dmercer
Active Member
We were supposed to host a New Years party last week, which didn't pan out due to the Snowpocalypse that hit the upper central midwest. I figured Sunday would be a good day to brew, so Tuesday morning I put in an order to Midwest for some odds and ends and their Amarillo Pale ale kit that I'm planning on tweaking. Apparently I underestimated their holiday shipping volume, because my order didn't make it to the FedEx truck until Thursday night (3 days instead of the usual 1), and it sat on that truck until early this morning. When I pulled out the pack of Wyeast 1332, it was a solid brick of ice.
Wyeast says if it swells, it's probably alright, just make a starter. This was going to be my first experiment with yeast starters to see what kind of a difference they make in the end result, but now I'm curious if I should step this pouch up more than once (i.e. the freezing significantly impacted the viability and I'm starting with fewer cells that I otherwise would be with a fresh pack).
Thoughts? I don't have access to a stir plate, but SWMBO works from home, so she can give the starter a swirl every hour or so. The pack was mfg 12/13/2010. Mr. Malty says I need a 1.39 liter starter (198 billion cells for 5.25g of 1.054 wort)
Here's a picture of the snow ridiculous drift in front of my house
Wyeast says if it swells, it's probably alright, just make a starter. This was going to be my first experiment with yeast starters to see what kind of a difference they make in the end result, but now I'm curious if I should step this pouch up more than once (i.e. the freezing significantly impacted the viability and I'm starting with fewer cells that I otherwise would be with a fresh pack).
Thoughts? I don't have access to a stir plate, but SWMBO works from home, so she can give the starter a swirl every hour or so. The pack was mfg 12/13/2010. Mr. Malty says I need a 1.39 liter starter (198 billion cells for 5.25g of 1.054 wort)
Here's a picture of the snow ridiculous drift in front of my house