Wyeast Problems

[drsmurto]

Smacked my last pack of west yorkie (WY1469) dated Oct 2008 last Friday. Let is do it's thing till Tuesday when it was almost football like then pitched it into a 2L starter.

Despite going to all that effort to make sure i had built up the cells to a sufficient quantity i headed out a few minutes ago to the shed to give the wort a good thrashing 5 hours after pitching the yeast (into a well aerated wort that copped a good thrashing with a whisk). Cling film is domed, looking like it wants to pop and the krausen is already 5 cm and rising. :beerbang:

I realise this isnt 100% on topic but it goes to show that with a bit of forward planning and a starter, old yeast can be brought back to life and used. 7 days from smack to pitch but i feel confident that i have pitched a healthy batch of yeast in adequate numbers and not risked my wort.

 

[Bribie G]

Also a bit off topic but for those yearning for the return of 1469 I see that Gryphon (no affiliation) have the Proculture Wood Ale back in stock.

 

[drsmurto]

If it comes out at the end of the yeast as rumoured then i am sure i can keep this strain going till them but thanks for the heads up.

What does it cost to get a vial send across the country?

 

[Bribie G]

If it comes out at the end of the yeast as rumoured then i am sure i can keep this strain going till them but thanks for the heads up.

What does it cost to get a vial send across the country?

I got two vials and I think the postage was the small Aus Post "next day" pack - around $8 maybe?

 

[Tony]

I have had fresh packs swell up like hard footballs within 2 hrs and some take a week.

It all depends on the age of the yeast and how its been stored. THe older it gets, the less yeast cells survive in the pack, and if its not stored corectly, more cells will die faster.

If the pack is very fresh, within a month or 2 so of the date on the pack......and its been stored in the fridge and not frozen, it should swell very fast and be good to pitch direct.

Older packs will take days to swell sometimes and should go in a starter to get them up and running before use. Otherwise you will have long lag times in the brew.

I found a 1.5 year old pack of Danish lager in my kegorator and decided to make a Dortmunder. I smacked the pack a week before i brewed as i know it would be slow from its age. I smacked it on the saturday morning and it was wednesday night before the pack swole right up. I then put this in a 1 liter starter which it consumed by saturday morning and started to settle out. I brewed on the saturday, pitched the thick yeast cake in the starter and the next morning it was up and running at 11 deg c.

Id recomend always letting the pack swell right up till its hard. If this takes more than a day or 2 put it in a starter!

If you do this, it will always work.

THe 6 P's work well here..... Propper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

 

[Screwtop]

THe 6 P's work well here..... Propper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

The 7 P's Tony

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance......... :lol:

Screwy

 

[schooey]

I think some strains will activate at a faster rate than othersl, hence swell faster, regardless of storage and treatment. But yeah, if you don't have a little green and black pillow within 48 - 72 hours, it's time to grow some cells in a starter.

Good to hear about the Yorkie from 2008 firing uo to, Dr S... I have a strain of about the same age I was a bit iffy about, but will proof it now to see what happens

 

[Tony]

The 7 P's Tony

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance......... :lol:

Screwy

Mmmmm well "Planning" will always be done "Prior" to any event, making the 7th word obsolite

I think we have had this discussion before....... havnt we mate :icon_cheers: