did I under-yeast?

[subjockey]

First, this place rocks.

My recipe includes 6.5 lbs of lme, a half pound of brown sugar, and some steeped grains. I only used a single wyeast smacker. I'm reading that it could use 2 packs.

5.2 gallons are on the tail end of fermenting, which began on Monday. Should I add a second pack, and is it too late to do so? Avg temp is 70 degrees.

Thanks!

 

[unionrdr]

It sounds like an average gravity ale,so no,one will be plenty. Just be patient & let the lil yeasties do their job. Wait till the second Monday (2 weeks) to do a 1st FG test. That's enough time on average gravity brews to get close to FG in my experience. If it seems close to projected FG,wait till the 3rd day to test again for the same #'s.

 

[kh54s10]

One will work, 2 packs or a starter would have been better. I would not do anything now but wait for the yeast to do their thing. You will get good beer. The extra yeast at pitching might make it a better beer.

 

[unionrdr]

It sounded to me like he'd have an OG anywhere from 1.040-1.055. So one pack would do it,since that smack pack would have more yeast than a 7g cooper's sachet that I re-hydrate for something that size. And I get them down to 1.010-1.012FG.

 

[subjockey]

Thanks all. Yes, OG was 1.052 (corrected).

 

[subjockey]

Fermentation seems to have clearly stopped. A gravity reading yesterday showed 1.008 at 69 degrees.

I was thinking about letting it sit in primary for another week and bottling after that. Any thoughts to the contrary?

Thanks all.

 

[solbes]

First of all, get in the habit of making a starter when using liquid yeast. For a beer like yours, a 1.5-1.75L starter would have been adequate if you had new yeast packet. Due to the medium gravity though, I'm sure it'll turn out fine.

Let it sit i n primary for 3-4 weeks and then onto bottling for 3 weeks of conditioning.

 

[2brew1cup]

If the grav wasnt over 1.060 then you should be fine. I made the mistake of one wyeast 3787 in a 5 gal 1.071 tripel. Had to rush out to get more and save myself from high esters and increased fusel alcohol ( the prices payed for underpitching so you know in the future if you taste these its from your yeast have to rapidly reproduce to make up for being outnumbered by fementables )

underground and under the influence

 

[subjockey]

Thanks folks. So this is that patience thing everyone is talking about.

 

[BryanJ]

It sounds like an average gravity ale,so no,one will be plenty. Just be patient & let the lil yeasties do their job. Wait till the second Monday (2 weeks) to do a 1st FG test. That's enough time on average gravity brews to get close to FG in my experience. If it seems close to projected FG,wait till the 3rd day to test again for the same #'s.

One smack pack is not plenty. Going off proper pitching rate he needed 191 billion yeast cells. So a starter or two packs would have been good.

If your concerned about pitching rates and don't have any brewing software, look into using MrMalty.com pitching rate calculator.

 

[jonmohno]

Really buying 2 of those smack packs for an average gravity? First rip-off second- i doubt he needed a second.
Dont those smack packs state that this is good for up to 1.06 gravity of 5 gallon wort or something? I know Whitelabs does.Seems rediculous to spend that when even a kit would not have you buy two packs.
If the above pitching rate is correct, i definatly would not buy 2 of those and make a starter,but that just seems rediculous.
Just to prove you have not underpitched,when your beer is fully conditioned look up underpitching and its effects then compare your beer to see if you have those characteristics underpitching states, i doubt it.
In the future you may want to look it up, but i wouldnt worry about it too much,sounds like those smack packs do need a starter,that sounds lame to me but im shure those are nice strains of yeast,good luck dont worry you will have beer, if you dont like it right away give it time and more time.

 

[kh54s10]

Really buying 2 of those smack packs for an average gravity? First rip-off second- i doubt he needed a second.
Dont those smack packs state that this is good for up to 1.06 gravity of 5 gallon wort or something? I know Whitelabs does.Seems rediculous to spend that when even a kit would not have you buy two packs.
If the above pitching rate is correct, i definatly would not buy 2 of those and make a starter,but that just seems rediculous.
Just to prove you have not underpitched,when your beer is fully conditioned look up underpitching and its effects then compare your beer to see if you have those characteristics underpitching states, i doubt it.
In the future you may want to look it up, but i wouldnt worry about it too much,sounds like those smack packs do need a starter,that sounds lame to me but im shure those are nice strains of yeast,good luck dont worry you will have beer, if you dont like it right away give it time and more time.

If you go to either Wyeast or Whitelab websites you will find information there that they tell how many yeast cells are in a smackpack or vial and that it is NOT enough for PROPER pitching. It will ferment the beer and for a lower gravity beer it will turn out OK. But it is general opinion that pitching the proper amount of yeast cells will produce a BETTER beer.

If you underpitch and you like your beer, go for it. But for me I will spend a small amount (starters don't cost much) and take a bit more time to give me the best chance to make the best beer that I can.

 

[jonmohno]

If you go to either Wyeast or Whitelab websites you will find information there that they tell how many yeast cells are in a smackpack or vial and that it is NOT enough for PROPER pitching. It will ferment the beer and for a lower gravity beer it will turn out OK. But it is general opinion that pitching the proper amount of yeast cells will produce a BETTER beer.

If you underpitch and you like your beer, go for it. But for me I will spend a small amount (starters don't cost much) and take a bit more time to give me the best chance to make the best beer that I can.

I agree with you, just think its kind of dumb to have to do that with pricy yeast,i hope those liquid yeast are worth it,i havent tried them yet.

 

[1Mainebrew]

Yes they are worth it. Starters are worth it, patience is super worth it, and listening to more experienced brewers will help you. Once you have made some batches with proper pitching rates and temp control you will see why it's advocated so much on HBT. We are here to help not criticize each other. There is a reason commercial breweries use proper pitching rates and don't just sprinkle a few packets of dry yeast and call it good: control over the finished product. It tastes better, try it out. You'll like it and your brewing knowledge will grow too! Have fun

 

[2brew1cup]

Words of wisdom lloyd. Words. Of. Wisdom.

underground and under the influence

 

[jonmohno]

Yes they are worth it. Starters are worth it, patience is super worth it, and listening to more experienced brewers will help you. Once you have made some batches with proper pitching rates and temp control you will see why it's advocated so much on HBT. We are here to help not criticize each other. There is a reason commercial breweries use proper pitching rates and don't just sprinkle a few packets of dry yeast and call it good: control over the finished product. It tastes better, try it out. You'll like it and your brewing knowledge will grow too! Have fun

Techniqly you can be over or underpitching when you dont really know how viable your yeast is.There is no exact cell count in brewing its still only an approximation.

 

[BryanJ]

Techniqly you can be over or underpitching when you dont really know how viable your yeast is.There is no exact cell count in brewing its still only an approximation.

Technically you're correct. But in this case only using one smack pack the OP is pitching 50% for the appropriate amount of yeast. I'd rather be a bit closer to proper pitching rate.

 

[subjockey]

Hey all, just a quick update, and thanks for the replies.

Bottled on Wednesday with a FG of 1.008. Sample taste was excellent, better than I could have hoped. Bottle conditioning for 3 weeks and then..... Mmmmmm.