How long can wert sit in Primary before pitching yeast?

[Nickme23]

I just realized that my kit says you need to break the liquid packet's internal chamber to mix the yeast with the nutrient solution a day before you brew, should I just go ahead and add the packet or leave my wert in the primary with the airlock on to give the yeast a day or two so it can activate? The instructions say to not use the packet before it's inflated to at least an inch and a half.

If my yeast packet doesn't swell then do you guys think my wert would be alright sitting in the fermenter for a couple days till I can get another yeast packet?

SO to condense my questions down: How long can wert sit in the primary before pitching yeast?


This is my yeast:
WYEAST labs.
3056 BAVRN W BL

mfg date is 24 feb 2010
and it's been in the fridge since I got it from william's brewing a month ago

 

[Chuck_Swillery]

Basically its all going to depend on how well you sanitized. Good sanitation will buy you a few days at most. Overnight, your fine. Keep it completely sealed away from any incoming air, dust, or anything and pitch as soon as you can.

 

[davesrose]

You should be able to activate Wyeast packs within an hour to 3 hours. It doesn't take a day for the Wyeast packs to swell. After I slap a pack, I tend to shake it well to make sure the nutrient has gone out of the pack. If on the off chance you can't get it to swell, it is ok to just open it and pitch it. You'll just have a lower cell count. If you're a beginer, I'd focus on other things besides yeast cell count for now.

 

[Nickme23]

So if it's not swelling do you think I should go ahead and pitch it? Then if I don't see any activity would it hurt to buy another packet and pitch it too? I just don't think I can get another packet by tomorrow... I'm out in the middle of nowhere...

 

[wyzazz]

If it's not swelling then you can still pitch it without an issue, no need to worry about pitching another pack unless fermentation hasn't started for 72 hours or so.

 

[RKW]

I've slapped those things less than 30 minutes before pitching with no issue. You will just see a bit of a lag period before fermentation starts. If you leave it sitting around you will see swelling within the hour. It doesn't take a day.

Point is there's no reason to wait over night. Smack it and let it sit for as long as you can then pitch it, no worries.

 

[davesrose]

So if it's not swelling do you think I should go ahead and pitch it? Then if I don't see any activity would it hurt to buy another packet and pitch it too? I just don't think I can get another packet by tomorrow... I'm out in the middle of nowhere...

When did you take it out of the fridge and slap it? If it's been over 3 hours, then chances are you didn't get the nutrient pouch open. It's OK to just open it and pitch it. You'll see what the nutrient pouch looks like once you've pitched. Chances are it's still filled with nutrient if the pack hasn't swelled.

The next time you use a Wyeast pack, you should be able to feel the nutrient pack and smack the whole pack in that area. I also then vigorously shake the pack to make sure all the nutrient has gone out. These are some basic tips for getting those silly packs to swell. Once you really get into the hobby, you'll then be making starters in no time

 

[Dunerunner]

Temperature is a big deal where I am with ambiant at 65 deg. and I will usually put the yeast package in 80 degree water in a sink after I smack it. You shouldn't have that issue in Louisiana!

As others have said there will be some lag time before fermentation begins but that shouldn't affect the brew.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I've gone 24 hours without pitching, and those beers have turned out to be good beers. I've also never pitched an un-swollen pack, so I don't know what kind of lag time you'll have. As said above, if you're sanitation is good, you should be able to go a couple days without pitching, but the longer you wait, the better the chance of having some undesirable microbe take hold.

 

[merddyn2002]

while not best practice, it's not a show-stopper man. You can easily go overnight or 24 hours, especially if you have good sanitation practices.

Personally, I think prepping yeast (starters) is highly over-rated, especially if you have good sanitation practices and I've been brewing good stuff for 10+years.

 

[Nickme23]

Awesome guys! Fermentation started pretty quick after pitching the yeast, I was noticing just a few trace bubbles on the surface a few hours after pitching, and this morning there's about 2" of foam on the wert and i'm getting a big bubble every second out of the airlock. The wert is swirling around inside the carboy and it looks great!

I cut a hole in a pillowcase and slipped that over the carboy, set in a pan of water, thermometer is reading 62 degrees F at the outside of the carboy in the fabric wrapping around the bottle so I figure it'll cool the wert down to that temp given enough time. My fermentation temp needs to be 60-65 so says the recipe I'm following.

I'm excited haha! first batch and it's going perfectly so far!