Yeast Instructions Really Necessary?

[Wolfy]

Knowing full well that this subject gets chewed over every six months or so (Done to ******* death) on AHB I'll just stick to what I've been saying for the last 4-5 years "Follow the Manufacturer's Instructions" in the case of Fermentis on the packet it says "Sprinkle into wort" If you go to their website it offers alternative instructions (not better or worse alternate), do one or the other not some halfarsed short cut method - unless you know more about yeast than the people at Fermentis - follow the manufacturer's instructions

When you are dealing with millions of live yeast cells, even if you do kill half of them, they can still go on to make good beer.
However, as with anything, why would you not put in a little effort and try to make use of all the product you pay for?
Nobody opens a can of goo or bag of grain and then tips half of it down the sink or into the rubbish bin, there is no reason to do the same with yeast, when rehydrating it correctly is not too difficult at all - and yes the manufacturers DO say to rehydrate the yeast - it's just the small packs sent to home brewers do not, maybe they think we are too lazy or stupid to do anything other than sprinkle it on the wort.

 

[Yob]

for me it's 15-20 min in 100ml boiled cooled water (25'c max) and then add 100ml of runnings at same temp, leave for 30 min and the thing is trying to climb out of the Pyrex jug..

just re-read instructions from this here so I guess for me I was about right anyways

 

[Stinger]

Righto then, I have just gone the extremely lazy route, Lager 26L vol , around 1050 OG
nochill in back sleep-out for ~ 18 hours at 12 deg.
Pitched 11.5gm S-23 sprinkled directly onto the top of the wort which would have been closer to 12 deg than the 20deg recommended for pitching.
Left fermenter in the sleepout for about another 12 hours (overnight) ambient temp 8-12 deg.
This morning brought the fermenter inside (ambiant 20-22deg) and it started bubbling for a short while which I think was just the air in the top of the fermenter warming up and escaping out of the airlock.
how long should I wait before hydrating and pitching more S-23?

Stinger

 

[Yob]

why would you need to pitch more? You havnt killed them just activated them at a lowere than desireable temp...

I reckon you are just going to have a slightly longer lag time, leave it for a few days and check SG reading.

Yob

 

[Wolfy]

Righto then, I have just gone the extremely lazy route, Lager 26L vol , around 1050 OG
nochill in back sleep-out for ~ 18 hours at 12 deg.
...
how long should I wait before hydrating and pitching more S-23?

Stinger

In 'theory' you should have pitched somewhere around 30g of dry yeast, in addition by sprinkling the yeast on-top may have lowered the viability of the single 11g pack you pitched. Since you underpitched quite substantially it's up to you what you do now - if anything - no doubt the yeast will reproduce and make more cells and continue to make beer, however that will add to the lag-time and may produce additional yeast esters/flavours.

In addition S23 is a lager yeast and should really be fermented about 12C, so 'in theory' it would be more suited to being left in the sleep-out rather than inside where it is much warmer, however since you underpitched keeping it warm should help increase the yeast activity.

 

[Stinger]

Considering I started in lazy mode, i intend to continue in that vein. I plan to leave the fermenter in my office for a day or so to see if slightly increased temp (22deg) will get the yeast a little more active after which I will take it back to the sleepout where it is cooler.

Not going to pitch any more yeast or get too stressed. This brew is using Saaz hops I grew in the back yard so I will be stoked just to see how they turn out flavor wise.