Wyeast smack pac question.

I have a packet of wyeast Munich Lager. Yesterday I smacked the little packet inside, maybe a liitle too hard. I could hear air slightly seeping out of the package when I squeezed it. I woke up this morning and the package isn't very swollen. Should I get rid of this and start over?

Thanks.

No the yeast should be fine. The inside pack is just nutrient to feed the yeast and get them active and healthy before pitching. If you have a leak the co2 would escape and the pack might not swell. Sometimes they don't swell much anyway.

But if you are brewing a lager you should be making a fairly large starter.

No, why don't you sanitize a small container, and pour contents into it. Cover container with foil or saran wrap and wait.
Next time, just fondle the interior pouch down to a corner, and gently squeeze it till it forces the pouches contents out.

kh54s10 said:

No the yeast should be fine. The inside pack is just nutrient to feed the yeast and get them active and healthy before pitching. If you have a leak the co2 would escape and the pack might not swell. Sometimes they don't swell much anyway.

But if you are brewing a lager you should be making a fairly large starter.

Click to expand...

The recipe says it has an OG of 1.045 so it doesn't seem to be a big beer but I will take your advice and make a starter if my lousy understocked brew shop has any DME.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Well I'm really screwed now. I want to the LBH after work to pick up some DME but it was closed. It's a freakin unreliable store. Decided to go ahead and brew using the wyeast without a starter. Boiled, cooled and poured wort into the carboy. Sanitized yeast package, cut it open and poured into carboy. I thought," damn this ain't very much yeast" only to find out the nutrient pack wasn't broken. I swear trapped it in a corner and hit it several times, thinking I damaged the main package and it still wasn't broken. I just poured the nutrient in the carboy not knowing what else to do. Is it ruined?

smokenjoke said:

I just poured the nutrient in the carboy not knowing what else to do. Is it ruined?

Click to expand...

Did you at least pop the yeast packet and get that in there? Most people will tell you that using one smack pack is underpitching for 5 gallons, but in most cases it will work out fine.

dbrewski said:

Did you at least pop the yeast packet and get that in there? Most people will tell you that using one smack pack is underpitching for 5 gallons, but in most cases it will work out fine.

Click to expand...

Pouring in the nutrient pack is fine. Your beer isn't a too high recipe so you should be OK. It will probably be VERY good. The starter would make it more likely that it would be the best it could be.

That sound like a US Army commercial

I did my first couple of batches without starters and one of those was one of my best out of my 11 batches so far. It was a Patersbier, I never had one before so I cannot say it underpitching made any difference.

kh54s10 said:

Pouring in the nutrient pack is fine. Your beer isn't a too high recipe so you should be OK. It will probably be VERY good. The starter would make it more likely that it would be the best it could be.

That sound like a US Army commercial

I did my first couple of batches without starters and one of those was one of my best out of my 11 batches so far. It was a Patersbier, I never had one before so I cannot say it underpitching made any difference.

Click to expand...

I thought since I did everything wrong last night as far as preparing the yeast, it would take a couple of days to see any fermentation going on. When I woke up early this morning the airlock was bubbling like crazy. Wyeast must be some powerful stuff.

smokenjoke said:

I thought since I did everything wrong last night as far as preparing the yeast, it would take a couple of days to see any fermentation going on. When I woke up early this morning the airlock was bubbling like crazy. Wyeast must be some powerful stuff.

Click to expand...

What is the room temperature?

My experience is most times ya end up worrying about nothing!

I did this once with an Ale (also a Patersbier) which turned out great.

Being this is a Lager yeast, not quite as sure. What type of beer are you brewing? Are you fermenting this yeast in the recommended temperature range (48-56F)? If you are higher I can see why it took off so easily. For lagers that are primaried in the temp range you normally would pitch a large starter. Yours will still make beer, but not as clean as it would be in the recommended range. Either way, don't beat yourself up for it. If you are able to cold lager this in a secondary it could turn out pretty good.

solbes said:

I did this once with an Ale (also a Patersbier) which turned out great.

Being this is a Lager yeast, not quite as sure. What type of beer are you brewing? Are you fermenting this yeast in the recommended temperature range (48-56F)? If you are higher I can see why it took off so easily. For lagers that are primaried in the temp range you normally would pitch a large starter. Yours will still make beer, but not as clean as it would be in the recommended range. Either way, don't beat yourself up for it. If you are able to cold lager this in a secondary it could turn out pretty good.

Click to expand...

The temp is at 52F presently. According to the instructions that came with the kit and the instructions below from the Wyeast site you're not to lower the temp until fermentation starts.


Instructions for the proper use of Activator™ packages:

5. Shake well, open and pour the Activator™ into 5 gallons of well aerated or oxygenated wort up to 1.060 OG at 65-72°F (18-22°C). Maintain temperature until fermentation is evident by CO2 bubble formation, bubbling airlock or foaming on top of wort. For high gravity or low temperature fermentations additional yeast may be required.
6. Adjust to desired fermentation temperature.

bighorn_brew said:

Next time, just fondle the interior pouch

Click to expand...

That's what I do.

Sounds like this beer will turn out great. I thought maybe it was being fermented at ale temps.