Wyeast Fail

[Ethompson28]

Brewing an American Pale and I thought I had smacked the pack and popped the yeast but when I went to pitch the pack hadn't burst. It's only a 3 gallon batch so I feel like it'll be ok just wanted some confirmation from some more experienced brewers.

 

[Wolfbrau]

That little nutrient packet really only does three things.
1. Gives you peace of mind that the yeast is viable (swelling means the yeast isn't dead).
2. It looks really cool and feels like you've done something.
3. It has a tiny shot of WYeast nutrient in there that might help in high-adjunct environments.

It's by no means necessary to smack the pack before pitching.

 

[flars]

It is not a bad idea to use a yeast viability/pitch rate calculator. Offers peace of mind as you wait for the fermentation to finish in the primary.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

 

[eldano]

You can have to smack it X days before brewday (X stands for # months from day of production) to see it grows.
wyeast grants 6 months vitality anyway but with a simple starter you can go longer

 

[eldano]

hey first post here
hi all, daniel from italy here

 

[Ethompson28]

Thanks for the info. I felt pretty dumb when I opened it. I was sure I had busted it and it felt like it had expanded some too. It's been about 12 hours and I don't have any bubbles yet in the airlock but it look like stuff is going on in the beer so I think it'll be fine. Cheers Daniel!

 

[lilbova3]

You could sanitize a pair of scissors and cut open the smaller pack inside the Smackpack. Then shake softly to mix both the yeast and nutrient pack. By the time you do that you will be pitching though so I'm not sure how effective a minute or two of the nutrient will be.

 

[Spartan1979]

I smacked two packs of Wyeast yesterday. They're dated April. As of this morning, nothing.

I want to brew on Friday, so I'll give them another day before making my starter. It's not a common yeast so if they don't puff up, I may have to put off my brew day.

I'm not used to getting yeast this old.

 

[Skarekrough]

I've had Wyeast fully within the date of viability be DOA.

It's hard to know with 100% certainty what happened prior to me getting them so it's near impossible to say what actually happened.

My LHBS was exceptional and offered me a replacement on the spot just for mentioning it as long as I would email them the info from the package.