Oh no...now what? Wyeast pack trouble.

[nduetime]

I have a quick question.

Apparently my package of Wyeast never really inoculated. It was inadvertently left in direct sunlight while in the car and got pretty warm. I've just finished my batch and am in the process of cooling it down. I have no substitute for what I need and will have to wait until my local HBS opens tomorrow before I can get some more. Should I just transfer wort over to carboy and cap with airlock, without yeast until I get some tomorrow morning or should I pitch the yeast that I feel is dead? If I just run without the yeast tonight, can I somehow purge my carboy with co2 I have on hand?

 

[warex]

If it was me I would transfer wort over to carboy and cap it.

 

[nduetime]

that's what i felt....do you think i should somehow purge the carboy with co2?

 

[Golddiggie]

Set the wort aside, make a small starter (~1L) and see what the yeast does in that. If its going by morning, pitch it into the brew.

 

[Cowher]

Just a side question. What would happen if he pitched the yeast waited a few days and found it was dead? Couldn't you just pitch a new yeast at that time or does it spoil the batch?

 

[LakewoodBrew]

it's just easier to see signs of life in a 1l flask than it is in the carboy. in the flask, you should see clear signs of life quickly (like 4-8hrs). In the 5gal carboy a viable, but slow start may take 20 or more hours. better to figure out if you need to buy a new yeast colony tomorrow morning than wait a day or two and figure it out. by then any bacteria or other bugs will likely have taken hold.

 

[nduetime]

so i had nothing to make a starter with. the beer i just made was only 2.5 gallons. i've gotta go tomorrow to get a couple of things anyways. i just shot some co2 over the dead space of the carboy, caped it and will pitch viable yeast tomorrow. I could do the whole pitch yeast i have now, wait for a couple of days and repitch if need. Or, the easier option, I can just purchase a new pack tomorrow and pitch it when there are signs of better life. oh well, live and learn! thanks for all the feedback.