Is this stuck?

Hi, I'm looking for a little advise on my NB Caribou Slobber extract kit and i'm afraid i made a mistake by tossing the danstar windsor ale dry yeast in the freezer for a few weeks till i got around to brewing it, well After i removed it from the freezer i read the package and it says to store at 41-50 degrees F.
"guess i should have read it before tossing in the freezer"

So, I decided to give it a whirl and brew it anyway, All went well without any problems and i pitched it with this yeast after thawing it out while brewing...

Well SG started at 1.052 as it should be and the next morning the brew was bubbling "although not as rapidly as most brews I've done" but then came to a stop by the following day.. So i took a reading and was at 1.020 then waited a couple days and checked again, Still at 1.020 "no change"

So, my question is , Could i have screwed up the yeast by freezing it? And if so should i consider repitching?

What's the final gravity supposed to be?
What's the temperature of the fermentation?

Try giving the fermenter a swirl, do not shake it, just swirl it, give it a few and see if it will start back up.

If your fermenting in the low 60's try warming it up to the upper 60's

It's not uncommon for extract batches to hit a wall and finish at 1.020. Especially if you add all of the extract at the beginning of the boil. I'd be willing to bet that it's done, and you're not going to get much lower. With that said, it sounds like it's only been a few days since you pitched. As mentioned warm it up a little and let it sit for another few days then re-check the gravity.

ok , temp is right at 70 f and the fg should be around 1.012

travlin said:

ok , temp is right at 70 f and the fg should be around 1.012

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With windsor yeast, and using extract, I'm surprised it dropped all the way to 1.020. It's simply done, and done at 1.020. That is fine for that beer, and it can be bottled.

ok thanks to u all

BigFloyd said:

BTW- you didn't hurt that dry yeast at all by putting it in the freezer.

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I've never used the yeast in question here but I do use Fermentis dry yeasts all the time and keep them at 0F in the freezer up until a few hours before pitching. Been doing it this way for years. It was my understanding in fact that freezing dry yeast is the best way to store them (as well as hops, which I also keep in the freezer).

Both are kept in foodsaver bags:



Kal

I brewed this 2 weeks ago and did a ton of reading after brewing. I read that with this kit the windsor rarely gets below 1.017. I hit that 3 days after and have had 0 airlock activity since. I decided it'd be a waste of beer to keep taking readings since it would just be sitting for another 3 weeks. In contrast, my American wheat with a half pound of honey and US-05 was bubbling for at least 5 days (I had to go away after the 5th day). Probably will never use windsor again. It also is apparently a low flocculator so it sitting in the primary for almost a month will probably be good for clearing.

Shenanigan said:

I brewed this 2 weeks ago and did a ton of reading after brewing. I read that with this kit the windsor rarely gets below 1.017. I hit that 3 days after and have had 0 airlock activity since. I decided it'd be a waste of beer to keep taking readings since it would just be sitting for another 3 weeks. In contrast, my American wheat with a half pound of honey and US-05 was bubbling for at least 5 days (I had to go away after the 5th day). Probably will never use windsor again. It also is apparently a low flocculator so it sitting in the primary for almost a month will probably be good for clearing.

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A good cold crash will help clear that beer in a short time.

kal said:

I've never used the yeast in question here but I do use Fermentis dry yeasts all the time and keep them at 0F in the freezer up until a few hours before pitching. Been doing it this way for years. It was my understanding in fact that freezing dry yeast is the best way to store them (as well as hops, which I also keep in the freezer).

Both are kept in foodsaver bags:

Kal

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I keep my dry yeast frozen all the time. Even (unintentionally) left for 2 years after exp. date it was still very viable. I did make starters to verify its activity.

Is that yeast repackaged from a bulk lot? How do you repackage yeast without risking contamination?

IslandLizard said:

Is that yeast repackaged from a bulk lot? How do you repackage yeast without risking contamination?

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It is indeed repackaged from a bulk lot. I buy some of my house yeasts (especially US-05) in 500g bricks:



I don't take any special measures other than doing it indoors in a (relatively) clean house/brewery, and don't lick my fingers or the yeast.

I measure out 12g amounts using a flat bottomed coffee filter on a jewelers scale and then simply pour into the foodsaver bags where I've made 4 little compartments per bag, then seal up right away, and back in the freezer they go at 0F.

Does a little something extra get in there that's too small to see? Sure - no doubt, since I don't work in a $1M positive pressure clean room environment. But that little extra something is going into the deep-freeze with the yeast (so it will not thrive or do anything to the yeast) and when it's time to pitch and it's outnumbered a million to one (probably) by good yeast, which should take hold first and ferment out the wort.

There's always 'something' in the air waiting to spoil our wort, even when you use manufacturer packaged yeast that hasn't been repackaged. When you're chilling your wort, aerating your wort, or when you lift the lid to pitch that yeast there's all sorts of other 'stuff' that's getting in that beer too. Stuff you don't want, stuff that will probably actively ferment your beer and/or spoil it if left long enough.

The trick to good consistent fermentation and avoiding off-flavours due to infection or similar is (IMHO) more about pitching the right amount of heathly yeast so that it can take hold and overpower (as quickly as possible) any nasties that are trying to do the same.

Kal

kal said:

It is indeed repackaged from a bulk lot....

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Thanks for the information and assuring it can be done quite easily. I hear you on the odds in the numbers game and risk infection anytime we open a fermentation vessel. Great info!

I use S-05 for pretty much all ales and am very happy with its performance. The specialty strains have their place too, and can make all the difference, I just don't use them as often.