WLP001 California Ale Yeast Dead?

[Beau815]

I had this shipped to NY from CA and it was in my fridge for about 20 days until I was able to brew today. Last night i was like oh shoot i have to make a starter! No DME so had to mash a half gallon with about 2 cups of pale malt (granted I never did this before so i may have not done that right, i did brew a tiny batch of beer using amt of water and malt as most people use), then i pitched yeast at 70 degrees. I woke up this morning and there was no krausen... i did some reading, some say it may have took off over night. I dont think so. I pitched it into my finished wort and its been about 6 hours and still no pressure in the air lock. Im beginning to think its dead. Most people say you dont have to worry if this yeast will work or not cuz it always does. Someone said it took off after 48 hours.... I hope it does, im going on about 30 hours or so now.

 

[COLObrewer]

Sometimes it's 3-4 days.

 

[Revvy]

Just like in the fermenter, fermentation isn't always dynamic...It doesn't matter one blip in your fermenter or your starter flask if the airlock bubbles or not (if you are using an airlock and not tinfoil,) or if you see a krauzen. In fact starter fermentation are some of the fastest or slowest but most importantly, the most boring fermentations out there. Usually it's done withing a few hours of yeast pitch...usually overnight when we are sleeping, and the starter looks like nothing ever happened...except for the little band at the bottom. Or it can take awhile...but either way there's often no "activity" whatsoever....

I usually run my stirplate for the first 24 hours, then shut it down, if you are spinning your starter it is really hard to get a krausen to form anyway, since it's all spinning, and there's often a head of foam on it from the movement.


All that really matters is that creamy band o yeast at the bottom.

As it is I've only ever seen two krausens actually on my starter, and the evidence of one on the flask at the "waterline" once. But I've never not had a starter take off.

And like Colo said, yeast often has a lag time, especially if it's been in the fridge for any length of time.

 

[Beau815]

ok guys thanks, i feel better, i did find that post that you posted above because i did do a share of research Ill give it the 3-4 days and then ill take thr 50 min trip to the LHBS that carries this same yeast. Thx!

 

[Beau815]

awesome guys! the clear layer of see thru wort is now foam and there is a bit of movement inside the carboy! I think that yeast was fine.

 

[midfielder5]

Also might want to pick up dry yeast-- us 05 is the same as wlp 001. Then you don't need a starter

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

what temp did you mash at? Did the starter wort taste sweet?

 

[Beau815]

I didnt taste the starter wort the next day, figured it was like a yeast slurry, didnt know i was supposed to... I did taste it and it was sweet before i put the yeast in yes. not overly sweet but the small mash did work. only mashed for 30 min instead of full hour per a few directions i read.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

I didnt taste the starter wort the next day, figured it was like a yeast slurry, didnt know i was supposed to... I did taste it and it was sweet before i put the yeast in yes. not overly sweet but the small mash did work. only mashed for 30 min instead of full hour per a few directions i read.

gotcha. just making sure you got conversion. No sugars in the starter might have been a reason that things didnt take off like a rocket when you added the starter to the wort, but i guess not! good luck with the brew, im sure it will work out in the end!

 

[onemanlan]

20*C Fridge slows down metabolic processes so that when introduced to a warm environment causes a lag time due to transitioning on and off genes to deal with those temps. It takes some time for them to kick back up plus the right metabolites have to be there. Since yeast produce mixed acid fermentation that utilizes sugars to derive energy. So without the sugars the yeast had very little energy to supply the transition phase followed by growth phase.

I had the the opposite issue having the liquid yeast California Ale shipped to me from Texas to Alabama during the hot summer. UPS missed my house 2 days followed by a weekend period I could not get to it. When I did the ice packs had been melted for some time and the liquid culture was warm to the touch. All I could find online was that a starter had to be made to insure the yeast was still viable. I made a starter culture using some DME and some water @ 70*F. I thought there was no activity what-so ever and likely there wasnt during the first day. Rather than tossing it I left it on my counter to find activity 48 hours later! I think what had happened is the heat may have killed off a large majority of the yeast, however the few surviving yeast rebounded back to life while taking their sweet time to reproduce their lost comrads. So there was likely much fewer viable cells than was advertised due to the shipping conditions.]

 

[Beau815]

thanks for the info.. makes sense, im happy they are alive!