White labs yeast problem

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pyr0man1ac

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Bought a vial of white labs ale yeast six days ago. I just realized that I left this vial sit on my kitchen table along with my hops for six days. Is the yeast still good or does it absolutely need to be in the fridge? Also will the hops stay that long or did I ruin those as well?
 
I would get my ridiculously small tax rebate that the yeast is deceased. I would use them as future yeast nutrient.
 
I would make a starter, and you'll know for sure...More than likely your yeast is fine...although room temp isn't ideal, there's no reason to think your yeast died at that temp. You're going to be fermenting at room temps or near it, and the yeast doesn't die then...Why the heck would ANYONE think the yeast would be dead...

It's not like it's a hot car or anything...

Make a starter, and you'll know for sure, and replicate any living cells....
 
Hmmm....never made a starter or replicate cells.

If you're using liquid yeast you should be for all beers. It's really a good idea to make starters when using ANY liguid yeast for all beers above 1.020 OG...

The biggest reason I suggest folks make a starter is if you make one you'll have peace of mind. It's especially important if you have questionable situation happenning with your yeast, like not being sure the yeast arrived healthy. ;)

And you won't be starting an "is my yeast dead" thread in a couple of days.

Making a starter first insures that your yeast is still alive and viable before you dump it in your beer. You will be less likely to start one of those "is my yeast dead?" threads that are on here every day.

You will also ensure that you have enough yeast usually the tubes and smack packs are a lot less yeast that you really should use for healthy fermentation.

Making a starter also usually means your beer will take off sooner, because the first thing that the little buggers do in the presence of wort (whether in a flask or in a fermenter) is have an orgy to reproduce enough cells to do the job...So it won't take such a long time in the fermenter since they started doing it in the flask.

So making a starter proves your yeast is still healthy, allows you to grow enough yeast to do the job, cuts down on lag time, and ensures that you will not get off flavors or stuck ferementations from stressed out yeast.
 
white labs packs the yeast in sterile liquid not wort, this is to stablize the yeast culture during shipping and storage life, your yeast will be fine, the hops should be fine as well, it would take months for both of these to create any adverse problem on a home brew level, no need for a starter. chill them both ASAP and on brew day use as normal!!!
 
I get my yeast shipped without cold packs. It always takes 4 to 5 days for me to get my package. I'm sure it's even hotter than typical room temperature in delivery trucks. I always make a starter, and my yeast is always just fine!
 
white labs packs the yeast in sterile liquid not wort, this is to stablize the yeast culture during shipping and storage life, your yeast will be fine, the hops should be fine as well, it would take months for both of these to create any adverse problem on a home brew level, no need for a starter. chill them both ASAP and on brew day use as normal!!!

Yes, you can ferment your beer without a starter.

If you do:
1) you will be assured that you have viable yeast.
2) prepare the yeast (awaken them for lack of a better term) to do the fermenting.
3) have the proper cell count so that the yeast can start fermenting instead of spending the energy to replicate to the required cell counts for the gravity of the beer.
4) it will more than likely make your good beer better.

Even the liquid yeast manufacturers say that there are not enough yeast cells in their packages for most beers. Check their websites, if you look long enough you will find it.
 
I think you are fine, but, like Revvy said, a starter is always recommended with liquid yeast, refrigerated or not.
 
If you're using liquid yeast you should be for all beers. It's really a good idea to make starters when using ANY liguid yeast for all beers above 1.020 OG...

The biggest reason I suggest folks make a starter is if you make one you'll have peace of mind. It's especially important if you have questionable situation happenning with your yeast, like not being sure the yeast arrived healthy. ;)

And you won't be starting an "is my yeast dead" thread in a couple of days.

Making a starter first insures that your yeast is still alive and viable before you dump it in your beer. You will be less likely to start one of those "is my yeast dead?" threads that are on here every day.

You will also ensure that you have enough yeast usually the tubes and smack packs are a lot less yeast that you really should use for healthy fermentation.
Making a starter also usually means your beer will take off sooner, because the first thing that the little buggers do in the presence of wort (whether in a flask or in a fermenter) is have an orgy to reproduce enough cells to do the job...So it won't take such a long time in the fermenter since they started doing it in the flask.

So making a starter proves your yeast is still healthy, allows you to grow enough yeast to do the job, cuts down on lag time, and ensures that you will not get off flavors or stuck ferementations from stressed out yeast.

Not anything against the OP, but Revvy I always see you answering these threads don,t you get tired of answering the same questions over and over. The search function is there for a reason right?:off:
 
crackhead7 said:
Not anything against the OP, but Revvy I always see you answering these threads don,t you get tired of answering the same questions over and over. The search function is there for a reason right?:off:
For sure.
Newer brewers however have a tendency to think they are the only one to have encountered their issue. Some search, but often don't use the correct search words, so they start a new thread.
 
I would make a starter, and you'll know for sure...More than likely your yeast is fine...

Make a starter, and you'll know for sure, and replicate any living cells....

I second this sentiment. I always pitch from starters now. I usually pitch around 2PM on Sunday, and the airlock is going nuts by bed time. The (vigorous) fermentation is usually done in 36 hours, the FG is spot-on, and so many of the "homebrew flavors" that haunted my beers in the past are gone.
 
Great advice from all thank you. Revvy thanx for being patient with us amateurs lol. I am going to go learn how to make a starter. Always used dry yeast and it worked out for me. Just started using liquid yeast.

Again thanx to all.
 
Great advice from all thank you. Revvy thanx for being patient with us amateurs lol. I am going to go learn how to make a starter. Always used dry yeast and it worked out for me. Just started using liquid yeast.

Again thanx to all.

Making one can't be any easier a thing to do...Deathbrewer has a great tutorial.

i thought this picture might help out some newbies. found it on another forum.

YeastStarterChart.jpg



MORE INFO:


Most starters are made as "1 L" starters, meaning they use a 1L flask or container. Since sizes vary, you may wish to measure more accurately to get the desired propagation of yeast.

Instead of using 1/2 cup of DME, try just using 1/4-1/3 cup to make a lower gravity wort. This helps the yeast get active quickly, and they go through their aerobic stage, eating oxygen and reproducing, rather than producing alcohol.

If you want to be a bit more specific, make a ~1.020 OG starter; use about 2 oz of DME in a final liquid volume (before adding yeast) of 800 mL. This works great in a 1L flask.

You will usually need to top off after your boil with some water to reach the right volume. I just top off with some freshly opened bottled water so it stays relatively sanitary.

Instead of an airlock, use some sanitized aluminum foil. This allows oxygen to get in and feed the yeast. Swirl the liquid every once in a while to keep those yeast busy. I usually just set it on the counter or desk and shake it every time I pass it. Swirl slowly at first so you don't foam over!

This method can be used the day of brewing. It's best to do it the night before, but getting a starter going in the morning or even a few hours before you brew will ensure that your yeast are awake and ready to rock once you're ready to pitch.

STEPPING IT UP:


There are two basic ways you can pitch a starter:

1. Just pitch the whole thing. This is most beneficial when the yeast are at peak fermentation, happily chugging away and ready for more.

2. Decanting. After your yeast goes for about 24 hours and is finished fermenting, you throw it in the fridge overnight. Then, the day you brew, bring the yeast out, decant (pour out) the liquid, and let it warm up for a few hours before you pitch.

If you want to "step it up" and make more yeast, then I would recommend using decanting, as follows:

1. Make a starter, let's say 1L. So boil 2 oz of DME in two cups water. Top off to 800 mL. Add liquid yeast and foil, and shake for 24 hours.

2. Put starter in fridge overnight.

3. The next morning, remove from fridge and decant. Keep sanitary and let warm to room temperature.

4. Make another larger starter, let's say 2L. So boil 4 oz of DME in 4 cups water. Top off to 1600 mL. Add liquid yeast and foil, and shake for 24 hours.

5. Put starter in fridge overnight.

6. The next morning, remove from fridge and decant. Keep sanitary and let warm to room temperature.

7. Pitch into beer that day or repeat until you have the amount of yeast you want.

If you want to store yeast for a short time, decant and put the yeast into a smaller container so it fills it almost all the way up. Then add an airlock. Make sure everything that touches the yeast is clean and sanitary.
:mug:
 
To the OP: about the hops on the counter for six days. I'd say you're OK as well with those. They will have lost some "brightness", but they're still hops, and you'll still get plenty of bittering & aroma. Not as much as can accurately be calculated, but I'd say that since you're probably not going to want to reproduce this exact batch in future (with your inadvertent errors), you're gonna be fine.
 
To the OP: about the hops on the counter for six days. I'd say you're OK as well with those. They will have lost some "brightness", but they're still hops, and you'll still get plenty of bittering & aroma. Not as much as can accurately be calculated, but I'd say that since you're probably not going to want to reproduce this exact batch in future (with your inadvertent errors), you're gonna be fine.

I've been to a few stores that don't store their hops in fridges, I wouldn't necessarily buy that it is a gaurentee that hops would loose their "brightness."

Afterall we don't grow hops cold do we????

I think that's another unecessary worry for the op....I don't his hops have been affected at room temp. Quite a lot of boxed kits, even from famous distributors sit on store shelves with the hops in the box along with all the grains...

Again it might not be optimal, but it's no gaurentee that anything's wrong either.
 
I've been to a few stores that don't store their hops in fridges, I wouldn't necessarily buy that it is a gaurentee that hops would loose their "brightness."

Afterall we don't grow hops cold do we????

I think that's another unecessary worry for the op....I don't his hops have been affected at room temp. Quite a lot of boxed kits, even from famous distributors sit on store shelves with the hops in the box along with all the grains...

Again it might not be optimal, but it's no gaurentee that anything's wrong either.

I concur, it's a good idea not to worry newbies. But, in my defense, the implication of the OP was that the hops were refrigerated at the LHBS, as he wouldn't have asked about them were they not.

And to your point, just because a store doesn't keep their hops in the fridge doesn't mean they're not accordingly less "bright" than they would be if they did store them in the fridge. You're absolutely right, we don't grow hops cold, but once they're cut and stripped from the living bine (where they were producing fresh oils while alive), they lose their essential oils quickly - which is why the cut hops get nitrogen-flushed and sealed and chilled, to preserve the oils as much as possible. Plus, depending on the composition of the packaging, light can affect hop oils, as well you know (thus brown bottles).

Finally, to your point about packaged boxes of kits that have hops non-refrigerated, again, many of these recipes would be better if the hops were from the fridge. I visited an LHBS that offers kits that have the grain & instructions in the box, but tell you to retrieve the hops and yeast from the fridges. Inarguably, such a kit will taste fresher than one from a box that was packaged at Coopers in Australia and shipped last year to the store, where it sat on the shelf for 6 more months before I brought it home to sit for 2 months before getting around to brewing it.

All of this, of course, is in stark opposition to the Belgian tradition of aging hops... but that would be worrying newbies unnecessarily!
 
For sure.
Newer brewers however have a tendency to think they are the only one to have encountered their issue. Some search, but often don't use the correct search words, so they start a new thread.

You make a very good point here, that often time the terminology is used incorrectly and /or don't know what something is actually called. That really puts everything into perspcetive.
 
You make a very good point here, that often time the terminology is used incorrectly and /or don't know what something is actually called. That really puts everything into perspcetive.

Plus (at least in my case since I'm not super computer savy - or I'm just a dork) it took some poking around this site for me to figure out how to navigate it. By the time I did figure out the search option I had already asked quite a few repetitious questions...
 
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