Save or use "smacked" pack?

[Ian_Newson]

Hi all, so I brewed a Belgian Tripel on Sunday with some ingredients which have been hanging around a little while. This includes a smack pack of Wyeast 3522, with a bit of a story. I bought this a few months ago and kept it in the fridge, but over the summer my fridge stopped working so it was kept unrefrigerated for a couple of weeks. I knew it might have gone bad, but reasoned I may as well try to use it in this brew. So I did.

Cut to Monday. There's no change in the gravity so I think I'll order another pack of the same yeast.

Cut to Wednesday morning. Gravity hasn't changed again.

Cut to Wednesday evening. Yeast has arrived, I take it home and smack it ready to pitch another load. Open the FV and... Krausen!! Wtf?!

So I have a smacked pack ready to go which I've now put in the fridge, and a beer that appears to be fine just a bit slow.

So my question is: should I pitch this smacked pack anyway, or should I leave it in the fridge for next time? My instinct is the latter.

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[strange-steve]

I would keep it for another brew, the fact that you've smacked it already doesn't really matter, it's just a nutrient pack.

Did you make a starter for the yeast you pitched?

 

[Simonh82]

How strong was the beer that the original smack pack was pitched into?

You might get away with it but you will have massively underpitched your beer and it has taken a very long time to get going. The length of lag period suggests it took a long time for enough yeast cells to grow to really get going on the wort.

By under pitching you are increasing the chance that the beer will finish high and there is also a good chance that the yeast will have been stressed and will produce off flavours. Get the second pack in there ASAP.

 

[Ian_Newson]

I would keep it for another brew, the fact that you've smacked it already doesn't really matter, it's just a nutrient pack.

Did you make a starter for the yeast you pitched?

No, no starter. Thanks!

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[Ian_Newson]

How strong was the beer that the original smack pack was pitched into?

You might get away with it but you will have massively underpitched your beer and it has taken a very long time to get going. The length of lag period suggests it took a long time for enough yeast cells to grow to really get going on the wort.

By under pitching you are increasing the chance that the beer will finish high and there is also a good chance that the yeast will have been stressed and will produce off flavours. Get the second pack in there ASAP.

I'm aiming for 8.5 ish. Thanks for your advice. I think I'd rather repitch than lose a batch but more opinions are welcome.

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[strange-steve]

You will have drastically underpitched then, you should always make a starter for a liquid yeast, especially if it's a few months old.

Three days in, the damage (if there is any) is already done, I don't think there's any point adding more yeast now. If the Brulosophy experiments are anything to go by, you won't have done any major harm to the brew anyway, so just I'd just let it go.

 

[BREWERS DROOP]

you would need 2 packs for 8.5% so get the other one in.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

 

[strange-steve]

But the fermentation flavour and aroma compounds are created during the growth stage, which will have passed by now. Adding more yeast at this stage is pointless.

 

[Simonh82]

But the fermentation flavour and aroma compounds are created during the growth stage, which will have passed by now. Adding more yeast at this stage is pointless.

Agreed that the flavour compounds will have been created during the growth phase but a pitch of healthy yeast might help a strong Belgian beer get down to what I assume should be a fairly low finishing gravity.

I was listening to an Experimental Brewing podcast this morning where they tested brewing Belgian beers pitched with the right amount of yeast vs under pitching. The experiment showed people could tell the difference between the beers with stronger ester and phenolic flavours in the under pitched beer. With this much of an under pitch I suspect this might taste pretty full on.

 

[Ian_Newson]

So the pack burst in the fridge today, so I may as well have used it. Just an FYI for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.

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[strange-steve]

So the pack burst in the fridge today, so I may as well have used it. Just an FYI for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.

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Well that's really bad luck, I've never heard of a smack pack bursting in the fridge. In fact Wyeast say on their site that it's fine to keep a smacked pack in the fridge until you need it.