Pitching through Star San foam

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CallMeZoot

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Hi everyone,

Back again after a long hiatus (just reintroduced myself in the introductions section)

I just put together another batch of EdWort's Apfelwein and had a few questions:

1.) I left the Star San foam in the carboy (which I usually do since the forum assured me it's ok last year). When it came time to pitch the yeast I still had a big head of foam on top -- I didn't want the dry yeast to get stuck and foam out when I topped off the carboy, so I mixed the yeast with 1/4 cup of 102 degree water (F) and pitched it that way -- hopefully it cut through the star san. Then I rinsed the pitching cup with the remaining apple juice to get stuck-on yeast into the the carboy. Will this be alright or do you think significant amount of yeast might have stuck in the star-san foam (much of which leaked out as I topped the carboy off).

2.) With all the apple-juice rinsing I ended up filling the 5g carboy very high -- right up to the neck, so the only headspace is about an inch of neck between the surface and the airlock. I know EdWort's recipe says it's ok to fill up the carboy when you're using Montrachet yeast, but I'm worried this is too much -- should I be worried about an overflow or explosion? Is it worth using a blowoff tube for a day or two?

Thanks,
chris.
 
I think you handled the dry yeast fine in the first place - as dry yeast (in my opinion) should be hydrated prior to pitching anyway. I doubt any got trapped in the foam, but only you'd be able to tell, visually, when you pitched.

I would be more concerned about the potential for infection if the cup or applejuice you used to hydrate/rinse wasn't properly sanitized. But, there's nothing to do about it now, so ride it out.
 
Thanks for the response -- I sprayed the cup down with star san before using it so I think it's ok. Now my main worry is the headspace. Hopefully the airlock will do the trick.
 
1) You'll be fine. Most people rehydrate dry yeast anyway, which results in healthier yeast. EdWort didn't in his original recipe, and I usually don't either for Apfelwein.

2) With only an inch of head space in the neck of the carboy, I'd probably install a blowoff tube at least for a day or two. I filled a 5 gallon carboy right up to the neck once, and it climbed about halfway up the neck before eventually settling back down after a few days. It's not krausen in the strictest sense, but there is some expansion as well as the thin layer of bubbles.
 
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