Wyeast activated during shipment??

[danboy]

I placed an order with midwest last week and it arrived last night. When I was unpacking everything, I found that the Wyeast 1056 smack pack was very swollen and it felt warm. It was warmer than anything else in the box.

I mashed on the pack a little and could still feel the bladder inside, but I dont know if it busted during shipment or not. I dont have any other yeast availible and I plan on brewing on Friday. Can I still use this yeast if it has been activated already?? Should I drive an hour and grab a vail of WL?

Thanks for the help guys

 

[Trail]

Seems like it has indeed been activated. If it's warm, then it's still alive... so it's kind of a crapshoot. Best thing to do would be make a starter with it and see how that goes.

 

[kombat]

You can absolutely still use it! Smacking the nutrient pack inside is not a prerequisite for "waking up" the yeast, it's merely there to demonstrate viability (which appears to not be in question in your case) and to get the yeast started for folks who intend to pitch the yeast directly into their wort. If you're making a starter, you don't even really need to bother popping the nutrient pack (although, I suppose doing so could save you from wasting a couple liters of starter wort if in fact it turns out that the yeast is indeed dead).

 

[danboy]

Thanks guys. I dont have any DME to make a starter with, so I guess I will just go get some more yeast to be on the safe side.

I called Midwest and they told me that it would be fine and that I should use it.

Sucks living 70 miles form my HBS!

 

[Nelrock]

Same thing happened to me today.
I don't have the available fermenters until this weekend when I bottle whats going now. I put the packs in the fridge like the instructions stated.
Am I alright to wait 3-4 days before Im able to use it?

 

[chadkarol]

This happened to me a couple months ago. Received 1056 and it was swollen. Wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold any longer. I used it a week or two later, and it was fine. No problems at all (actually brewed a really good black IPA using it).

 

[duboman]

Same thing happened to me today.
I don't have the available fermenters until this weekend when I bottle whats going now. I put the packs in the fridge like the instructions stated.
Am I alright to wait 3-4 days before Im able to use it?

Ideally make a starter since you have a few days but either way the yeast will be fine in the fridge.

 

[Nelrock]

This happened to me a couple months ago. Received 1056 and it was swollen. Wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold any longer. I used it a week or two later, and it was fine. No problems at all (actually brewed a really good black IPA using it).

Ok...that's good to know. Unlike yours...my packs were pretty warm. This is my first time ordering/using liquid yeast. So...I'm a little nervous things have started out badly.

 

[ronjonacron]

I see a lot a very meticulous yeast handling on this forum, thats waaaay more than i do. I think yeasts are a lot more resilient than people give them credit for.

I treat them like theyre in a bad relationship and they still do everything i ask of them, even though i really dont deserve it.

 

[evanoliver]

Because 1056 is such a popular strain, it is in extraordinary demand. This forces Wyeast to hurry the yeast into packaging for shipment...often times before it's had a chance to "settle down." This means that the yeast tends to still be active after it's packaged, which causes the swell. As kombat mentioned, the "smack" portion of the smack pack is nothing more than a way of testing viability...that is, it provides a bit of food to the yeast and, if they are alive, they will eat and the package will swell. It's PURELY for convenience, so that you can gain an INDICATION of viability before you pitch...it has NO effect on the actual viability itself and/or the subsequent fermentation.

 

[danboy]

#UPDATE#

After leaving the bag in the fridge for a couple of days, the swelling went down. I went to get more yeast yesterday evening, but my car went tits up about 12 miles from the brew shop, so I guess I'm just gonna pitch this stuff and hope for the best.

Thanks for all of the replies and opinions.

 

[Dirty25]

Last two smack packs of 1056 were swollen when I got them. They still fermented fine. Wyeast has a FAQ on their website that says this isn't necessarily a problem.