Getting a wee bit fed up of Wyeast

[kev]

Smacked a pack last night and nowt happened. Left it overnight - nowt in the morning.

Getting cheesed of with these as that's the 2nd I've had thats not "performed". The last one I popped into a starter and left it a week....nothing. I'm not wasting this one in a starter until it has shown some sign of life.

Getting a wee bit cheesed of with them to be honest. The dry stuff.....just....well....works?! Doesn't it?! I've never had a problem with dry yeast but I've bought about 6 Wyeast packs and 2 of them (so far) have been crap.

Before the fan-boys start, I follow the instructions exactly and they're stored correctly. I follow Wyeast's own info found online to get these going, and still nothing.

K

 

[markp]

Have you spoken to Wyeast about your problems?
Maybe there has been some problem there with particular batches??.....they will be able to tell you this very quickly using the batch codes.

FWIW, I've not encountered any problems with the two that I've used......one of which was 2-3 months out of date as well.

 

[Gaffers]

You know of my first experience with Wyeast from my thread. I wonder if others are having similar issues?

 

[Wendy1971]

Only used them once and same thing happened didn't start so zoot be using them again

 

[Aleman]

Quite frankly expecting a pack to swell in 24 hours is being more than a little optimistic, I've had packs take 5-7 days to swell, before pitching into a starter. I even think Wyeast state that you need to allow 1 day per month from the 'born on' date on the pack. I'ce used packs more than 12 months old and even these have not taken more than 7 days to inflate.

Patience, develop, must you, young padawan

 

[Wendy1971]

May the yeast be with you :rofl:

 

[Gaffers]

Quite frankly expecting a pack to swell in 24 hours is being more than a little optimistic, I've had packs take 5-7 days to swell, before pitching into a starter. I even think Wyeast state that you need to allow 1 day per month from the 'born on' date on the pack. I'ce used packs more than 12 months old and even these have not taken more than 7 days to inflate.

Patience, develop, must you, young padawan

The activator smack pack I used said to wait 3 hours and it took 2 days to show signs of life in the FV

 

[Aleman]

Quite frankly expecting a pack to swell in 24 hours is being more than a little optimistic, I've had packs take 5-7 days to swell, before pitching into a starter. I even think Wyeast state that you need to allow 1 day per month from the 'born on' date on the pack. I'ce used packs more than 12 months old and even these have not taken more than 7 days to inflate.

Patience, develop, must you, young padawan

The activator smack pack I used said to wait 3 hours and it took 2 days to show signs of life in the FV

5. How long should it take for a package to swell?

If a package is within 2 months of the manufacture date, the package should show signs of swelling within 5 hours and typically much faster than that. When the yeast is stored for long periods of time, they slowly consume their energy reserves (glycogen). When the energy reserves get low, the yeast are slow to produce CO2 and therefore are slow to cause swelling in the package. Improper storage at warm temperatures also has the same effect as long storage times.

Best if Used by: This package is best when used within 6 months of the manufacturer’s date when stored between 34-40°F (1-4°C). Older yeast or yeast that has been exposed to higher or lower temperatures may take longer to become active or swell.

Consider what happens when the pouches are shipped to us

They sit in a van for an unknown period of time
They sit in a warehouse for an unknown period of time
They sit in a plane
They sit in a warehouse for an unknown period of time
They sit in a van
They get put in a fridge at the retailer
They Sit in a van
They get put in a fridge before use

Hardly ideal storage conditions even if they are shipped with cool blocks.

 

[kev]

Quite frankly expecting a pack to swell in 24 hours is being more than a little optimistic, I've had packs take 5-7 days to swell, before pitching into a starter. I even think Wyeast state that you need to allow 1 day per month from the 'born on' date on the pack. I'ce used packs more than 12 months old and even these have not taken more than 7 days to inflate.

Patience, develop, must you, young padawan

Aye fair point....but why does the pack say 3 hours?

K

 

[Aleman]

Quite frankly expecting a pack to swell in 24 hours is being more than a little optimistic, I've had packs take 5-7 days to swell, before pitching into a starter. I even think Wyeast state that you need to allow 1 day per month from the 'born on' date on the pack. I'ce used packs more than 12 months old and even these have not taken more than 7 days to inflate.

Patience, develop, must you, young padawan

Aye fair point....but why does the pack say 3 hours?

No idea, I fell out with Wyeast before the activator packs were in existence

Wyeast tubes are just so much more convenient, but still suffer the same issues regarding storage in transit. I wouldn't use any liquid yeast product without making a starter first, regardless of what the instructions say. . . . and that includes slurries I have harvested myself.

 

[dennisking]

Not used Wyeast for several years. I found Brewlabs, cheaper and fresher, made up when you order, or Whitelabs to be much better.

 

[Gaffers]

I take it that bumf from Wyeast the Aleman just posted is on their website? It certainly is not on their packaging which clearly states 3 hours.

When I am organising a brew I hardly think to go on their website and find that sort of info.

Besides the next brew I will try the Hogs Back Yeast and see how that goes :thumb:

 

[dennisking]

Besides the next brew I will try the Hogs Back Yeast and see how that goes :thumb:

I captured Hogs back yeast from their bottles and it came out really good, but that was quite a few years back, don't know if its changed.

 

[kev]

Not used Wyeast for several years. I found Brewlabs, cheaper and fresher, made up when you order, or Whitelabs to be much better.

I've heard a few people talking about that yeast. Might order some and see for myself.

K

 

[RobWalker]

I've yet to have an issue with Safale...

 

[dennisking]

Spoke to Brewlabs today to see if they can supply a yeast like the Ridleys Essex yeast, thats whats good about them they will try to make up a yeast to suit you.

 

[kev]

Spoke to Brewlabs today to see if they can supply a yeast like the Ridleys Essex yeast, thats whats good about them they will try to make up a yeast to suit you.

Do they charge extra for that??

K

 

[kev]

Does anyone have the link to the Brewlabs page where they sell the yeast??

K

 

[dennisking]

No they don't charge any extra, £4 incuding postage.

http://www.brewlab.co.uk/analysisandresearch.asp

 

[RobWalker]

that's amazing! cheers for the resource dude.