First time with liquid Activator Yeast question

[Deific]

Hey all im about to bew with Wyeast Activator Yeast, and my question is.. is the nutrient ball / bag inside the actual foil supposed to pop? or will it just stay the same after hit?.. when i went to activate my yeast i hit it, but it didnt pop .. wanted to know if this was right..

thank you!!

 

[Evan!]

The inner bag should rupture, thus mixing the yeast with the wort/nutrient and causing the bag to swell. If you feel around the pack and you can still feel that little inner bag intact, you need to smack it again...and don't be shy. Smack the hell out of it. The outer bag is really strong, so unless you're Ronnie Coleman, I doubt a good smack is gonna rupture it.

 

[Deific]

thanks much! i appreciate it!

 

[malkore]

yeah, that little pouch can suck to break. it won't always 'pop', but you should feel it squirt and deflate when you do break it.

 

[Junebug]

I had troubles my first time with a liquid yeast packet. One thing I did notice was that I could hear a "fizzing" sound coming from the packet when I did finally rupture the inner bag.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I read this thread yesterday and so when I smacked my first one today, I smacked the HELL out of it per Evan!'s suggestion.

May I add, smack the hell out of it TWICE. I managed to break the yeast ball, but not the nutrient ball.

 

[lfarah]

Ok so I started a new batch of brew on thursday....used the yeast pack and i thought I ruptured it...it sorta inflated but not totally.

When I went to pitch it, I noticed the nutrient sack did not break completely but made a tiny hole which I think mixed maybe 1/4 of it into the yeast.

My brew bubbled for about a day...now has stopped. Will the yeast still do its thing? Is the nutrient sack imperative or just an insurance policy for the yeast?

Thanx!

 

[brewt00l]

If you are concerned, take a gravity reading and see what kinda attenuation you have so far....but you're prb ok, it just may take longer to ferment out. See where you are before figuring out where to go from here.

Fwiw, I isolate the pouch in a bottom corner of the bag and squeeze it between my thumb and finger 'till it bursts.

 

[gman]

Your probably ok.

The yeast will just have to divide up to the right number (which just means it'll take longer).

The smack pack things can suck. I've discovered that, on top of smacking the hell out of it, it's also best to try and break the nutrient seal when the pack is deflated (i.e. still cold). If it's inflated at all, the air cushion inside the bag makes it much harder to pop the nutrient pack.

 

[Kevin Dean]

Yeah, you're fine. The yeast pack contains enough "stuff" for them to do their thing. It will just mean a delay in when your fermentation gets REALLY active.

The airlock on my Red Ale was going strong about 12 - 16 hours later.
Relax, Don't worry, have a home brew.

 

[lfarah]

thanx guys