PurePitch disappointment

[jas0420]

Getting back into homebrew (yay!) and picked up a couple of packs of WLP029. Last time I brewed, White Labs shipped in test tubes, so this fanciness was new to me.

Need a big starter, so I am using them both. Shook them a bit and noticed they behaved differently.

I carefully cut the very tip top off the first outer package and pulled out the inner package fully intact. Neat.

Now that I was a pro, I did the same for the next. I immediately pulled out the inner pack and found all of the wort inside the outer package and the yeast (much thicker than the first) in the inner pack.

I could not find any holes but there was a darker area of yeast. Opened it and it smelled ok. Went ahead and started it in a separate flask and marked it as questionable. I’ll see what happens, but kinda bummed out by this.

Is this a total fluke or are there other issues? They were both stamped with the same date and lot #1076565.

 

[day_trippr]

A bit confused - these aren't smack packs, there's just yeast and spent wort in there, yes?
If the inner pouch was breached before you got hold of the package I wouldn't trust the price of a batch to it.
Stick it in the fridge and contact the seller for a replacement, and step up the other pack if you need the cell count...

Cheers!

 

[jas0420]

Correct, PurePitch, not smack packs. I had watched the video above before I opened them is the reason I opened/described it that way.

It didn't appear breached, but I can't be certain. There was pretty much no wort in the inner package where the yeast in the pic is, but there was also no (obvious) yeast in the wort that was in the outer package (surrounding the inner package like they had never touched one another). The yeast pack itself was really full... wonder if it somehow got overfilled with yeast and topped off with wort when there was no more room for it (no clue how it's actually packaged, but thought they grew it directly in the pack).

But yeah, sound advice on not using it. It's already in the starter, but the other one is in a separate flask. Doing a 25 gallon batch, so I was trying to limit how many times I stepped, but maybe I can still get it up to where it should be.

 

[IslandLizard]

If the breached pack is the one in the picture, I see a tell tale on the top edge, on the right, near the corner, it looks like there's a narrow channel.

Not sure if the printed outer sleeve is sterile at packaging time. The tough inner sleeve is actually part of the propagation reactor itself.
I'd contact White Labs about this, not just for your peace of mind, they may want to know, as the packaging is an integral part of their process. They may give you a credit or send you a replacement pack.

Now, starting from one single pack, it should take 3-4 step ups (with cold crashes in between) to get a large enough pitch for 25 gallons. Brewing a Kolsch?

 

[jas0420]

Sure enough, good eye... I didn't look at my own picture close enough... I sure didn't see that when I was looking at the package itself. Seeing that, it's odd to me that the wort I dumped from the outer pack was so clear and the inner pack so yeasty. Would have thought both inside and outside would have been more homogeneous. Oh well, mysteries of the universe. I'll shoot White Labs a note.

Yes, Kolsch! I've been putting together a new system for. [ahem]... the past six years (long story) and decided a Kolsch was a relatively inexpensive inaugural batch should something go wrong. I'm not off to a good start, it seems!!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Yes, Kolsch! I've been putting together a new system for. [ahem]... the past six years (long story) and decided a Kolsch was a relatively inexpensive inaugural batch

As an aside, the latest DNA sequencing suggests that WLP029 is actually a true lager yeast, apparently most closely related to Wyeast 2124, so it's technically going to be a lager rather than a kolsch....

 

[jas0420]

As an aside, the latest DNA sequencing suggests that WLP029 is actually a true lager yeast, apparently most closely related to Wyeast 2124, so it's technically going to be a lager rather than a kolsch....

Interesting.... and here I thought I had never done a lager before.