Yeast deliveries in the heat..

[JDoubleDuBB]

The last few batches of Wyeast that I've ordered haven't been the best and I'm wondering if it's from the heat. I live in Las Vegas and order most supplies from Northern Brewer. The folks at NB are pretty good about packing the yeast with an ice-pack but by the time it reaches my doorstep the ice-pack is warm/hot and so is the yeast. Lately it's been consistently over 100 degrees so I'm sure that's not helping.

My problem is that when I activate the smack pack I get little to no swelling. I'll let them sit for a few hours before throwing them in a 1400ml starter with some DME. The last two batches I've done up, an Oatmeal Stout and a Habañero Wheat, didn't have a very active fermentation and I'm concerned it's due to the heat.

Has anyone else living in hot climates experienced these same issues?

 

[Qhrumphf]

My recommendation is it only buy liquid yeast locally during the summer. Dry yeast will fare better, but I haven't had good luck ordering liquid yeast via mail in the summer either. I stopped doing it entirely last summer when I bought some yeast that showed up dead.

 

[JDoubleDuBB]

Any thoughts on adding more yeast bought locally to a batch in primary?

 

[g-star]

You're right on the money. It's bad practice to ship yeast liquid yeast in the hot summer months, but these mega online retailers do it anyway.

You've been paying for mostly dead yeast, and your brewing experiences have been bearing this out.

Best to support your LHBS when it's hot out and get your yeast locally.

 

[biohaz7331]

Sadly local homebrew stores are hours away from me and I am sure others are the same. I would support it if I could. I guess you could try rush shipping if you really want liquid yeast and you aren't close to a store.

 

[op_ivy]

If you're ordering from NB, they are good at sending out replacements for inactive yeast. just keep an eye on your starter to ensure its healthy or not before pitching

 

[biohaz7331]

Oh really NB guarantees it? That's good to know so I can order with more confidence. I also would recommend buying the ice pack that they send with it because it's pretty cheap and its a reusable one. (Can help with ice baths)

 

[op_ivy]

from their websight

When stored in a refrigerator and used within 3 months of purchase, our Wyeast smack packs will show inflation within 5 days of activation, or we will replace them free of charge. We strongly recommend that you evaluate the viability of all other liquid yeast (e.g., White Labs) by making a yeast starter. Do not brew with inactive yeast — we can replace the yeast, but not a batch that fails to ferment properly.

i recently contacted them about a wyeast packet of denny's favorite i ordered that arrived at ambient temperature (mid 80s) and swollen. they said denny's has a tendency to swell in transit and to make a starter but would replace it if i'd prefer. i pitched the starter and everything went fine. pretty happy with my NB experience, though the shipping times seem to vary a bit (from almost instant to a full week)

 

[AnonyBrew]

There's no guarantee the lhbs doesn't have the same issue when their yeast orders come in. I sometimes wonder how long all those packs/vials sat in the hot delivery truck and then in the back of the hot lhbs storage room before they made it into the fridge in the store.