smack pack

[400d]

hi guys,

I smacked the wyeast pack of wheat yeast - Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan this morning (5 hours ago) and it still didn't swell.

How much time should I wait until I can say for sure that it's a dead yeast pack?

Is there a way that it doesn't swell but still it's good?

the manufacture date on the pack is Jan, so it should still be good....

thanks!

 

[Wamphyriification]

Did it ever swell? I used one from October 2010 yesterday that swelled fine.....but no action yet in the carboy after 14 hours.

Is there a downside to pitching a second pack?

 

[IrregularPulse]

What was the temperature of the pack when you smacked it and what is the temp currently?

Wamp - 14 hours is not a long enough time frame to begin worrying.

 

[400d]

What was the temperature of the pack when you smacked it and what is the temp currently?

Wamp - 14 hours is not a long enough time frame to begin worrying.

well, I believe it was a bit coldish when I smacked it, because I did it only 45 minutes after getting it out of the fridge to room temperature....

current temperature is around 18°C (64.4 F)....

 

[Wamphyriification]

Well I did a triple batch. Used 2 smack packs that were fresh and one that was from October. All swelled. Two of three are bubbling away. I have another fresh smack pack and don't want to wait too long.....The batch that is not going yet came in at 1.058 where as the other two where around 1.050. I will give it to 20 hours and then smack a new pack unless there is a down side to pitching a second round. Thoughts?

 

[kinghellsfire_NZ]

just leave it longer 5 hours isn't very long for yeast that has been dormant for 4 months give it a couple of days before you start to panic. I read somewhere that it can take up to a day for a pack less than a month old and up to one extra day per month old it is after that.

Also I have seen packs work that are up to 3 months past best before. So RDWHAHB

 

[Brewmiser]

I had a Smack Pack that didn't want to swell up, I had left it out for about 12 hours or so @ around 70°F. I was planning on making a starter so I went ahead & pitched it into my starter & it took right off. not sure what was wrong but the beer turned out great.

 

[Wamphyriification]

just leave it longer 5 hours isn't very long for yeast that has been dormant for 4 months give it a couple of days before you start to panic. I read somewhere that it can take up to a day for a pack less than a month old and up to one extra day per month old it is after that.

Also I have seen packs work that are up to 3 months past best before. So RDWHAHB

I decided to pitch a second smack at the 24 hour mark. I checked it 9 hours later and it has started to fire up. You are probably right and I should have waited longer after using yeast that is old and sluggish. Hope this doesn't destroy my precious!

 

[Revvy]

From the horse's mouth.

From the Wyeast FAQ website:

3. Does the package need to be fully swollen before pitching?

No, The package can be pitched before activating, or at anytime during the activation process. The activation process "jump starts" the culture's metabolism, minimizing the lag phase.

You don't even really have to smack if you don't want to if you are making a starter, but you definitely don't need to wait for it to inflate. Since you didn't make a starter, you will probably have a longer lag, regardless of whether or not the packet expanded.

 

[kyle6286]

Sorry to intrude, but this is the first time I'm using the wyeast activator. I just got it in the mail today and I plan on brewing on Saturday. I know people have had luck with just smacking it and putting it directly into the wort. However, I think I'd like to make a starter (this will be my first starter). My recipe, a Belgian Witbier, has LME and not DME. Is there any way I can make a starter? I'd rather not use LME for the starter as I've heard that DME is the preferred way to go. Do I have the option of getting some DME and using that in the starter while still keeping the LME that the recipe calls for? I'm not sure if I'm able to mix DME and LME. Any help is really appreciated. If I can do a starter, I'd like to do it tonight so it will have two days to develop.

 

[400d]

hm, I'm in a big trouble deciding what to do now...

as you all know, the smack pack didn't swell but I made a starter anyway. after 10 hours nothing happened, so I changed my plan - instead of brewing a hefeweizen I just changed some ingredients (added coriander and orange peel) and decided to brew a belgian wit with fermentis T-58 dry yeast...

I mashed in and just put the kettle to boil (it needs at least 30 minutes to reach the boil) and went to another room - guess what - now I see a krauzen on the starter! after 15 hours....

and now I gotta decide - to brew with it or not? is it a bad idea to toss the starter that has just started to form krauzen in a cooled wort?

is it too early?

.... oh what a day....

my beer is just about to boil and I still don't know what yeast to use.....

 

[bottlebomber]

Sorry to intrude, but this is the first time I'm using the wyeast activator. I just got it in the mail today and I plan on brewing on Saturday. I know people have had luck with just smacking it and putting it directly into the wort. However, I think I'd like to make a starter (this will be my first starter). My recipe, a Belgian Witbier, has LME and not DME. Is there any way I can make a starter? I'd rather not use LME for the starter as I've heard that DME is the preferred way to go. Do I have the option of getting some DME and using that in the starter while still keeping the LME that the recipe calls for? I'm not sure if I'm able to mix DME and LME. Any help is really appreciated. If I can do a starter, I'd like to do it tonight so it will have two days to develop.

You should never take extract away from your kit for the starter. If your beer is less than 1.050 just pitch the smack pack it'll be adequate. For the future you should obtain a pail of DME for use in starters and make a 1.040 starter by using 100 grams of DME per liter of water

 

[kyle6286]

Ok I will do that thanks. Like you said, I'll pick up some dme for situations like this. In the future, if I'm making a batch that calls for liquid is it ok to use the DME in the starter? Thanks for the help.

 

[bottlebomber]

Ok I will do that thanks. Like you said, I'll pick up some dme for situations like this. In the future, if I'm making a batch that calls for liquid is it ok to use the DME in the starter? Thanks for the help.

You'll always be using DME for your starters, whether the wort is from LME, DME, or grain. If you were really in a pickle though, you could use any fermentable sugar for your starter, honey, table sugar, dextrose etc.

 

[Revvy]

You'll always be using DME for your starters, whether the wort is from LME, DME, or grain. If you were really in a pickle though, you could use any fermentable sugar for your starter, honey, table sugar, dextrose etc.

No you should NEVER use "any fermentable sugar" like honey, table sugar or dextrose for your starter. Here's an explanation of the reason why-

Prepare the Starter Wort

First thing's first, we're going to need some wort to use in our starter. By far, the best food for yeast that is going to be consuming wort in the very near future is, you guessed it, wort. I say this because you may, at some point, have the idea that you can just use table sugar for your starter. This is a bad idea because the yeast will become accustomed to consuming the simple sugars in table sugar and when it's time to eat up all those beer sugars (maltose, etc.) they will not take to the idea very well and may drop out of the fermentation before the job is done. Think of this as having to drink a Bud after having a great, homebrewed beer - you wouldn't want that and, in a way, it's the same with the yeast.

The best source of easy-to-prepare wort is dried malt extract (DME.) You will need enough DME to prepare a starter of about 1.040 OG. A higer gravity, regardless of the beer you're going to make, is not better as the higher gravity will stress the yeast more than is needed for simple propagation and will leave your yeast in bad condition for the fermentation itself. To achieve the proper gravity, you will need about 6oz (by weight) of DME for every 2 quarts of water1. That equates to roughly 3oz. of DME for every 1000ml of starter water you use.

One option if you don't have any extract is to find the nearest Mexican grocery or even the nearest big box grocery store (like Meijer's) that has an "international foods" aisle and look for Malta Goya

Or Malta India

Quite a few people use it as a starter....It is pretty much just a lightly hopped, carbonated wort. Some people just stir it to release the co2, others bring to a boil and other's just bring it pasturizing temps. ANd then pitch the yeast.

There's a few threads on here about malta goya starters, both here and on other boards (google it)...and we even talked about it in the GAP (Grocery and produce challenge thread)

Another option is to head to a bed bath and beyond or even a big box store that might carry mr beer refill packs and buy one of them...you can use the can of LME a starter extract.

 

[kyle6286]

No you should NEVER use "any fermentable sugar" like honey, table sugar or dextrose for your starter. Here's an explanation of the reason why-

One option if you don't have any extract is to find the nearest Mexican grocery or even the nearest big box grocery store (like Meijer's) that has an "international foods" aisle and look for Malta Goya

Or Malta India

Quite a few people use it as a starter....It is pretty much just a lightly hopped, carbonated wort. Some people just stir it to release the co2, others bring to a boil and other's just bring it pasturizing temps. ANd then pitch the yeast.

There's a few threads on here about malta goya starters, both here and on other boards (google it)...and we even talked about it in the GAP (Grocery and produce challenge thread)

Another option is to head to a bed bath and beyond or even a big box store that might carry mr beer refill packs and buy one of them...you can use the can of LME a starter extract.

Wow thanks so much I will check that out tonight. A market near me has a bunch of Goya products. Thanks again! Great information. The starter is going to be for a 5 gallon batch so can I just go on a website to measure how much liquid I need?