Is US-05 really this slow to get started?

[K_tile]

Last night, I dropped yeast on a 6 gal double brown ale. One packet of US-05 sprinkled on an oxygenated 1.079 OG wort. Finished 2 weeks later @ 1.010FG. Hungry fellers!

 

[grampamark]

I use US-05 quite often and have never found it to be a slow starter.

I brewed a Strong Porter (1.067) yesterday afternoon and pitched -05 just over 12 hours ago. There are dime-size yeast blooms on the surface this morning; there will probably be krausen by tonight.

 

[odie]

I’m worried my US-05 harvest is a bust. I saved the yeast cake from a pale ale in late August. Just pitched a 1/3 of it into a stout last night. 24 hours later nothing...

 

[odie]

This is what I pitched. 1/3 of my 05 yeast cake from August

 

[CodeSection]

I’m worried my US-05 harvest is a bust. I saved the yeast cake from a pale ale in late August. Just pitched a 1/3 of it into a stout last night. 24 hours later nothing...

You pitched 1/3 of it directly into the fermenter? Or did you use 1/3 of it to make a starter, then pitch? While I do not harvest US-05, I would have made a starter.

EDIT: I always make starters. I intentionally overbuild and the take a quart off to use with a future brew and starter. Then with that starter, I overbuild again...repeat.

 

[odie]

Directly into fermenter after letting it warm up from the fridge and decanted the old beer on top, mixed in some fresh wort and shook it up before pitching.

It’s my first attempt at reusing yeast.

 

[odie]

I just realized I have yeast nutrient on the shelf. Maybe I should have added some?

 

[CodeSection]

Directly into fermenter after letting it warm up from the fridge and decanted the old beer on top, mixed in some fresh wort and shook it up before pitching.

It’s my first attempt at reusing yeast.

I seriously doubt you had enough yeast cells. It's too late to make a starter. Depending upon your volume and OG, I would immediately buy US-05 packets and pitch directly into the fermenter. Read above to calculate how many packets you may need.

 

[CodeSection]

If you Google, there are many web sites that describe how to make yeast starters. They will dicuss the benefits of overbuilding vs harvesting from a batch. Then there is washing...

This link may help...https://byo.com/resource/build-a-yeast-starter/

 

[odie]

I’ve got packets on hand. Guess I’ll be doing that [emoji853]. Was really hoping otherwise

 

[ryanj]

Update on my batch:

Oddly enough, the yeast is still steadily chewing through this batch after 4 days. I’ve maintained a pretty active fermentation far longer than I’d expect to see.

Like I shared earlier, I typically always use liquid yeast and build starters, and that yeast will get through 80-90% in the first 48 hours and then slow way down to finish out.

This has been quite the opposite. Slow start. Steady and consistent fermentation. Steady gravity drop over a much longer period of time.

At this rate, I expect it’ll be at terminal FG by Weds or Thursday, so I’m just going to leave it alone and let it ride.

 

[brewbama]

Once, I transferred my wort to a fermenter and later discovered the spigot leaking. The jam nut was submerged in 5.5 gal of wort. To tighten it I scrubbed my arm in antibacterial soap and dipped it in sanitizer, and I reached into the fermenter. The beer turned out fine. Another successful beer. Do I recommend jamming your arm into every beer? No. It’s not a best practice and just because I experienced no ill effect I do not plan to do it again.

Many brewers pitch one package of dry yeast in a 5 gal batch and in fact produce beer. That experience is considered success. However, the OEM says it is not a best practice and can lead to potential issues. In fact, I used to pitch one package until I read the pitching rate recommendation. Sluggish performance is a sign of yeast stress. Potential off flavors and smells can also result from stress.

So... if I had questions about whether or not to go this way or that based on conflicting internet stories I’d try it for myself. The next time you choose US-05, try pitching to the mfr recommendations (.8 gram per liter for Ale yeast) and see for yourself if you don’t get improved performance. You have a Tilt, the comparison will be easy.

Cheers.

 

[Schlenkerla]

You have a Tilt, the comparison will be easy.

Cheers.

Good post!

Hmmm, figured one item to and to the Xmas list.

Also, "Brewfather" works with Tilt.

https://brewfather.app/

 

[Dland]

There is nothing wrong with joining the "school of over pitching" except the extra effort of making starters when not needed, or the expense of extra packs of yeast.

As to quality of beer with US-05, controlled fermentation temp is key, over pitching is not. When I pitch 1 pack in 10 gallons, I get a slower start, but same finished taste results as when I put the same wort on US-05 yeast cake from the batch the week before.

Yeast cake in this case is about 1 qt yeasty beer, (the volume below racking ports in my stainless conicals) with most heavy solids removed by trub dump prior to racking previous batch.

Fermentis puts their current instructions on the packets, including amount, and that starter is not needed.

 

[CodeSection]

....Also, "Brewfather" works with Tilt.

https://brewfather.app/

I'm using my Tilt with Brewfather and really like the integration.

 

[odie]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/simple-yeast-storage-procedure-with-photos.579350/

re-reading this.....I failed to leave the cap loose fitting to vent gas..it was screwed on tight all this time. Does that harm the yeast? I did note co2 pressure releasing and the yeast cake start to rise up immediately upon opening

 

[odie]

krausen at 48 hrs...I had done a second 1/3 harvest pitch at 24 hrs...

maybe since the yeast was from back in Aug I should have just pitched it all to maximize the surviving viable yeast?

Or does decanting the old beer on top before pitching result in a lot of viable yeast being lost?

 

[Mer-man]

krausen at 48 hrs...I had done a second 1/3 harvest pitch at 24 hrs...

maybe since the yeast was from back in Aug I should have just pitched it all to maximize the surviving viable yeast?

Or does decanting the old beer on top before pitching result in a lot of viable yeast being lost?

The problem with just repitching such old slurry is that the yeast have expended their reserves while in your fridge for that time. That's the real reason to do a starter -- rebuild vitality. Even if you do a small starter where you don't get much growth, the FAN and O2 will beef up the yeast so they're ready to go.

If you had pitched all your old cake, it would have gone better but you'd need to hurry and move off the cake at the end of fermentation cuz you'd be carrying a lot of dead yeast in there.

 

[ryanj]

Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. After 6 days, I’m sitting at 80% attenuation. Definitely the slowest yeast I’ve used, but impressively consistent.
Really glad this one finished out. Technically I’m a point away from target FG which I’ll probably hit in the next few hours.

 

[brewbama]

Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. After 6 days, I’m sitting at 80% attenuation. Definitely the slowest yeast I’ve used, but impressively consistent.
Really glad this one finished out. Technically I’m a point away from target FG which I’ll probably hit in the next few hours.

Don’t trust the Tilt for FG. Check FG with a finishing/bottling hydrometer. The Tilt can build up crud on the device and throw off FG.

 

[ryanj]

Don’t trust the Tilt for FG. Check FG with a finishing/bottling hydrometer. The Tilt can build up crud on the device and throw off FG.

Oh, I know. I only use the Tilt to track change in gravity and even then...I’ve brewed enough dry hopped IPAs to know it’s not accurate.

I always pull a proper hydrometer reading to measure FG.

 

[ba-brewer]

I’m worried my US-05 harvest is a bust. I saved the yeast cake from a pale ale in late August. Just pitched a 1/3 of it into a stout last night. 24 hours later nothing...

I use MrMalty for estimating yeast slurry. It is a bit conservative but I have had good results when the yeast and beer still smell fine. I try to shoot for somewhere between the default and thick slurry numbers.
http://mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

 

[GrowleyMonster]

I have used single packs of US-05 in ale batches from 4 gallons to 5-1/2 gallons, and it usually takes around 24 hours for it to start working good. If I pour new wort over the leavings from the last batch, I get activity within as little as 2 hours. I don't oxygenate. When I brewed my first batch I didn't know I "had" to, and it came out fine, so I don't, even now that I know I "need" to. Might that be slowing my yeast down? Don't know. But it starts just fine when it is good and ready.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

To make a true starter, pour off the white top layer of saved yeast and build up. Everything else, other than the white top layer, is trub.

 

[Nubiwan]

Most recent post on the subject so my two bits on US-05. Roughly 7 Gallon batch of APA. My OG was 1.046. Pitched 1 pack of dry yeast US-05. That was Monday at 5PM. 24 hours later nothing, nada, no action. This morning @ 36 hours post pitch, ever so slight movement of water in my airlock. It's definitely starting, but slow. My temp reads around 58 degrees, so that probably hasn't helped the yeast much. Its coming.

Anecdotally, I also made a lager on same day, so conditions were quite similar. Volume of lager - SG of 1.052. Pitch temp around 60 degrees. Pitched 2 pack of S-23, and it took off the next morning.

 

[hotbeer]

Direct pitching US-05 into un-aerated wort at 68°F and have seen activity in 12 hours when the FV kept at an ambient temp of 69°F. Full krausen usually within 24 to 36 hours.

I'm putting 4 grams of US-05 in 1.25 gallons of 1.060'ish wort.

One time my ambient temps for the FV went down to <65°F and the activity went to seemingly zilch. But returned when the ambient temps were brought back up.

US-05 has been a good performer for me. Even the opened packs that might be a month or more before I get around to using the rest of the package.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

@Nubiwan : I've brewed with US-05 (pitched dry) in the upper 50s and in the mid-60s. In the upper 50s, it takes a lot longer to see visible activity.