wyeast "smack" packs

[Covrich]

anyone else find the whole "smack" pack a little economical with the truth..

Might be me doing it wrong but I feel I have to go all medievil on it..

I reckon even Anthony Joshua would need a few rounds with one to get the nutrient pack to open and mix up

 

[IainM]

Yeah, but Wyeast Headbutt-it-on-a-Brick-Wall Pack doesn't have the same ring.

 

[strange-steve]

Agreed, they certainly need more than a smack in my experience. And it's not always too easy to tell if you've succeeded in breaking the pouch.

 

[MyQul]

I've only used these once and I couldnt break the pouch no matter how much I smacked it. So I ended up taking out the pouch and cutting it open with a pair of scissors and pouring the nutrient into the starter

 

[DoctorMick]

Every time I use them I expect to break the outer packet and get yeast everywhere.

 

[Covrich]

Well i beat my pack.. waited 4 hours virtually no swelling.. made a starter and 14 hours later it hardly looks like its going..the bottle is firming up do you think its a bit dud??

was planning on brewing today and pitching the starter 24 hours in but its not looking too healthy..

I can if needed delay the brew untill sunday although i already have my water ready and treated.. would you tip the water and start again ?

 

[Zephyr259]

I also feel like I'm gonna break the other pack before the inner. 1st one gave a nice pop but didn't know I'd succeeded with the 2nd until I opened it, I always build starters so not seen a pack swell yet, but they were both 4 - 5 months old. The 2 I've just got are a few weeks old so might swell better.

 

[mr_bridger]

It's even harder to "smack" if the pack is a little swollen already. Had that a few times. I've had packs I've forgotten about and still managed to make a starter when the packs over 6 months from date of manufacture! (which is supposed to be zero viability.)

What's the date of manufacture on the pack?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Covrich]

January is the date of manufacture.. only got it delivered wednesday

Its fermenting now, no krausen though just fizzing bubbles but I guess thats the main thing and I can see yeast collecting at the bottom..

I may just leave it to cook out now and maybe go tomorrow on the beer

 

[foxbat]

What OG are you aiming for on your brew and which yeast is it? What you're describing is normal activity in a starter. Swirl it each time you walk past it and I bet by tomorrow morning the fizzing will be over and it'll be settling to the bottom. I don't think you'll have enough time to chill and decant off the spent wort so you'll be tipping the whole thing in tomorrow.

 

[TheQuokka]

Don't smack - punch with your knuckles or give it a karate chop, especially if it's a bit swollen.

 

[Covrich]

Its a wyeast 3333 wasn'y what I ordered but geterbrewed substitued it for me (after a phone call asking for permission since the other one had actually ran out)

Normally my starters have a krausen on now.. its fizzing away and I have some settling at the bottom of the pop bottle but I am regularly gyrating and swirling it anyway.

I will play it by ear.. might see how it is later shove it in the fridge over night..

Out of curosity since I normally treat my water the night before brew day.. would you toss away this water and start again if you went for Sunday say? (I treated it last night Thursday)

 

[Covrich]

By the way its H&B malt extract,, which is fine but its pretty dark.. anyone noticed that? I used it on a partial mash left overs brewday when I ran out of grain and thats pretty dark too..

Not sure whether I would recommend it to an extract brewer tbh.

 

[Gunge]

Round here, 'smack packs' don't contain yeast.

 

[Tanzanite]

Round here, 'smack packs' don't contain yeast.

Do you live in Bradford ???

 

[MyQul]

By the way its H&B malt extract,, which is fine but its pretty dark.. anyone noticed that? I used it on a partial mash left overs brewday when I ran out of grain and thats pretty dark too..

Not sure whether I would recommend it to an extract brewer tbh.

Yeah. I'm using it at the moment to step up the Gales strain. I find at 1.040 it's amber coloured. Kind of like a bitter

 

[Covrich]

Yeah. I'm using it at the moment to step up the Gales strain. I find at 1.040 it's amber coloured. Kind of like a bitter

Yeah its caramel coloured..

I am going to try one of my left over partial mash brews which i have left for conditioning. No reason for it to be so but it isn't the best I have made lets say.. I think though its the extract may need more time perhaps.. its not a twang its just not as nice as it would have been had I used grain or I dare say dme even.. the copper colour also surprised me not that its a deal breaker.