Wyeast Propagator - How Long After Activated?

Hey everyone, brand new to brewing - ordered my first Sierra Pale Ale clone kit from Midwest and mistakenly ordered a propagator instead of an activator. Anyways, I activated the propagator on Friday, nothing happened Saturday, nothing Sunday (my planned brewing day) them BAM today (Monday) the pack expanded. So I assumed it wasn't usable yesterday but apparently it is, right?

Thing is, I'm not ready to brew this evening, but I can do it tomorrow or the next day, and from reading this forum I understand it would behoove me to make a starter so can this propagator last me another 24 hours until I can make a starter? Or should I just forget it and try again with a dry yeast?

Many thanks!

If you're making a starter, you should be doing that anywhere from 1 to 3 days before brew day so I'd get going on that. The yeast should be fine if you're making a proper starter.

It is usable for pitching into a starter right away - you don't have to wait for it to swell up.

alot of times it will take 3 days to swell, and is good for atleast 24 hrs after swelling. if you make a starter you can just use it unswollen, time will taken care of it.

If you popped the inner pack and dont want to use it, just stash it in the fridge until you are. The inner pack is really a way to proof the yeast. It dosen't necessarily activate them for fermentation.

You can always use a smack pack without popping the inner pack.

I have found the FAQ on Wyeast's Website very helpful.

It will still be fine for making a starter, if you won't be brewing till the weekend you can make your starter today/tomorrow and then it will be plenty ready by Sat/Sun.

I used the Activator pack over the weekend. It had been shipped from BMW with an icepack, and I threw it in the fridge as soon as I got home from work. I took it out on my brew morning, and damn if I couldn't find the little bubble inside to smack. I assume it somehow got smacked during shipping. I was quite worried that the yeasties didn't survive the trip across the country, but I pitched it anyway. 48 hours later, I have high krausen, so I guess they made it!

Moral of my little rambling story: Yeast are strong little buggers.

philhead1 said:

alot of times it will take 3 days to swell, and is good for atleast 24 hrs after swelling. if you make a starter you can just use it unswollen, time will taken care of it.

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That's the thing, I wasn't even planning on using a starter til I read these forum posts yesterday prior to making my own thread. Ok this helps a ton, thank you everyone. I'll try to brew Friday if I can just find some DME nearby today to get this starter going.

when using The Propagator packs you are supposed to make a starter, that is what they are for. They don't have a high enough cell count for pitching directly into 5 gallons of wort regardless of whether or not the pack is swollen.

Like Ferrousity said, you need to make a starter with a Propagator Pack. I believe there are only 30 billion cells in a Propagator. You will need to up that cell count considerably.

Yeah that's what I learned yesterday, that a propagator needs a starer. I'm glad I read up on it a bit...sure I should have done this before getting my kit but better late than never, right? Yup the propagator only has 30 billion yeast cells.

Now I'm thinking I'm going to try to make a starter from a bit of my LME that came with my recipe kit since I'm not willing to drive 30 mins to the local homebrew store (can't remember the acronym you guys use...I'll get there).

Edcculus said:

If you popped the inner pack and dont want to use it, just stash it in the fridge until you are. The inner pack is really a way to proof the yeast. It dosen't necessarily activate them for fermentation.

You can always use a smack pack without popping the inner pack.

I have found the FAQ on Wyeast's Website very helpful.

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Wow great find! Thanks Edcculus, I should have thought of that. They answered my question perfectly:

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.

Could anyone provide me with some insight on how to make a starter from LME? I too inadvertently bought the Propagator instead of the Activator (suppose I didn't realize the difference). I'm hoping to brew this weekend. No LHBS to run to, unfortunately. Ordered all my stuff from Midwest Supplies. Hoping that I can still get my British Pale Ale going!!

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Should mention this is my first brew!

ThirdCity said:

Could anyone provide me with some insight on how to make a starter from LME? I too inadvertently bought the Propagator instead of the Activator (suppose I didn't realize the difference). I'm hoping to brew this weekend. No LHBS to run to, unfortunately. Ordered all my stuff from Midwest Supplies. Hoping that I can still get my British Pale Ale going!!

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Should mention this is my first brew!

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It's easy! Just boil up 4 cups of water, and take it off of the heat. Then add 1 1/3 cups of LME and stir well. Put it back on the heat, boil it for a few minutes, then cool in an ice bath right in the pot. I put the pot in my sink with ice water surrounding it. While it cools, sanitize a gallon glass jug. Once the wort is under 75 degrees, pour it into the jug and then add the yeast. Cover with sanitized aluminum foil, and shake it up. Give it a shake every time you walk by it. Within two days, you should notice more yeast building up on the bottom.

Excellent. Thanks for the advice. I'm assuming I just add that mixture to the fermenter as I would normally just add yeast alone?