Changing yeast

[podz]

Never had a problem with Cooper's yeast before, but this might be a mostly dead packet. I put together a batch of hefe using 1 kit of Cooper's wheat beer, and 1 can of Cooper's unhopped wheat extract. Dry pitched the kit yeast at 22 celcius, put the fermenter into a 22 celcius room. It's been almost two days now, nothing happening. I've made Cooper's kits a lot and they always take off within less than a day, so something is wrong.

Anyhow, what will happen if I move the fermenter to my 18 celcius room and pitch a pack of Danstar Muenchener? Since the Cooper's yeast range is 20-25 celcius, will it just go dormant and get taken over by the Muenchener or will there be a problem?

Thanks!

 

[ol-hazza]

Are you sure the first yeast did nothing? Have you taken a gravity reading or are you just working visually?

I dare say the coopers yeast would still be work at 18°, but probably a touch slower.

What i think will happen when you pitch new yeast depends on what has happened already. If the coopers has been active then it will effect the lag and aerobic stages of development for the danstar, and the coopers will outnumber them. Or if no action has taken place the danstar will proceed as normal.

 

[podz]

Are you sure the first yeast did nothing? Have you taken a gravity reading or are you just working visually?

I dare say the coopers yeast would still be work at 18°, but probably a touch slower.

What i think will happen when you pitch new yeast depends on what has happened already. If the coopers has been active then it will effect the lag and aerobic stages of development for the danstar, and the coopers will outnumber them. Or if no action has taken place the danstar will proceed as normal.

It's working EXTREMELY slowly, not enough to cause any gravity change. Perhaps if I make a big starter of Muenchener and pitch it, the current yeast will just get overwhelmed and bugger off.

 

[ol-hazza]

Possibly, but I'm not sure how the changes in the wort from the previous action will effect the lag time for the new yeast.

It shouldn't hurt to pitch more yeast unless it aerates the wort and the coopers yeast are now in the anaerobic stage.

hopefully we can get a second opinion on this one

 

[podz]

It finally picked up after I pointed a pair of big halogen lamps at the fermenter for about 3 hours.

I've used Cooper's yeasts dozens of times and they have always been fast and aggressive. This was the first time it went otherwise.

 

[ol-hazza]

Most likely it was a kit that had been poorly stored. General rule is to get rid of yeast coming with kits and buy a specialty yeast. Especially with coopers kits having a fair way to travel to you. (Unless coopers contracts their european operations)

 

[unionrdr]

I like to rehydrate dry yeast, especially Cooper's. Being only 7g, rehydrating it saves up to 50% of the yeast cells. Probably an old packet. I've put Cooper's yeast packets 2 years old in small starters to build them up again. Cooper's ale yeast gets sluggish below 64F. It seems to like 65-66F, or 18.33 to 18.88C.

 

[podz]

It seems to like 65-66F, or 18.33 to 18.88C.

I have not once been able to get Cooper's yeasts going in less than a 22 celcius room. I haven't tried their lager yeast, though - most of their kits are ales.

 

[unionrdr]

It's been their ale yeast for me. Rehydrating in 80-90F (26.67-32.22C) water for 30 minutes worked out well. Then, as it cools down to within 10 degrees of current wort temp, stir & pitch. After taking notes for a couple years, I found that Cooper's yeast gets very sluggish @ 63F (17.22C), a little less so @ 64F (17.78C). It likes the temp range previously mentioned. But even at the lower temps, it still produces some nondescript fruity esters. Just not as much as at higher temps, which, by the way, are internal temps, not ambient.

 

[Hanglow]

Coopers yeasts are sometimes mixed, depending on the kit

International Series:
Australian Pale Ale - Ac+L (26807 Int) preferred ferment temp 18°C (18-21°C recommended)
Mexican Cerveza - Ac+L (26807 Int) preferred ferment temp 18°C (18-21°C recommended)
European Lager - L (26807 P) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C
Canadian Blonde - Ac (26807) preferred ferment temp 18°C
English Bitter - Ac (26807) preferred ferment temp 18°C

Thomas Coopers Selection:
Wheat - A (26807 W) preferred ferment temp 24°C
IPA - Ac (26807 IPA) preferred ferment temp 18°C
Irish Stout - A (26807 IS) preferred ferment temp 21°C
Pilsener - L (26807 P) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C
Australian Bitter - Ac+L (26807 PS) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C
Heritage Lager - Ac+L (26807 PS) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C
Sparkling Ale - Ac+L (26807 PS) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C
Traditional Draught - Ac+L (26807 PS) preferred ferment temp 13-15°C

Note:
Ac = Coopers ale yeast (our own strain, not the same as the yeast in our commercial ales, developed in-house and propagated under contract)*

A = ale yeast and L = lager yeast (these strains are commercially available dry yeast and their details are held in confidence).

 

[podz]

Coopers yeasts are sometimes mixed, depending on the kit

Thanks, I had that list already but it did not include the preferred ferment temps.

Since this is the cooper's wheat yeast, it definitely did not get going until I moved it into a 22c room and pointed halogen lamps at it. I don't like to ferment in this room, rather in my 18c room, so I will just buy some danstar muenchener next time I do a hefeweizen.

 

[Hanglow]

Yeah it's from a coopers employee I think

I've made the coopers wheat before and it wasn't particularly wheat beer like iirc. Or at least not what I was expecting

 

[podz]

Yeah it's from a coopers employee I think

I've made the coopers wheat before and it wasn't particularly wheat beer like iirc. Or at least not what I was expecting

Well, it depends on how you make it.

I used 4.9kg of liquid wheat malt to make a 24 litre batch. That brings it into perfect color for the style, 5.4% ABV, and finishing around 1.016 (a bit high FG for my tastes, but the best I can do with extract). No time for proper beer making at the moment when the entire house is under renovation!