I bought a WLP California ale yeast and it exploded like a shaken soda can when I opened it. It was all over my kitchen basically. I pitched what I could ( mostly foam ) into my well aerated wort last night but there is zero activity. I'm just going to buy a smack pack of American Ale today. It was my first and last time using the vial. I'm done with WLP vials. It was the worst brewing experience ever.
Exploding WLP vial
- Thread starter MacGruber
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bernerbrau
Well-Known Member
It happens sometimes. Just need to give the vials more time to settle, and be more careful opening the lid. It's also a good idea to make a starter with liquid yeast. It's not uncommon even pitching a full vial not to see any activity for a couple days.
I usually make a starter but was under time constraints. I actually did add the yeast to a small growler filled with some boiled LME to try to get some sort of starter going seven hours before pitching. Like I said, time constraints on this one.
samc
Well-Known Member
Open vials just like you would a shaken soda, slowly crack the cap and let the CO2 escape. I prefer them to the Wyeast pack. Keep them cold as well prior to opening - don't fear the cold pitch into a starter. If that turns out to be your worst brewing experience you are a lucky guy.
bernerbrau
Well-Known Member
If time is a factor, I'd go with dry yeast. In any case, give it the requisite 72 hours before you try repitching.
You gotta sometimes just crack the cap a little to let the air out, like a can of soda.
I usually do that to relieve any pressure, then recap and shake until it's all in solution again before pitching.
I usually do that to relieve any pressure, then recap and shake until it's all in solution again before pitching.
hadabar
Well-Known Member
Give em another chance...I had the same thing happen to me...very upset.
But, with the tiny bit of yeast I had left , pitched it, and it had a little lag, but took off like a rocket.
Like said above dont let it warm tooo much. I've been pitching cold into a starter without further issues.
Open slowly....
RESPECT THE POWER OF THE YEAST!
But, with the tiny bit of yeast I had left , pitched it, and it had a little lag, but took off like a rocket.
Like said above dont let it warm tooo much. I've been pitching cold into a starter without further issues.
Open slowly....
RESPECT THE POWER OF THE YEAST!
HomebrewMTB
Well-Known Member
Sprinkle a pack of US-05 in there. Probably what you should have done to begin with. It's the same yeast strain with twice as much yeast as a vial at half the cost.
bernerbrau
Well-Known Member
Told ya 
oldschool
Well-Known Member
Just email them and they will replace your vial, i'm sure of it. And it would happen to me every time I open one, you just have to be careful as mentioned.
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
How could you be done with a whole line of yeast after one bad experience? It says on the vial to shake well and be careful when opening. Maybe you only took half of that advice? Maybe in your rush you ripped the vial open not expecting it to release co2? Either way, it's done now and you'll know better next time. Oh wait, you're done with white labs so no lesson learned here
oldschool
Well-Known Member
MacGruber said:
They are magical
So, it was a terrible brew day overall when it happened - my first stuck mash, I burnt myself with the sparge water, and I think I may have had some hot side aeration because of switching from my MLT to a Zapap back-up lauter tun I have just in case (not sure yet). It's been in primary for about 3 weeks now I guess and like I said, it's been going. Now I have it out of my kegerator to do a diactyl rest JIC. It's off gassing like crazy, but is still INCREDIBLY cloudy - much more so than other beers I've brewed. I noticed that I had a lot of sediment make its way to the brew pot and a lot of trub make it to the fermenter. I'm going to brew this again and simply rack from the brew kettle right onto my yeast cake and compare the two.
It happens all the time...There's hundreds of threads about it. The yeast has to fart somewhere, and if you trap them in a little tube of course they're going to produce co2...
thanks for updating your thread. I've only used Wyeast (no tubes). I like the "proofing" mechanism provided by the smack thing.
rockfish42
Well-Known Member
WLP001 is a pain in the butt to get to flocculate if you're trying to do short ferments. I usually let it ferment out, give it a couple of days to clean up a bit and then crash cool near freezing for 2-3 days to clear it.
mburnett274
Well-Known Member
If thats your worst brewing experience count yourself lucky!
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