Help My Safale S-04 Yeast Is Making Chunks!

[piraterum]

Hi all,

Does Safale S-04 usually produce large clumps while fermenting?
Anyone know if its a mixed culture?

I pitched a brew with Safale S-04 and after a week the fermentation stopped and I recorded two stable gravity readings over three days. Even after three days to let the yeast settle the brew was still clouded with large white chunks. I work in a micro lab so I took it to work and had a look under the microscope and the large chunks were clumps of yeast. So I streaked it on a specialist agar which limits the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to check for the presence of wild yeasts. After a few days a large white yeast appeared on the agar mixed in with the Saccharomyces. I took this to be a contamination and threw my brew out.

So I started from scratch dismantled my tap, grommet etc and painstakingly cleaned and rinsed them in boiling water, then brewers detergent, then sodium metasulphite to make sure I got rid of any trance of this apparent wild yeast.

I started a new brew using:
Brewcraft Bavarian Wheat (1.5kg)
Brewshop #18 Wheat Mix 1kg (500g dex, 500g wheat malt)
Brewshop 500g dextrose
21L water
Safale S-04 pitched directly into brew (expiry dec 2007)

I took the initial gravity before pitching the yeast and it was 1054. At this stage there were no chunks in the brew so I can rule out the chunks being undissolved malt or dextrose.

After four days fermenting at 20 degrees I took a sample and the brew is teaming with white chunks again! Is this normal?? It doesn't look like the normal fine cloudyness you expect, some of the chunks are are a few millimetres in size. There is no obvious off taste but its too early to tell. Any help would be appreciated!

cheers,

martin

 

[goatherder]

I've had chunks in my brews with S-04. they float about while the fermentation is going strong but they crash to the bottom after it's all over. My beer was OK so I just figured it was normal.

 

[Batz]

True S-04 will clump.
I haven't use it for ages,if you like S-04 then try Nottingham,it worlds better and easy to use.
A great standby yeast if you drop your starter on brew day.

Batz

 

[goatherder]

A great standby yeast if you drop your starter on brew day.

What makes you say that Batz?

 

[razz]

Evening piraterum. Next time you are thinking of throwing out a brew, smell and taste it first. If it passes then bottle/keg. Most brewers on here know it's a numbers game when it comes to yeast v's bacteria.

 

[peas_and_corn]

I've had the same thing with S-04; it's nothing to worry about. I was shocked to read you threw a batch out!

 

[mika]

I've used S-04 in a Porter, but didn't notice what you are talking about. Mind you never pay that much attention to the brew while it's fermenting as long as the airlock's bubbling.
Even if you do end up with wild yeast in your brew, as long as it tastes good, bottle it. NEVER throw a brew out, unless you can't drink it...even then leave it for a month or so and it may get better.
Next time, forget the S-04 and go for some US-56...much better.

 

[Mr Bond]

go for some US-56...much better.

I'll 2nd that

 

[matti]

Gee pirateum what a waste...
I work in micro lab as well but am not bothered to check for wild yeasties.
Providing you start with a clean yeast and brewhouse method are proper and sanitary you should be fine.
MAtti

 

[piraterum]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll bottle the latest chunky brew and see what happens!

Fear not, I did not take throwing that first brew out lightly! I tasted it before I chucked it and it had a strange soapy taste to it. It was a brewcraft belgium ale and it didn't taste that great to start with, having a weird aftertaste. The main reason I thought it was contaminated was I had the yeast growing in a flask for a few days to get it started and it was quite possible that a rogue yeast may have got in via the airlock. I've never seen a yeast make a brew look so filthy! I would have thought the yeast would settle out a few days after fermentation was complete but it seems to stay suspended. Now i know that its not uncommon for this yeast I'll bottle it and see what happens, hopefly a miracle

 

[FNQ Bunyip]

piraterum, I dont know anything much about the yeast , but like all others I would say bottle and wait befor ditching... On another note you said you use Sodium met , do a search here for no rince sanitizers and think about changing to one of the many alternitives . most brewers here will say the same get a better sanitizer... Then you can rule out an infection a lot better .

:beer:

 

[Ross]

Piraterum,

It is not recommended to build a starter with dried yeast - just rehydrate in cooled boiled water & pitch within 30 minutes - instructions here

Cheers Ross