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Need help. Yeast issue.

bkrzyzak

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I use Wyeast activator packs.  It did not swell at all which worries me.  Should I still pitch it?  Should I buy another yeast. How long can wort sit without being pitched?  Help is greatly appreciated.
 
By the "how long can wort sit" question, I'm guessing you've already brewed.

If haven't brewed, make a starter and see if you get any action.

How long ago did you smack the pack?  It could still be viable yeast, just slow to start.

From Wyeast's site-
5. How long should it take for a package to swell?
If a package is fresh (within 2 months of the manufacture date) the package should show signs of swelling within 5 hours and typically much faster than that.  When the yeast is stored for long periods of time,  they slowly consume their energy reserves (glycogen).  When the energy reserves get low, the yeast are slow to produce CO2 and therefore are slow to cause swelling in the package.  Improper storage at warm temperatures also has the same effect as long storage times

You're not going to hurt anything by pitching the yeast as is.  I'm not sure how long wort should site before yeast is pitched, but it's usually as little time as possible.  If you have a homebrew store nearby and want to have some piece of mind you could just get some fresh yeast and pitch.
 
Maybe everything will work out. Give it a couple of days. Some Wyeast strains are less aggressive than others and don't swell the packs as much but are still viable.
Example of two widely used are 1056 American Ale and 2112 California.  The 1056 darn near bursts the bag, the 2112 barely swells it.

In use, the 1056 has a short lag, the 2112 has a longer lag sometimes more than 24 hrs. Reading Chris Whites book, he notes that most liquid yeast, his (Whitelab) and others are right on the low end in haveing enough cells to adequately ferment the beer. A starter would help, but since we repitch, our first 5 gal batch is a starter for the next 8 to 10. ::) The good thing about a longer lag according to Dr. White is that most of the flavor elements are made during the growth phase before you see much if any airlock activity!  :D

Preston
 
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