Never used this yeast until yesterday.
We pitched 2 packets of this yeast at 65 degrees F, and the fermenter slowly cooled to the recommended temp of 57F.
What is the normal lag time for this strain? No re-hydration, direct pitch.
It takes off fast in my experience. About 12 hours, maybe 16 hours at most. Don’t be worried if it takes any longer than that either. But it won’t lag. It will be great.
Thanks. Not worried…just curious what to expect. I followed the recommendations from Fermentis on temps and technique. Just dumped 2 packets into the wort. Simple as that.
The last time I used W34/70 I could only get the wort down to about 66f. I pitched it around 4 and put it in a cooler at 48f. By morning the wort was in the low 50s and it was burping out of the airlock by noon.
Nearly 24 hours now. Pitched two packs. Pitching temp = 68F. Now it’s at 56F.
No signs of life. None.
My online search reveals the 34/70 is notorious for monster lag times…36, 48 hours and longer.
Meanwhile, the other half of the split batch (Kolsch-Wyeast) is fermenting like crazy.
That’s interesting. I’ve never had a long 34/70 lag.
When you say no sign of life. What do you mean?
Anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. I pitch heavy, possibly over-pitch but I also use this yeast at the lower end of fermentation temps and lower. (48-50) I have pitched at a higher temp then bringing it down but I don’t practice that any longer. Pitch at fermentation temps or lower and let it free rise.
Over pitch!
28 hours, and zero signs of CO2 expulsion, no bubbling in the blow off tubes, no froth/foam on top of the wort…just clear liquid. It looks exactly like it did when we drained the wort from the boil kettle.
We pitched 2 packets. 23 grams total, for a 5.5 gallon batch. Pitched at 68 degrees. 70 seconds of pure O2 was added to the wort. The date stamp on the yeast packets say 9-2021.
The other half batch, brewed exactly the same, only using Wyeast had a 15 hour lag. And it is bubbling away in the blow off jar.
I have used dry 34/70 only a few times, pitching both directly and rehydrated, and saw much longer lag times than equivalent liquid yeasts. Just a couple more data points, though, my experience with the dry yeast is very limited. I really hoped it would prove a convenient alternative to liquid culture, but did not like its performance or the beer it made. That said, I no longer care for the 34/70 yeasts in general.
Unless a miracle happens overnight, this is the first and last time we use this yeast. We have never had any yeast with a lag time of 26-28 hours, liquid or dry.
My last 34/70 pitch is all I can remember. 2.6 gallos of 1053 wort with 1 pack of yeast. Temp was 56-57F. Krausen appeared at 24 hours.
If there are no signs of fermentation activity within the next 14 hours (40 hours total), a good fresh pack of Wyeast will be purchased and pitched. Maybe 2 smack-packs.
Wow. My experience couldn’t be more different. I went back and reviewed the Tilt data for the last three beers I used it with and none took longer than 6 hours to show signs of fermentation. It’s one of my favorite yeasts because it starts fast, finishes fully, and clears so well.
It appears that this yeast is very inconsistent. Some report very little lag time, others report times of 48 hours, 60 hours, or longer. Perhaps an issue with quality control?
We had such high hopes for this strain.
I thought having a krausen at 24 hours was just fine. Fermentation would have started quite a while before that.
The Tilt log says it had dropped 4 points at 22 hours. That must have been when I checked on it and saw the krausen because my Tilt only records when I open the app on my phone.
Yeah check again this morning, then if necessary add 2 more packs. I am really surprised by the long lag. You pitched plenty of yeast, it should be rolling like bonkers by now. I don’t recall though if this yeast stays on bottom with zero krausen. There are some yeasts that do that.
Did you use yeast nutrient? That may be the difference in the lag time I am seeing and the times you’re seeing. I use nutrient routinely.
As of 6AM, there is a very slight foam/krausen forming on top. No CO2 yet. The total lag time is 36 hours.
In over 20 years of brewing, we have never used a yeast nutrient. Also, our typical lag times range from less than one hour to 8 hours.
I understand that many brewers use a nutrient, but the yeast used prior to this one (W-34/70) never suffered due to lack of nutrients. We always aerate well, plus add pure O2 to the wort.
Alright! You’re good to go!
No need for any nutrient IMO.