My First Smack Pack

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dickTed

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Brought home my first Wyeast Activator 1056 American Ale. It's adjusting to room temperature right now.

I'm going to make up about 6 starters from it, in my Coopers PET bottles.

I'm very excited, because not only am I going through this new brewing experience, but I have just taste-tested the maple syrup brew, which has only been bottled one week, and it's bloody fantastic.

Also made another brew today, and used 200g brown sugar, amarillo for bittering and Pac Hallertau for flavour. I was meant to "mash hop" this brew, but the saucepan I use for mashing in isn't quite big enough, so I'll be trying that next week.

Another thing. I explained what a manifold is to a plumber friend, and he said no problem. I just have to let him know whether I want a round or square one, depending on what shaped esky I get.

Hope you're all having a good day too.
 
dickTed said:
Brought home my first Wyeast Activator 1056 American Ale. It's adjusting to room temperature right now.

I'm going to make up about 6 starters from it, in my Coopers PET bottles.

I'm very excited, because not only am I going through this new brewing experience, but I have just taste-tested the maple syrup brew, which has only been bottled one week, and it's bloody fantastic.

Also made another brew today, and used 200g brown sugar, amarillo for bittering and Pac Hallertau for flavour. I was meant to "mash hop" this brew, but the saucepan I use for mashing in isn't quite big enough, so I'll be trying that next week.

Another thing. I explained what a manifold is to a plumber friend, and he said no problem. I just have to let him know whether I want a round or square one, depending on what shaped esky I get.

Hope you're all having a good day too.
[post="64241"][/post]​

Well done on your move to liquid yeast.

Just keep a strong hand on keeping everything clean and you will get many grat brews out of your yeast.

I haven't used the Pac Hal with Amarillo but would perhaps consider it the other way around using the Pac Hal for bittering and the Amarillo for flavour and aroma.

All the best with the yeast farming

Steve
 
chiller said:
[post="64241"][/post]​


I haven't used the Pac Hal with Amarillo but would perhaps consider it the other way around using the Pac Hal for bittering and the Amarillo for flavour and aroma.

[post="64262"][/post]​

I would concur with that. Amarillo is a fantastic flavouring and aroma hop.
 
Thanks for that advice fellers, I will dry hop with the amarillos.

Amarillo highway is No 87 and goes through west Texas.

Now I smacked the packet on Monday night, and it was swelled up on Tuesday morning. So well in fact, that it had leaked out on the bench.

Made a starter with about 1 litre of water with 3 good spoons full of DME, boiled 10 mins, cooled, poured into clean bottle. Lid on, and shook the shite offa it.

Sprayed the smack pack and scissors with metho, then snipped the corner off, and poured the lot into the starter wort.

Covered with foil. Placed into pantry where the temp is about 15C.

Didn't show any signs of fermenting all day, but there's a little bit of froth on top today, and perhaps a millimetre of trub.

Doesn't look like a hundred million cells to me, but then I'm the one who's usually wrong around here.
 
dickTed

A smack pack leaking is a "very" unusual thing. Never seen it before. They take quite a bit of abuse from my experiences.

You sure that it was yeast leaking and not something else? Another indicator would be the fact that if there was a hole/leak in the back it would most probably deflate.

Was the pack swollen quite solidly? If so there's no leak.

Also when you first make a starter with an ale yeast maybe try and keep it a little warmer than 15c. More like about 20-22c. Wait until it's your pitching starter before keeping it at those temps.

Enjoy the experience.

Warren -
 
Hi.

Yes, it's something I hadn't expected, but the packet was blown up tight (cylindrical shaped) and there were several dollops, plus the pack was lying in a little puddle.

Now if there was a leak in the packet on Monday night, I'd have noticed it, because I had to fiddle around a bit getting the knack of how to smack.

The pack was dated April 05.
 
Hi DT,

I got my first smack pack yesterday, a Bohemian lager yeast, and I couldn't feel the inner package, but I smacked the hell out of it anyway hoping to get it. This morning there was no signs of swelling, but we did have a relatively cold night in Brisbane, just wondering if that had anything to do with it <_< Anyway I smacked it a bit more this morning hoping to get it started. Did you have any problems finding the inner package?

Jye :beerbang:
 
Jye,

Best way to locate inner package is to get the flat of your hand. Put it on top of the pack and gently/slowly sweep it down the pack. You'll feel the inner package this way. Once you feel it, hold/isolate it and put the pack on a solid surface like a benchtop. Give it a short, sharp bang with a hammer fist. Then just shake the living crap out of it to mix up the contents.

Don't worry, they like it rough.

Warren -
 
Cheers Warren,

I tried a similar technique to what you described to find the pack but with no luck. I should have got it this morning, I used the hammer fist teamed up with the kitchen bench all over the packet :D I will just have to wait until I get home to find out.

Jye
 
Jye Posted Yesterday, 11:59 PM

...This morning there was no signs of swelling, but we did have a relatively cold night in Brisbane, just wondering if that had anything to do with it...

Smack packs will take longer with cooler temperatures.
Once smacked keep the pack on top of the fridge or another warm place to get them activated quicker.
 
When you tilt the pack from side to side, you should be able to feel the inner bubble move around. If you hold the pack upside down it will go to the top. Then lay it down gently, place the heel of your hand across the middle of the pack, and slide it towards the top until you can feel the bubble trapped by your hand.

Once you get some pressure on that bubble, hammer your other fist down on the back of your hand.
 
When I got home yesterday there was still no action and I couldn't feel the packet, so I must have got it the first time :) and to speed things up a placed it near a heater, not too close as to kill the yeast. About 3 hours later the pack was swelling up so it went back on top of the fridge. This morning it was as round as it was going to get.

I boiled 2.5L with just over half a cup of DME, let it cooled and added the wyeast. It is now just starting to bubble about once every 10 mins. So hopefully all is well B)

Jye
 
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