Liquid yeast rookie mistake

[Rkuhns]

First time using liquid yeast!!! Forgot to shake before I pitched. How is it going to affect my beer?

 

[curtisbrewer]

was it wyeast?did you pop the nutrient bag beforehand ?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

If shake means aerate, then go ahead and aerate now. Older brewing books always guided us to aerate after the addition of the yeast. It worked for me for 2 decades.

 

[IslandLizard]

Shaking is the easy part. Depending on the size and gravity of your batch a yeast starter may have been more appropriate to a) prove the yeast is viable, b) ramp up cell count, and c) revitalize the cells.

As long as you were able to get all (at least 90-95%) of the yeast (the tan blobs) transferred, leaving nothing or very little behind, the yeast packaging date was within a month, it had been stored properly, and the gravity of your beer is fairly low (<=1.050), the odds may be in your favor.

What yeast did you pitch?

 

[Rkuhns]

DIPA ALE OYL-052 by Omega yeast labs.

 

[Morrey]

Conan strain often favored for a NEIPA. Did you consider doing a starter?

Regardless, I think you'll be ok. This yeast is reported to do better after the first generation. So.....after you rack the beer off the yeast cake, save some yeast cake slurry in a mason jar and use in your next batch.

 

[IslandLizard]

If you pitched less than 12 hours ago, it's still safe to aerate/shake. Yeast is in lag phase during the first 12-18 hours, making no alcohol yet.

 

[Rkuhns]

Conan strain often favored for a NEIPA. Did you consider doing a starter?

Regardless, I think you'll be ok. This yeast is reported to do better after the first generation. So.....after you rack the beer off the yeast cake, save some yeast cake slurry in a mason jar and use in your next batch.

The package only suggested a starter for beers with an OG of 1.060 or higher. Mine OG was supposed to be 1.048 but only came out to 1.040. How long will that yeast slurry keep for in the fridge?

 

[Morrey]

The package only suggested a starter for beers with an OG of 1.060 or higher. Mine OG was supposed to be 1.048 but only came out to 1.040. How long will that yeast slurry keep for in the fridge?

Personally I like to do starters with all liquid yeasts. For dry sachets, I always rehydrate. Seems to give the yeast every possible advantage to be at its prime. Omega is a very good yeast company, and the products I have used from them are excellent.

Some folks make all kinds of big deals saving yeasts by washing them and such, but I just sanitize a pint mason jar and save some "cake" in the jar. Very lightly put the lid on but don't tighten the ring down too much. Refrigerate. You'll see a layer of yeast separate on the bottom and a layer of beer on top. Kept refrigerated most folks say 6 months is safe to use again. I decant off that beer layer and use yeast, but in most cases I use the yeast to make another starter to be safe.

 

[bajaedition]

I guess we all have our opinions, and experineces

Everything I have read tells me that liquid yeast packs hold about half the yeast needed for a good fermentation in 5 gallons, the savoir for the guys using it is that yeast doubles every 100 minutes so it has the ability to fill out in 5 gallons before it really goes off. Lagers it is suggested to pitch twice the amount of cells as an Ale.

Now I always make a starter, I learned to do it early in my brewing days, it is a way to check the viability of the yeast I am going to pitch. If I am going have a problem I know before it is critical. now days with the availability of stir plates and flask it is just to easy to make one and kind of a no brainer.

My advice to you, and I give this advice all the time is to use a check list of everything you on when doing anything about brewing. I to this day still use one, and have added stupid steps to it over the year. Being in a hurry this last brew I did a few steps without referencing it, and missed adding whirlfloc to the end of the boil. So you see we all need the help, even very seasoned brewers. The thing that makes a good brewer a great brewer is the great brewer takes very detailed notes of each brew, or follows some, and he has check list not to forget anything.

You see, if brewing is an art, then we accept whatever happens, if it is a science then we can repeat a brew time after time.

where your brewing has become is where you decide to take it.

 

[Morrey]

You see, if brewing is an art, then we accept whatever happens, if it is a science then we can repeat a brew time after time.

Well said!

 

[ericbw]

Did you get all the yeast out of the vial and into the wort? If so, then shaking doesn't matter. It's just like shaking up a juice or something, to get all the sludge into the liquid before you open it.

I love how this turned into a thread about starters and pitching rates!

 

[Rkuhns]

Got home from work today, and my airlock is bubbling like crazy. This is my third brew and this is the first time I've gotten any bubbling.

 

[Rkuhns]

and we have fermentation going on &#128512;&#128512;&#128512;

 

[mongoose33]

You see, if brewing is an art, then we accept whatever happens, if it is a science then we can repeat a brew time after time.

It's both!