repitched slurry and no activity. What do I do?

[Joeneugs]

I got some fresh Wyeast 1968 slurry from my local brewery here in town a little over a week ago. I kept it in my fridge for about a week, then made a small starter the night before brewing to get it going again. The yeast was hard and dense like paste…..I'm not totally sure I was able to warm it up in time, but I figured the starter would wake it up enough before pitching. Well, I brewed the next day and pitched the yeast but nothing happened. After about 36 hours I took a gravity reading to make sure, and yep it hadn't budged. I gave the carboy a good swirl for about two minutes to kick the yeast back up in suspension, but now about 12 hours later there's still no activity and the yeast has all settled to the bottom again. It's now been 48 hours since pitching, and my temperature controller has held it at a steady 67 degrees F the whole time. What should I do? I have more yeast (from the same source) that I could warm up and try again. What are my options?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cyclman]

Did you keep beer or water on top of the yeast? If not, it may have dried and died.

 

[Begin2Brew]

How long did they harvest this yeast? I have had yeast 6 months old that took 3 days to finally get going.

 

[Joeneugs]

Not sure how many generations the yeast went through. I didn't ask.

I did keep some beer on top of the yeast. When I got it it was all very liquid and murky but after it chilled everything separated. There was about 2.5 inches of beer to 5 inches of yeast but it was VERY clumpy and dry when I added it to my starter. Does that mean it was dead?

 

[Joeneugs]

What I have left is now basically the consistency of canned cranberry sauce. I'm guessing this isn't good.

I guess I need to do some more reading about yeast. Should I spring for another vial and hope for the best?

 

[BigFloyd]

What I have left is now basically the consistency of canned cranberry sauce. I'm guessing this isn't good.

I guess I need to do some more reading about yeast. Should I spring for another vial and hope for the best?

I'm assuming that, with 1968, you're doing an ESB or something similar.

At this point, I'd try to save it by pitching a packet of S-04 dry yeast on the batch. I've done an ESB before (one of my favorite styles) with S-04, fermented it at 65*F and it turned out great. If you try to stick with 1968, are you wanting to pitch two packs or take the time to make a starter?

I'm giving 1968 a go next ESB batch (smack-pack is in the fridge) since I've heard so much good about it, but in this situation, I'd go into "rescue mode".

 

[Joeneugs]

*UPDATE*

Well, I took all of your advice and purchased some dry yeast only to come home and find the beer at high krausen! This is by far the longest lag time I've ever experienced with yeast. 3 full days before any activity. Hopefully the beer still comes out ok.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[BigFloyd]

*UPDATE*

Well, I took all of your advice and purchased some dry yeast only to come home and find the beer at high krausen! This is by far the longest lag time I've ever experienced with yeast. 3 full days before any activity. Hopefully the beer still comes out ok.

Thanks for all your help!

Good to hear.

If you stick the dry yeast in the fridge, it will only lose 4% of its viability each year. It's nice to have some handy just in case.