Help! Will my yeast be ok?

[Richard]

I bought a kit from Austin Homebrew Supply which included some white labs british ale yeast, but the delivery guy never left me a note and I just found it on my back porch. It had been sitting there for the past couple of days. It shipped with an ice pack, and thankfully we have had a cold snap for the last couple of days with the temp only in the 60s. Still, this is my first time using liquid yeast...do you guys think it will be ok?

 

[FlyingHorse]

Probably fine. To be sure, make a starter (always a good idea with liquid yeasts anyway). If you make a starter, and you get good activity in your starter, then you have healthy yeast and a good starter to start your fermentation.

Oh, did I mention... make a starter?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Your yeast should be fine. If you don't make a starter you could have a lag time when the yeast starts by up to 48 hours. It is always good to have some dry yeast on hand, such as Nottingham, for emergencies. If the yeast doesn't start let us know and we will compensate.

Thanks for your order.
Forrest
Austin Homebrew Supply

 

[TheJadedDog]

Sounds to me like you'll be fine. I live in the furthest shipping zone from AHS so my ice pack is always completely melted by the time the yeast get to me (even in the winter) and I have never had any problems.

 

[Richard]

Ok, well it sounds like it should be alright. I'll definitely make a starter.

I'm impressed that AHS has a login on here.

 

[DeathBrewer]

it'll be fine. use a starter.


is there an echo in here??

 

[Richard]

Would it be ok to get my wort all ready to go and then use a small sample of it for a starter? Does it matter if the unpitched wort sits around in the fermentor for a couple of days? I'll keep an airlock on it, of course.

 

[woosterhoot]

Would it be ok to get my wort all ready to go and then use a small sample of it for a starter? Does it matter if the unpitched wort sits around in the fermentor for a couple of days? I'll keep an airlock on it, of course.

kinda defeats the purpose of a starter. You want to get fermentation going so that the yeast is the primary infector not some airborne butt crust from your dog or something. I would either A. do a starter or B. forget the starter and if it doesn't get going in 48 hours run to the LHBS and buy a packet of dry yeast. It will probably be fine though. again i think the echo thing is going on in this thread.

 

[Richard]

I took a closer look at the White Labs tube, and it appears to have a divider in the middle, which seems to divide the yeast and some kind of brownish liquid. The instructions don't really tell me what to do with this...is the liquid some kind of wort-like mixture that would help start the yeast?

 

[Yooper]

No, it's just yeast and some liquid (like distilled water). You gently shake it to mix it and open it slowly over the fermenter. If you shake hard and open it quickly, you'll end up with a yeast shower (ask me how I know! ).

I'd always recommend a starter with liquid yeast, so buy a bag of DME for next time. You just boil up some water, add some DME and then cool it and pitch your yeast. Definitely worthwhile! Otherwise, you might have a long lag time before your yeast takes off.

 

[Richard]

I have another AHS kit that I plan on using dry yeast in. I suppose I could take some of that wort and use it for a starter for the liquid yeast kit.