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Liquid Yeast

2

2Fisted

Cheers. Relatively new to brewing and bought an ale recipe batch. Left the smack pack out of the refrigerator :( for about 48hrs. prior to pitching. the bag expanded and I thought I was alright to pitch but not seeing much activity. Is all lost? 
 
Questions, Questions, Questions!

Did the Smack Pack look like it was going to burst, or just expanded a little? (should have been almost bursting)
What was the number on the package? (Some yeast's are just slow starters)
What was the date on the package? (Age of the yeast maters)
What was the recipe? (We need to know what the yeast was up against)
What what the temp of the wort you pitched the yeast into? (Too cold or too hot maters)

Glad to have you with us!

Cheers
Preston
 
The package looked like it was very puffed, although I wouldn't say bursting. Brewed this Sunday so yeast package went out with the garbage(no date or number) however recipe for Brithish Best Bitter calls for Safale S04 (or alternatives - Wyeast #'s 1028, 1098, 1968, 1275, 1335, 1318 or White labs british)

6lbs. light malt, 1/2 lb. british pale malt; 1 lb medium crystal malt; 2/3 oz. Northdown; 1/2 Kent flavor; 1/2 Kent finishing.

I used a grain steeping bag. Considered kinda partial mash?

Pitched yeast @ 86 degrees

Thanks for the help!
 
Depending on how warm your counter was, you may wish to buy some fresh S-04 dry yeast.  Rehydrate and pitch per mfr's instructions on their website. 

It may have done OK, but sitting that long, and then pitching at 86F may have been a tad warm.  Some cells may have died off, leaving too few to get a quick start.  It may recover, but the clock is ticking on other non-desirables also getting started.  That's a warm jug of liquid sugar sitting there. 

If you can, gradually cool the fermenter down to 68 to 70 in two degree drops per day. 

Being able to quickly chill the wort, and then controlling the fermentation temperature fairly closely are two big things in improving your brews down the road.  I would get a wort chiller first since it addresses both sanitation and speed-to-pitching yeast , as well as vastly improving the cold break from a speedy chill.

 
I did my first 8 beers as partials in a bag with good results. +1 on the chiller.  I built mine which is 60' of soft 3/8" OD copper tubing wound around a 2lb coffee can. The first wind was the toughest.  Look at chillers online. Mine was $50 in material for over double the cooling of a standard chiller.  I knew I'd want mine to support up to 10 gallon batches, so I went big.  If you roll you own, remember to leave long stubs for water in and out.
 
SOGOAK said:
I did my first 8 beers as partials in a bag with good results. +1 on the chiller.  I built mine which is 60' of soft 3/8" OD copper tubing wound around a 2lb coffee can. The first wind was the toughest.  Look at chillers online. Mine was $50 in material for over double the cooling of a standard chiller.  I knew I'd want mine to support up to 10 gallon batches, so I went big.  If you roll you own, remember to leave long stubs for water in and out.

How tough is the welding part?  I know nothing 'bout that.  If I bought a DIY-starter welding kit at Home Depot would I have what I need?  Or what else? 
 
When using copper tubing there is no actual welding involved. Just sweating of the joints. That involves putting flux on the joints ( where you would put pvc cement on sprinkler piping ) and then heating the pipe, and sweat it. Just like soldering really; you just need a bigger heat source.

Darin
 
dhaenerbrewer said:
When using copper tubing there is no actual welding involved. Just sweating of the joints. That involves putting flux on the joints ( where you would put pvc cement on sprinkler piping ) and then heating the pipe, and sweat it. Just like soldering really; you just need a bigger heat source.
Darin
I did not weld mine. Just used some small Stainless hose clamps, works fine. I can sweat plumbing pipe all day long, but I didn't feel the need for this application.

Cheers
Preston
 
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