Nottingham yeast, no activity during hydration

[Crispy31]

I just pitched Nottingham yeast that was showing no activity when hydrating it. I have read that it is not a sign that the yeast are inactive...however, I had a batch that did not ferment well with Nottingham the last time I used it (pitched dry right onto wort that time) and a guy at a different brew shop said he had issues the last time he used Nottingham. Previously when I hydrated Nottingham it foamed up so much it pushed the foil off the cup. This time nothing, it just settled to the bottom. I guess my question is, is anyone else having issues with Nottingham yeast, could it be a bad batch? Should I pitch some US05 to be safe or wait it out? Would it be alright to pitch 2 different yeasts?

 

[EJay]

I've never used nottingham, but I've never had a dry yeast show 'activity' during rehydration. I usually use US05 or S04 and it just gets creamy while rehydrating.

 

[CUrchin]

I also don't understand what you mean by 'activity' during rehydrating. There should be any ferment-able sugars in the water, so nothing should happen other than the yeast gradually dampening.

 

[soccerdad]

was there a date on it?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I've had some dry yeasts foam during rehydration but most are just creamy. Not sure why but it doesn't seem to make a difference. You should be fine. I also tend to have longer lag times with dry yeast so don't panic if you don't get activity in the fermenter for 24+ hours. I've had some lag times of 48 hours, especially with US-05 and Notty.

 

[Crispy31]

I've used Nottingham a fair amount, it's one of my favorites, and I've had it foam when hydrating it before...which is what I meant by activity. Though I will admit I usually dump it right in the fermenter. I was concerned about using it again after my last batch so I hydrated it this time. Sounds like I shouldn't worry about it too much.

The cause of my concern is it usually takes off like a beast, but the last one didn't. It did hit the FG I expected, but it took longer than usual and it tastes different, lacking somehow. I won't rule out the possibility I messed up during brewing but this second batch is lagging too. Thinking about throwing another packet, if only for peace of mind.

 

[flars]

Are you adding any sugars, fermentables, to the rehydration water? The rehydration water should be just water, also not RO or distilled water.

 

[ncbrewer]

Are you adding any sugars, fermentables, to the rehydration water? The rehydration water should be just water, also not RO or distilled water.

I was wondering the same thing. The on-line "How to Brew" has instructions to "proof" the hydrated yeast by adding some sugar. This seems to be an outdated practice.

 

[MikeSkril]

I rehydrate Nottingham in warm water and that creates creamy foam on the top after 10-15 minutes. If it does not do anything in warm water, I would wonder.

 

[attyindaburgh]

Wow. I just did two batches last weekend, one with nottingham and one with us05. I rehydrate both in warm water, but I used distilled water that I heated in the microwave and let cool enough so I could use it. I did spray the measuring cup that I was using with starsan first though. Both of the yeasts actually foamed. It actually almost looked like I was making dough. I pitched both and they both went to town. Is that normal for the yeast to look like that?

 

[flars]

Wow. I just did two batches last weekend, one with nottingham and one with us05. I rehydrate both in warm water, but I used distilled water that I heated in the microwave and let cool enough so I could use it. I did spray the measuring cup that I was using with starsan first though. Both of the yeasts actually foamed. It actually almost looked like I was making dough. I pitched both and they both went to town. Is that normal for the yeast to look like that?

No.

 

[Crispy31]

I opened the bucket to pitch another packet of yeast but there is a thick head of krausen already. Not a bubble from the airlock though and I made sure everything is sealed securely. It's unusual but I'll go have a beer and relax.

 

[masskrug]

It just gets creamy. No foaming action unless you are given them sugars.

 

[kh54s10]

Wow. I just did two batches last weekend, one with nottingham and one with us05. I rehydrate both in warm water, but I used distilled water that I heated in the microwave and let cool enough so I could use it. I did spray the measuring cup that I was using with starsan first though. Both of the yeasts actually foamed. It actually almost looked like I was making dough. I pitched both and they both went to town. Is that normal for the yeast to look like that?

No.

Really?? I find that most, if not all of the dry yeasts I have used, maybe as many as 10 varieties, have foamed.

 

[attyindaburgh]

Could it have been from the starsan?

 

[masaba]

The several times I have rehydrated Notty it has formed a foamy, creamy top layer. I rehydrate in water according to the instructions on the packet (I.e. no sugar). Maybe other dry yeasts behave differently when rehydrated. Also, I sanitize with Iodophor. The foam is definitely from yeast activity.

 

[BigFloyd]

Wow. I just did two batches last weekend, one with nottingham and one with us05. I rehydrate both in warm water, but I used distilled water that I heated in the microwave and let cool enough so I could use it.

Better to use tap water rather than distilled for yeast rehydration. Here's a portion of the 2008 interview given by Dr. Clayton Cone of Lallemand about it:

Let me give you some facts regarding rehydration and you can decide for
yourself where you want to compromise.
Every strain of yeast has its own optimum rehydration temperature. All of
them range between 95 F to 105F. Most of them closer to 105F. The dried
yeast cell wall is fragile and it is the first few minutes (possibly
seconds) of rehydration that the warm temperature is critical while it is
reconstituting its cell wall structure.

As you drop the initial temperature of the water from 95 to 85 or 75 or 65F
the yeast leached out more and more of its insides damaging the each cell.
The yeast viability also drops proportionally. At 95 – 105 F, there is
100% recovery of the viable dry yeast. At 60F, there can be as much as 60%
dead cells.

The water should be tap water with the normal amount of hardness present.
The hardness is essential for good recovery. 250 -500 ppm hardness is
ideal. This means that deionized or distilled water should not be used.
Ideally, the warm rehydration water should contain about 0.5 – 1.0% yeast
extract

For the initial few minutes (perhaps seconds) of rehydration, the yeast
cell wall cannot differentiate what passes through the wall. Toxic
materials like sprays, hops, SO2 and sugars in high levels, that the yeast
normally can selectively keep from passing through its cell wall rush right
in and seriously damage the cells. The moment that the cell wall is
properly reconstituted, the yeast can then regulate what goes in and out of
the cell. That is why we hesitate to recommend rehydration in wort or
must. Very dilute wort seems to be OK.

About the only uses I have for distilled water in brewing are to prepare StarSan and to rinse off the probe of my pH meter.

 

[flars]

This information is not even in Lallemands' "Articles". I have been using the rehydration information on the Fermentis site, which is a recommends cooler rehydration temperatures. Fermentis also says wort can be used, but does not say it should be diluted.
Could there be differences in yeast produced by Lallemand and yeast produced by Fermentis?