Where's the carbon coming from?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Fingers

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
4,178
Reaction score
51
Location
Lac du Bonnet
So I'm sitting here watching a hockey game (Anaheim and Detroit) and waiting for my Irish Ale smack pack to swell. I can't help but wonder what's going on in the package.

As I understand it, there is a small sample of yeast in the pack, 100 billion cells in this case, and a small package of dead yeast for food. If we suppose that they inject pure O2 into the package prior to sealing (I don't know that they do, I'm just supposing), and that the gas that makes the pack swell is CO2, is it just the dead yeast supplying the C, or does the dormant yeast have some residual reservoirs that it hordes prior to sleeping? If it's the dead yeast supplying that C then the live yeast must have an abundance to give up when dead. I understand the yeast is not multiplying in the pack after smacking, but it is working with something.
 
I believe there is some sugar in there as well, which is a carbohydrate molecular formula of C6H12O6 so that would provide carbon and oxygen.
 
Back
Top