Yet Another Smak-pack Problem

[chappo1970]

losp it's a lager yeast mate. Patience is the best tool the brewer has.

As what 4star said.

 

[losp]

thanks guys! that sounds reassuring. how long do you reckon until i can use it?

 

[chappo1970]

4 days do a hydro test. I know you would have the SG, right?

 

[losp]

of course (****)..


300gm of light malt extract + 3L of water. boiled for 10 minutes. I guess i could get guess at an average SG for that?

 

[chappo1970]

...(****)

Well lets hope that's what your yeasties are doing :icon_cheers:

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Have used packs nearing 2 years in age

They have all puffed

Takes a little while though

But all you need is one cell...

Cheers

 

[Ross]

Hi guys i tried again. this time with wyeast octoberfeast yeast. i actually waited about 3 days for the thing to puff up as it was made in june and it did. i pitched the yeast yesterday morning. and again it doesnt seem to show much action, cant hear any bubbling. but something may be happening on the top? I attached a photo.
If it is actually doing something. I wonder how long till high krausen.

Losp, it's clearly fermenting quite happily from the picture. Lager yeasts are "bottom fermenting", hence you quite often don't see the thick krausen of an ale yeast. ALL IS GOOD! :icon_cheers:

Cheers Ross

 

[cdbrown]

I originally thought you needed to smack and build a lager starter at 10C, but according to all the info out there it's not necessary. Do them both at around 20C and after it's been going for a few days lower the temp to 10C along with the wort and pitch.

 

[Fourstar]

I originally thought you needed to smack and build a lager starter at 10C, but according to all the info out there it's not necessary. Do them both at around 20C and after it's been going for a few days lower the temp to 10C along with the wort and pitch.

Yep! You're growing yeast, not brewing beer. Simply ferment at ambient, chill, then decant the fermented liquid and pitch away.

 

[losp]

do i really need to decant? cant i just chuck it all in at around 4 days?

 

[apd]

do i really need to decant? cant i just chuck it all in at around 4 days?

You don't have to decant but if you don't, you'll be diluting your nice fresh wort with several litres of starter beer. This might not be a problem but like someone mentioned, if you made a lager yeast starter at 20*C you'll get off flavours. Also, if you've gone to the trouble of making a AG wort and your starter was made with extract, you might not want to mix the two.

Andrew