. of liquid wheat extract. Can you make a starter with liquid extract? If so, wouldn't I need to order more of the same kind in the kit to make a starter?

Also, while I'm waiting to determine whether I should make a starter or not, what is the best way to store my liquid yeast extract, 'specialty grains', pelleted hops, and the coriander and orange peel that came with the recipe?

I know this is a lot of questions at once...please forgive the noobness of it all. I just don't want to ruin a $40 kit...


Thanks again!

Yeast should go into the fridge, specialty grains I have put into ziplock freezer bags and have stored in the fridge for 2 weeks, I have read here that some people that have frozen them, but I haven't had that experience yet. Coriander and orange peel, if they are in packaging store in a cool dry place. I only use DME so I really don't know how to store LME I would assume a cool dry place I know heat is bad for it.

If you decide to make a starter try to make it about 24 hours ahead of time, I only use DME to make my starters, and I have made a starter with WLP400 using Wheat DME.

I always make starters now, it is easy and fun, and improves yeast health, cell count and reduces lag time poviding a much healthier fermentation. Bear in mind, when making a starter you are trying to make very healthy yeast, your starter doesn't have to be great beer!

When making starter wort, keep the starting gravity between 1.030 and 1.040. You do not want to make a high gravity starter to grow yeast. As a ballpark measurement, use about 6 ounces (by weight) of DME to 2 quarts of water. If you're working in metric, it couldn't be easier. Use a 10 to 1 ratio. Add 1 gram of DME for every 10 ml of final volume. (If you're making a 2 liter starter, add water to 200 grams of DME until you have 2 liters total.) Add ¼ teaspoon of yeast nutrient(this sin't completely necessary), boil 15 minutes, cool to pitching temp. After you have cooled your starter wort and have it in your starter container (I use Growlers), shake the bejeezus out of it to aerate the wort, I open and close the cap a few times to allow as much oxygen in as possible. After aerating, pitch your yeast and shake it vigorously again. Place foil cap over top opposed to an airlock starters need oxygen. Remeber, every time you walk past your starter or think about it swirl that yeast into suspension to keep the co2/oxygen exchange happening.

Also, wherever you ferment this, it is gonna smell like someone dropped a deuce because WLP400 is the stinkiest yeast I have smelled thus far, but my Wit turned out great!

Hang Glider said:

Your yeast will likely be fine unless you're in the deep south and it sat outside.

If it's a Wyeast smack pack, pop the pack inside a day or two before you use it. It should swell up until it's as tight as a soda pop bottle. If it's a White Labs test tube, you'll have to go with it as is.

Making a starter is a good recommendation. As you progress thru your brewing life, it will be one of the first things to put on your list - a flask, possibly a stir plate....
You mix a little dry malt extract with water, boil to sanitize, put in flask, cool it down, add yeast, stopper/airlock. Stirplate keeps it moving, or swirl a few times a day. Do this 3 days before you need it and you'll see many many more yeasties on the bottom than you put in. (that was the quick down-n-dirty. There are starter instructions and stir plate projects all around this forum).

Welcome to your new hobby! :rockin:

Click to expand...

This is all good advice except DON'T put an airlock on your starter. Especially when using a stir plate. You are defeating the purpose when you do this.

Here is a good link: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/stop-putting-airlocks-your-starters-104529/