Did I kill my wyeast smack pack

[MMJfan]

So, I'm brewing an Oberon clone 2 days ago and took my wyeast out of the fridge and put it outside to warm it up. Well I forgot about it and over an hour later after baking in the sun I brought it back in. I waited a bit before smacking it and then waited almost 6 hours and there was no swelling whatsoever. I was afraid i killed the yeast from baking them in the sun but I read that you could still pitch wyeast without signs of swelling so I went ahead and pitched it. Well, two days later and still no activity in the air lock. I talked to a guy at my lhbs and he recommended taking another hydro reading which I did and there was no change from my OG and it still had that sweet taste of wort.

I was going to go ahead and re-pitch and was wondering if I need to re-aerate before doing so. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jonnyp1980]

Is there a krausen layer or foam on top?

 

[Mojzis]

So, I'm brewing an Oberon clone 2 days ago and took my wyeast out of the fridge and put it outside to warm it up. Well I forgot about it and over an hour later after baking in the sun I brought it back in. I waited a bit before smacking it and then waited almost 6 hours and there was no swelling whatsoever. I was afraid i killed the yeast from baking them in the sun but I read that you could still pitch wyeast without signs of swelling so I went ahead and pitched it. Well, two days later and still no activity in the air lock. I talked to a guy at my lhbs and he recommended taking another hydro reading which I did and there was no change from my OG and it still had that sweet taste of wort.

I was going to go ahead and re-pitch and was wondering if I need to re-aerate before doing so. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Personally I would wait one more day, then re-aerate then re-pitch.

 

[kh54s10]

Personally I would wait one more day, then re-aerate then re-pitch.

I agree.

You should be making starters when using liquid yeast.
Check mrmalty.com and yeastcalc.com for information on making starters.

 

[MMJfan]

Is there a krausen layer or foam on top?

No. There is no sign of activity whatsoever.

 

[MMJfan]

Well, I believe the answer to my question is that I killed my yeast pack. This morning there were still no signs of fermenting so I went ahead and smacked a new pack of wyeast. After it swelled, I re-aerated the wort and added the wyeast and within 3 hours of doing that, I have bubbling in my air lock! :rockin:

 

[Mojzis]

Well, I believe the answer to my question is that I killed my yeast pack. This morning there were still no signs of fermenting so I went ahead and smacked a new pack of wyeast. After it swelled, I re-aerated the wort and added the wyeast and within 3 hours of doing that, I have bubbling in my air lock! :rockin:

Nice! Be more careful next time! I allow my yeast to gradually warm up so you don't stress them out or kill them. Try taking it out in the morning or the night before.

 

[MMJfan]

Nice! Be more careful next time! I allow my yeast to gradually warm up so you don't stress them out or kill them. Try taking it out in the morning or the night before.

I totally need to be more careful! Yeast seems to be the one thing I ALWAYS forget about?! Maybe this experience will change that!

 

[idigg]

Take notes, try not to drink when brewing, and have a checklist of things you need to do. After 5 batches I no longer needed a checklist, so it will be like riding a bike eventually. I have 30 AG batches under my belt and can do everything in my head minus the water and temp calculations. Just take notes to improve your processes, leaving yeast in the sun should be a "don't ever do again" Hopefully your clone will turn out, Oberon is tasty.

justin

 

[SMc0724]

This may sound crazy, but I cannot smack that pack correctly. So when I use one, I carefully sanitize the exterior of the bag, cut it open with sterilized scissors, pour the contents into a sterilized jar, and wait for it to warm up. LOL..

 

[HootHootHoot]

This may sound crazy, but I cannot smack that pack correctly. So when I use one, I carefully sanitize the exterior of the bag, cut it open with sterilized scissors, pour the contents into a sterilized jar, and wait for it to warm up. LOL..

I have issues with that too. One reason why I don't like buying that brand. I always worry I'm going to pop it. I found working the patch into the corner and then really go at it seems to work for me.

 

[SMc0724]

HootHoot, what does "really go at it" mean? First, two attempts, I did not break the inner pouch. Third attempt, I hit it too hard and it went all over the kitchen (this is no joke, and not funny at that time, but now I'm LMAO). So, next time, cut and pour. Your advice is most welcomed. I hope I'm not stealing the OP.

 

[MMJfan]

Take notes, try not to drink when brewing, and have a checklist of things you need to do. After 5 batches I no longer needed a checklist, so it will be like riding a bike eventually. I have 30 AG batches under my belt and can do everything in my head minus the water and temp calculations. Just take notes to improve your processes, leaving yeast in the sun should be a "don't ever do again" Hopefully your clone will turn out, Oberon is tasty.

justin

Thanks. Good advice save for the not drinking while brewing. That goes hand in hand for me...

A checklist is something I've not done due to the fact that I mostly go by recipes from kits I buy. But I think, at least until I get a few more brews in, I'm going to do the checklist so that I can physically see the things crossed off and know that I'm not forgetting something. This is something I always feel after I'm done brewing is the, now did I forget anything feeling?! So far, the main thing I forget is getting the yeast out of the fridge in time to let it warm up. So far, this last batch was the first time it cost me but hopefully the beer will still turn out, because, as you said, Oberon is indeed a tasty beer and this is my second attempt at this clone!

 

[CBXBob]

My first attempts with liquid yeasts were less than stellar. That was before I found HBT. From here I found out A: Make a starter with liquid yeasts B: Temperature control is very important. C: RDWHAHB
For simplicity I now choose the dry yeast option, and follow MrMalty's recommended pitch rate for the gravity of the beer I'm doing. It's cheaper, easier to store, and less stressful.