White Labs Fizzing Question

[mattbeer]

When I opened my WL SUPER HIGH GRAVITY YEAST WLP 099, it had a similar reaction that a bottle of soda makes after being excited. The vile fizzed a bit once I cracked the seal. The use by date is May 20, 2014 and it is June 8th today. Should I be afraid of anything? I made a starter and it's spinning away for the night. Please advise


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[afr0byte]

When I opened my WL SUPER HIGH GRAVITY YEAST WLP 099, it had a similar reaction that a bottle of soda makes after being excited. The vile fizzed a bit once I cracked the seal. The use by date is May 20, 2014 and it is June 8th today. Should I be afraid of anything? I made a starter and it's spinning away for the night. Please advise


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It's fine...other than being old.. the fizzing is normal

 

[Setesh]

The fizzing is completely normal. I find it works best to crack it open with it completely vertical, then when the liquid bubbles reach the top shut it and wait a few minutes. Repeat until all fizz is gone.

 

[mattbeer]

That's exactly what I did, instinctually. I have been sprayed by many bottles of soda water. Tomorrow will be a brew day. Do I need to worry about my starter? I used 2 cups of water an a ½ cup of DME. Is there any worry about not using enough water? The WL web page suggests more for a hight OG beer. Regardless, it's too late, I'm all in. I just don't want fermentation to start in my starter.


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[vNmd]

It depends on what beer you are making and its OG. I use the online starter calculators and usually do a 1 - 1.5 liter starters. I don't do really high gravity beers so that has been ok. Since the date of your yeast has past slightly, the live count is probably low. I trust the online starter pages for viability numbers since I don't know any better. Personally, when I use older yeast I do a second step. The first step doesn't look like it is doing much, but the second step roars like normal. Best of luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[eandersen]

That's exactly what I did, instinctually. I have been sprayed by many bottles of soda water. Tomorrow will be a brew day. Do I need to worry about my starter? I used 2 cups of water an a ½ cup of DME. Is there any worry about not using enough water? The WL web page suggests more for a hight OG beer. Regardless, it's too late, I'm all in. I just don't want fermentation to start in my starter.


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Well technically, you DO want fermentation to start in your starter. Basically what you've got with a starter is a tiny batch of beer for the yeast to ferment. No fermentation=no yeast reproduction.


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[catdaddy66]

This happened to me Friday night. I was warming up my wlp810 vial and as I cracked the seal it went 'psssssssssssttttttttt'... and then it coated my hand and the vial! Only lost about 10% though, and used the rest in my starter. No issues currently.


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[Setesh]

Tomorrow will be a brew day. Do I need to worry about my starter? I used 2 cups of water an a ½ cup of DME. Is there any worry about not using enough water? The WL web page suggests more for a hight OG beer. Regardless, it's too late, I'm all in. I just don't want fermentation to start in my starter.


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Any starter volume is going to be beneficial. You want to aim for a starter OG of between 1.030-1.040. It takes a certain volume of starter to increase your cell count. A low volume starter will wake them up, get them fermenting, that is beneficial to do but it doesn't get you many extra cells. A 2 liter starter will pretty much double your yeast cell count. Depending on how big a beer you are making the doubling can be all important. Unless you are around 1.030, a starter is going to be needed to get the proper pitch rate. You are going to make beer either way, but you might get some yeast stress flavors, and they may not finish as low as they would have at a proper pitch rate. If you are making a big beer this time you can always just pitch in another vile. Or, add a packet of properly hydrated dry yeast as well. US-05 is nice and clean and TBO, pretty much all yeast strains can handle around 15% ABV as long as they start out in the wort. Pitching a yeast into a beer with alcohol already present is another story entirely. How big is this beer you are making?