Re-refrigerating Wyeast

[acsempronio]

I bought a smack pack Activator #1084 Irish Ale and broke the inner pouch, massaged, shook, and waited. After 3 hours nothing... after 12 hours nothing. I then purchased a new one, smacked it and it puffed up in 3 hours. I pitched that into my Stout.

two days later the original bag puffed up. I put it in the fridge in the meantime, so my question is:

Is this yeast still viable if I re-refrigerate it?

 

[SavageSteve]

The long lag time indicates low viability, and even though the package swelled, the yeast are probably stressed and not in optimal shape. If you wanted to use it, then making a starter with it would probably be the best way to get a good colony of healthy yeast out of it.

-Steve

 

[acsempronio]

Thanks for your quick replay, Steve.

This is now a 2 parter...

Given the possible low viability of the yeast...

My fermentation for my Stout seems to be running slow and with less "umph" then I would expect. It's Day 6 and I am only getting 3 bubbles per minute.

If I pitched this "older" yeast into the batch, would this have any adverse side effects?

If it is possible, is there anything I should do to the batch beforehand?

 

[SavageSteve]

The only reliable check on fermentation progress is with a hydrometer. Take a specific gravity reading to see where the fermentation is with respect to where you expect it to end. If it's not done yet, then I suggest just letting it continue-- no sense in fixing something that isn't broken. Six days or more is not too long for a fermentation. There are all sorts of reasons why one fermentation proceeds differently than another: temperature, starting gravity, yeast strain, pitching rate and wort oxygen levels are the major ones.

-Steve

 

[acsempronio]

@ ~70 F
OG = 1.040
FG today = 1.019

Using the formulas:
ABW = 76.08(OG-FG)/(1.775-OG)
ABV = ABW (FG/.794)

ABW = 2.17% and ABV = 2.79%. I'm expecting a final ABV of about 4%

I don't think I got enough oxygen into the mix when I transferred the boil. I made the mistake of pouring into water and not into the container.

This is my first batch ever.

 

[SavageSteve]

Wyeast 1084 has an an attenuation range of 71-75%, so you should be expecting an FG between 1.012 and 1.010. I think everything is OK so far-- I would wait until fermentation appears to be finished (no airlock activity, krauesen gone, clearing of the wort) before taking another reading. For a first batch, if you are within a few points of your expected FG, then you're doing great.

-Steve

 

[acsempronio]

Thanks. My brother agrees with you.

I was told that stouts are a good first-time brew; apparently they are more forgiving. This first batch has already showed me how to do the second batch better: pour into empty fermenter and not one with water in it, aerate (I found my old aquarium bubblers), several small bags of oats instead of one big one, steep for 30 minutes instead of 15...

I'm keeping an eye on the airlock daily and making sure my bottling setup is complete, just in case.

 

[dantodd]

No reason to jump straight to bottling even after you reach terminal gravity. Your beer will be better for an extra 4 days to a week in the fermenter. It will give the yeast a little extra time to scavenge some of the diacetyl and such that are produced during active fermentation. If you can't wait the beer will still be good after it conditions but a couple extra days in the fermenter will help. It's tough to wait on your first beer so keep it in mind for the next beer when you'll have some of the stout to help you with your patience.

Be sure to give plenty of time for the beer to carbonate too, usually 2 weeks or more. Chill one and try it before putting a full 6 pack or batch in the fridge.

 

[acsempronio]

Not bottling yet...

Question:

You say wait 4 days after, I assume after it's less than one bubble per minute...

Does the bottle conditioning carbonate with such little yeast?

 

[dantodd]

Not bottling yet...

Question:

You say wait 4 days after, I assume after it's less than one bubble per minute...

Does the bottle conditioning carbonate with such little yeast?

No, not after one bubble per minute. After you see zero gravity change over 24 hours.

Carbonation is done with corn sugar, a very simple sugar and it is easy work for any left over viable yeast. It might take a couple weeks but it will have no trouble carbonating in this environment. If you have super long secondary fermentation or cold crashing the yeast out of suspension or filtering, or 14% ABV etc. it might be necessary to repitch for bottle conditioning but no need on a normal brew.

 

[acsempronio]

So, when should I check the gravity daily... I have about 6 bubbles per minute right now?

 

[acsempronio]

Well, my G was 1.019 yesterday and is 1.019 today
Day 7

 

[Yooper]

Stop counting bubbles. That really isn't a good indicator of fermentation activity. One bubble or six bubbles doesn't really matter much in the scheme of things. My airlock bubbles pretty furiously when I bring it upstairs to get ready to bottle- that's because of the higher temperature in my main floor. It can also bubble because of barometric pressure changes, or moving it.

Wait a couple more days, and check the SG again. If you're still at 1.019, it's probably not going to go any lower. There are many reasons beers finish where they do- from yeast health, to ingredients, etc. If yours finishes at 1.019, that's not too bad for a stout. I had several batches using extract that never would drop below 1.020- mostly because of the extract I used. Don't worry about it- it'll still be a really nice beer.

 

[acsempronio]

I'm going to check it in 2 days. If no change, I think I might bottle it.

I assume the beer develops more body over time... the samples I'm taking taste a bit... thin.

Thanks.

 

[Yooper]

I'm going to check it in 2 days. If no change, I think I might bottle it.

I assume the beer develops more body over time... the samples I'm taking taste a bit... thin.

Thanks.

Body doesn't develop over time. But, carbonation totally changes the mouthfeel, and gives the perception of more body. Also, with a little time, the flavors meld together to give you more smoothness, which makes it feel "richer", if that makes sense.