Yeast pack arrived swollen

[beerfactory]

Would you use a you a yeast pack that delivered swollen? I don't have to, I have Nottingham and S05 in the fridge.

Decided to try liquid you yeast for the first time on an estimated 1.07 OG beer.

The yeast pack delivered Friday and was already swollen. I should probably have known better than ordering grains and yeast together but gee whiz the yeast was packaged underneath 14 lbs of grain.

Edit to add I an brewing today. My strike water is at 120.8 and mash cooler is preheating

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I'd go ahead and use it.

 

[Jag75]

Did you make a starter with it ?

 

[beerfactory]

Did you make a starter with it ?

Negative on the starter

 

[Jag75]

Negative on the starter

You should make a starter when using liquid yeast . With this beer being 1.070 ish I'd use the US05.

 

[beerfactory]

I am sure you are no doubt correct and especially within the context of the pack arriving swollen. But I cannot go back in time...

 

[Jag75]

I am sure you are no doubt correct and especially within the context of the pack arriving swollen. But I cannot go back in time...
View attachment 767021

Aerate really well. You might have to use 05 if it stalls. In the future , If you don't have a stir plate you can do a shakin not stirred starter . It works really well . I do that more often then the stir plate .

 

[tracer bullet]

Agreed generally OK to use but starters are nice to be sure. Well, next time.

Also agreed go for it and aerate well, and use one of the dry backup plans if you don't see at leat the beginnings of a krauzen by around this time tomorrow.

 

[beerfactory]

14 hours after pitch - vigorous airlock activity. At least 2 bubbles/sec. Definitely glad I didn't chicken out and pitch a sachet of dry at this point.

pitched at 73 degrees and set temp to 69 degrees (-0/+2). Since it was going so crazy, I adjusted to 68 degrees (-0/+2).

Edit after a cup of coffee the rate is more like 4 bubbles per second

 

[bwible]

Really sorry to see this be your first experience with liquid yeast.

White Labs and Wyeast both make very good products and there are even some newer players now like Imperial that are making great stuff also. I can see how an experience like this could turn somebody off of liquid yeast for good. You pay more for it and you expect it to be better than dry yeast and then you end up wondering if the yeast is any good.

Liquid yeast opens up many more options where you can actually make beer with the same yeast used by professional breweries. Details are out there which yeast comes from which brewery, or you can at least get a general idea that is close. WLP001/1056 is generally thought to be Sierra Nevada. I know that thought excites me that I can actually brew beer with the same yeast Sierra Nevada uses.

Some people swear by dry yeast and dry yeasts are certainly better today than they were 30 years ago. But many of these liquid yeasts have no dry substitute. Liquid yeast opens up so many more options.

In general when they ship those there should be an ice pack included or you should have an option to add one for an extra $1 or something. I always add the ice pack, even in the winter. It helps. Or if you have a homebrew store that is not too far away you can drive and pick it up. Many of us don’t really have “local” shops anymore.

On a positive note, I guess the swelled pack is an indicator of active yeast. So if it wasn’t in shipping that long you’ll probably be fine.

 

[bwible]

Great to hear its going!

 

[VikeMan]

I am sure you are no doubt correct and especially within the context of the pack arriving swollen. But I cannot go back in time...

For future reference, when the pack arrives swollen it means that the little pouch of sugar solution inside broke/leaked somehow, and the yeast made a little bit of CO2 out of it. It doesn't mean that the yeast has been compromised.

The purpose of the pouch is to prove that there are live yeast in the pack after the user smacks it to break it open. When I use Wyeast, I don't even bother smacking, even for batches where I'm not making a starter.

 

[bwible]

For future reference, when the pack arrives swollen it means that the little pouch of sugar solution inside broke/leaked somehow, and the yeast made a little bit of CO2 out of it. It doesn't mean that the yeast has been compromised.

The purpose of the pouch is to prove that there are live yeast in the pack after the user smacks it to break it open. When I use Wyeast, I don't even bother smacking.

Thats true with Wyeast smack packs. He bought White Labs.

 

[VikeMan]

Thats true with Wyeast smack packs. He bought White Labs.

Ah. Apparently I didn's see the picture, and must have assumed from the words "already swollen" that this was a Wyeast pack. I still wouldn't have been too concerned about it, unless the pack had spent a lot of time at high temps.

 

[beerfactory]

Really sorry to see this be your first experience with liquid yeast.

White Labs and Wyeast both make very good products

I think I will try WLP 001 for at least a couple more beers. I am dry hopping this one. So I want to do a blonde ale for slurry harvest.

Need to expand my horizons beyond Nottingham.

 

[Jag75]

I think I will try WLP 001 for at least a couple more beers. I am dry hopping this one. So I want to do a blonde ale for slurry harvest.

Need to expand my horizons beyond Nottingham.

I can't tell you how many times I've used 001. It's a great yeast . Imperial yeast is also really good . I like using liquid yeast . It's better imo . However in the micro brewery it's not cost efficient.