Starting Wyeast

[The Giant]

Thanks mate. It is so swollen I cant really squeeze it, but I wont go digging until I'm ready to use it just in case I do activate it.

Shaking it feels like something is still floating around in it.

Cheers

 

[The Giant]

Just to report back the pack is to swollen to feel anything in it. I dare say that it might have been smacked already then

I know there FAQ pages said it could be sold with confidence. I guess maybe make a starter and see what happens. I'm afraid that if i smack it the whole pack will explode and go everywhere hahah

 

[stux]

Just to report back the pack is to swollen to feel anything in it. I dare say that it might have been smacked already then

I know there FAQ pages said it could be sold with confidence. I guess maybe make a starter and see what happens. I'm afraid that if i smack it the whole pack will explode and go everywhere hahah

Sounds like its been smacked to me

Just make a starter anyway, and pitch. You don't *need* to smack smack packs. And you don't *have* to use them immediately after smacking

 

[bruce86]

Ok so i want to split my wyeast belgian abbey. there are a lot of mixed ideas here so to smack or not to smack? i have small vials ready etc. also if i choose not to smack can u keep the pouch with all the yeast food thats inside the pack to use in a starter. Also was going to split into 6. if i dont smack do they last longer?

Thanks Guys

 

[stux]

I would not smack and yes you can use the pouch in a starter

 

[bruce86]

I would not smack and yes you can use the pouch in a starter

Thanks

 

[humulus]

Here is the thread on the subject
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=45866

I use 30ml sterile plastic vials, they're about 2cm wide.

I have found its better NOT to smack the smack pack. This keeps the yeast cleaner, saves time waiting for the smack pack to fully ferment, and means you get about 25-28mls of yeast etc in each vial, rather than slightly overflowing. The yeast is clearer too.

The little sachets of wort/nutrient can be added to you starter volume.

You make a starter. The problem is you're making a starter with only 25% of the yeast that you normally would, this means if you want to do this you may want to build yourself a stirplate and possiby do a double step starter.

I have splits from smack packs which are approaching 12 months old, they should be fine as long as you build them up properly. I'm currently about to build up a 6 month old vial. This will mean I do a 500ml starter on the stirplate, then add another 1.2L on the stirplate, then chill and decant the spent wort, then stir up the remainder and pitch.

I don't pitch the full starter volume as with a stirplate its heavily oxidized and nasty beer that I don't want in my final beer


Now, I don't start the starter on brewday. It takes a few days to build up the yeast to pitching rates, and as I no-chill, I collect the kettle dregs and strain that to get my starter wort, then more than a few days in advance I build up my yeast in a starter.

Once built up the yeast will keep in a fridge for at least a week. Come fermentation day, i pitch the yeast from that starter

View attachment 49949

Here I am splitting 3 well-swolen wyeasts into 12 30ml vials. I no longer smack the wyeast packs before splitting.

G,day stux where do you get your vials from?
cheers Humulus

 

[iralosavic]

G,day stux where do you get your vials from?
cheers Humulus

http://www.proscitech.com.au/cataloguex/online.asp?page=l9

STERILE SAMPLE TUBES, 30mL
Conical bottom, free-standing, sterile, labelled and unlabelled, 30mL, PP.
OD25mm
LS22-30 Sample tubes, PP, conical bottom free-standing, sterile, 30mL AUD16.00 /pk/50 10% discount for 8 Available \l ""\l ""
LS22-30L Sample tubes, PP, conical bottom free-standing, sterile, 30mL, labelled AUD17.00 /pk/50

 

[humulus]

http://www.proscitech.com.au/cataloguex/online.asp?page=l9

STERILE SAMPLE TUBES, 30mL
Conical bottom, free-standing, sterile, labelled and unlabelled, 30mL, PP.
OD25mm
LS22-30 Sample tubes, PP, conical bottom free-standing, sterile, 30mL AUD16.00 /pk/50 10% discount for 8 Available \l ""\l ""
LS22-30L Sample tubes, PP, conical bottom free-standing, sterile, 30mL, labelled AUD17.00 /pk/50

Cheers mate will order this week,do these vials handle boiling water for sterilization or do you napisan then starsan?

 

[stux]

G,day stux where do you get your vials from?
cheers Humulus

I got mine in this bulk buy

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=52907

You might be able to get 100 or so from other suppliers, like livingstone.

100 is pretty much a lifetime supply. The nice thing is they're sterile, so you can decide if you want to re-use them and sterilize or not... after you've gone through your first 100 or so

Which is why getting in on a bulk buy is nice.

 

[bignath]

do these vials handle boiling water for sterilization or do you napisan then starsan?

I would also love to know how to prepare these vials for use. Have been kindly donated a heap of them from another AHB member and would like to know how other's do it.

Am gonna start with splitting some wyeast's hopefully tonight.....first time i've ventured into this sort of stuff.

 

[Wolfy]

I would also love to know how to prepare these vials for use. Have been kindly donated a heap of them from another AHB member and would like to know how other's do it.

As per reply to your other thread, you really need to try and sterilize them.
An autoclave (pressure cooker) works best, otherwise try the Tindalization procedure.

 

[Smidgey]

Was quite worried for a second there about bumping a well and truly dead thread but then I remembered that it's stickied.

I was reading the chapter on yeast in "How to Brew" by John Palmer a couple of days ago and it mentions that yeast in a sugar rich environment tend to evolve out the ability to process malt because the other sugars are easier to metabolize. It might not happen immediately, but you might see it happen after a few generations I guess.

 

[raven19]

Threads like this one are 'airlocked' accordingly.

I would definately not use any sugar in your yeast starter. Those yeast will chew the sugars first and this will likely effect your attenuation in your beer.

I tend to keep a kg or two of LDME on hand for when I need to prepare a starter.

 

[Aces High]

So I made a starter from 1272 using batz recipe on Monday (my first ever). The smack pack swelled in a couple of hours, I boiled 100g of DME in a litre of water for 5 minutes and let it cool and then mixed everything up in a 2L flagon with just some foil on top. I left it for a couple of days, shaking everytime I walked passed and I would hear some gas escaping, but it never formed any krazen on top and just looked like flat beer.

I got bored of this on Thursday, thinking a may have killed 100 billion innocent yeaties, and shoved it in my fermenting fridge, when I checked this morning the yeast have flocked and the FG is down to 1012.

Is this starter still viable, I had a quick taste and it doesnt taste off, but I dont know why there was never any krazen.

I was planning on doing a side by side on a double batch of SMASH with 1272 & US-05 (which ive been mainly using up till now)

Any recommendations?

 

[Steve@PMF82]

So I made a starter from 1272 using batz recipe on Monday (my first ever). The smack pack swelled in a couple of hours, I boiled 100g of DME in a litre of water for 5 minutes and let it cool and then mixed everything up in a 2L flagon with just some foil on top. I left it for a couple of days, shaking everytime I walked passed and I would hear some gas escaping, but it never formed any krazen on top and just looked like flat beer.

I got bored of this on Thursday, thinking a may have killed 100 billion innocent yeaties, and shoved it in my fermenting fridge, when I checked this morning the yeast have flocked and the FG is down to 1012.

Is this starter still viable, I had a quick taste and it doesnt taste off, but I dont know why there was never any krazen.

I was planning on doing a side by side on a double batch of SMASH with 1272 & US-05 (which ive been mainly using up till now)

Any recommendations?

It will be fine, decant spent wort and use the slurry

 

[einnebcj]

Would you spilt a smack pack into four if you are doing 17l stovetop batches? 3 specimen jars with in the fridge and then 1 into a 500ml 50g LDME starter for the upcoming brew.....? Or split into 5?

 

[Yob]

5

 

[einnebcj]

To smack....or not to smack...that is the question

......and one per missable to ask on this forum...but not on a parenting forum.

 

[Spiesy]

Why wouldn't you smack?

The question is - will it break? I'm so over thinking I've broken the smack pack, only to have the pack sit there unrefridgerated for a day, deteriorating.