OK, so my brother has gotten the bug and is coming over Saturday to make his second batch of what I will call a Wheat beer. We bought the kit from the local Morebeer and he bought liquid yeast with a smack pack. My question is pretty simple, at least I think it is. How long do I need to have it sit at room temp before we smack it? I read it needs to sit for about 3 to 5 hours after the smacking, or beatdown as I will call it LOL, but when should I take it out of the fridge and just set it on the counter to warm up, before it gets it’s beating? LOL
I don’t wait at all. I pop it as soon as it comes out of the fridge.
Paul
When I use that type I smack it when I start my brew day and let it sit on the kitchen counter until it’s time to pitch.
Perfect. Thanks guys
You dont need to wait at all. You dont even need to smack it. Be sure to make a starter the day before you use it.
How fresh is the pouch? It’s possible to get away with direct-pitching if it’s really fresh, e.g. no more than a few weeks old. But even then, making a starter is a really good idea with liquid yeast being used for the first time.
I have had poor results direct pitching any beer over 1.040 OG
Crud, well I don’t think I have the DME for a starter, but I guess I can take a drive to Morebeer and get some if it will make it better. I don’t have any of the needed equipment to do it either. Damn, I knew I should have told my brother to get dry yeast. Gonna hit youtube and see what I can find.
I cannot find any dates on the package, but we bought it about a week ago if I remember correctly.
A while back I discovered I was out of DME and didn’t want to postpone my batch, so I used honey for my starter. If I recall correctly, it worked just fine.
Maybe I can try this in a pinch if they have it.
All you need is a gal. container. I use an old apple juice jug. Old Dog…New Tricks | Experimental Brewing
In lieu of making a starter, you could simply buy (and pitch) more pouches. But starters have other benefits for liquid yeast and making them is a good habit to get in to.
I have gotten away with direct-pitching a single fresh Wyeast pouch in the past…but there have been more times that I did not get away with it. YMMV, but simply put, it’s a bad idea to direct-pitch a single Wyeast (or White Labs) pouch. Wyeast’s marketing says you can…I don’t know how they can claim this with a straight face.
As a side note, IME it’s different with Imperial yeast. Yeah it’s got more cells, but even old Imperial pouches take off like a rocket. They must feed their yeast steroids. I have no qualms direct-pitching even an old Imperial pouch (although I still make starters for them).
If you are going to Morebeer anyway, it’s not a bad idea to pick up some dry yeast packets. They can sit around forever and are good to have on hand for “emergency” situations like this.
Cheers, I hope this wheat beer turns out great!
You are lucky to have a LHBS so close. I have a wine making store, with limited brew supplies, 2 hours away, otherwise it’s a 4 hour drive to a bonafied HBS. I do a lot of mail order.
I h ave a water bottle that I have been using for measuring. That could work. If I use the canned starter, how long do I have to have it prepared before I put it in the wort? We are brewing tomorrow, so am I going to be pushed for time? Also, I don’t have the stir plate thingie, can I just shake or stir the jug every so often? This is all new to me, and we are supposed to brew tomorrow. LOL.
I use Propper all the time. So much easier than DME. I wouldn’t use honey or similar sugar source for a starter. Other than sugar, it has no nutrients.
You have plenty of time if you get the starter going now, but if I may, perhaps consider using dry yeast, or multiple liquid pouches, rather than worrying about a starter. Try the starter thing with a future batch, so that you can have fun and enjoy brewing tomorrow without extra worry.
Don’t need a stir plate. Look up SNS starter. Timeline is no different with canned starter vs. DME.
Before I go to bed, I do the SNS method above. Shake the heck out of my jar and the next day pitch it.
Please read the link I posted or search here for Shaken Not Stirred starter. You pitch it 24 hours after you make it. No stir plate is needed nor recommended. You dont need to shake the jug other than right before you pitch the yeast.
Will do, thanks for the info.
I think you might be right about the dry yeast thing. But the SNS sounds pretty cool.