Norris! Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 So I have tried to rehydrate yeast about 5 times, being successful twice. My last batch I had to toss in a new packet this morning, after 24 hours of no activity? My process is Get a cup of hot water that is between 30 and 35c Dump in the yeast and stir to remove clumps Let sit for 20 to 30 min and then stir and add to batch The 2 times it worked I had fermentation activity in less than 12 hours. What am I doing wrong? Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Nothing really, although it's probably better to let it sit first before stirring it, usually for about 15-20 minutes, then stir and pitch. Some yeasts take longer to show signs of fermentation than others as well, have you been using different strains? 24 hours isn't long enough to be throwing in new yeast either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 I mainly use mangrove jacks, which are known for lag time. How long before you take additional measures? I always figured anything past 24 hours is an issue but I would def change my process for something better. Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Just checked my notes, in the 3 batches it "didn't work" I pitched more yeast and within 3 to 4 hours I had activity.....so basically if I waited things might of been ok. Thank you Kelsey, it looks like I have been tossing extra $4 bucks into my beers for no reason, dang! I have noted that I should toss in the yeast and let sit for 15 or so minutes and THEN stir. Cheers Mate. The next batch I will use Nottingham and see how it goes. Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gag Halfrunt Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Or dont rehydrate at all... I just chuck it into the brew. It seems to work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Safale US-05 is an example of a yeast that can take over 24 hours to 'operate'. The thing is, how are you deciding 'activity'. Some say "look for condensation under the fermenter lid, and evidence of a rising krausen". I ensure my FV seals and use the air-lock to sense activity, taking into account mini rises or lowering temperature in the FV environment. Mangrove Jacks M54 can take a long time, in fact it is my only failure. I dry pitched it in my early brewing days and threw the batch out after 3 days of no activity, after I chucked a kit yeast at it after two days. There was something wrong with my new fermenter I think, which I went severely to work on cleaning and sanitising. On the US-05 yeast, if I rehydrate I expect 18-24hrs. If I slurry, I expect 16hrs. If you use Nottingham, it will work fast and will pull the crap out of your malt in 3 days. I don't mind it as a reliable yeast but I am going off it as a yeast that gives the beer character. For re-hydration process follow Kelsey's advice and it will work every-time, given sanitised equipment and boiled water. You can use Gag's 'dry pitch' if you like but I don't like it for higher OG wort, like above 1.035. I stopped dry pitching 35 batches ago (after M54) and have never failed since. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Thank you Greg and Worthog for the advice. Patience is a virtue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Speaking of patience, I am exercising some with my current batch of pils. The Wyeast 2002PC Gambrinus lager yeast I pitched has not produced any krausen at all in 72 hours. I will take a gravity reading to see if anything is happening, and if not pitch something from the collection of Coopers kit yeast I have in the back of the fridge as emergency reserves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Speaking of patience' date=' I am exercising some with my current batch of pils. The Wyeast 2002PC Gambrinus lager yeast I pitched has not produced any krausen at all in 72 hours. I will take a gravity reading to see if anything is happening, and if not pitch something from the collection of Coopers kit yeast I have in the back of the fridge as emergency reserves.[/quote']No movement in SG whatsoever, so I have pitched 3 packs of the Coopers Ac+L yeast. I'll keep it at a low temperature so that the lager strain is active. So I guess that means that Craftbrewer sent me dead yeast. Unfortunately that rules them off my yeast shopping list for the future. Edit: My gravity sample tasted exactly like my post-boil gravity sample (ie fantastic), so it looks like nothing nasty has taken a hold. We'll see ... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 ...it's probably better to let it sit first before stirring it' date=' usually for about 15-20 minutes, then stir and pitch.[/quote']+1 Some yeasts take longer to show signs of fermentation than others as well' date='[/quote']+1 ...have you been using different strains? 24 hours isn't long enough to be throwing in new yeast either. Not always' date=' but if I haven't started to see noticeable signs of fermentation after 24 hours pitched, I have had problems in the past. 36 hours is my cut off point, but by then it is usually too late as the infection or wild yeast has taken control of the wort & unless you are able to pasteurise the entire wort, I don't know of another way to stop the infection spreading & ruining the batch. [img']crying[/img] I'm not always a good boy, but I am trying to pitch from active starters as often as I can & where time permits. If using a dry yeast, rehydrate it, & pitch it into a cooled boiled low gravity starter (1-2 litres for a standard SG brew) the day before you plan to begin fermenting your main batch. The starter also acts as a live test for the viability of your yeast as well as turning them into a ravenous sugar assault squad! I've never had an infected batch from pitching a live, active starter. Just my 2 cents, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariana Sullivan Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Take a sanitized jar and put 1cup of warm water, and stir in the yeast. Cover it with saran wrap. After 15 minutes it will be ready, but by adding one teaspoon of extract or sugar ''proof'' the yeast that has been boiled in a small amount of water. To get some vegan recipe ideas visit our website. http://simplelivingplan.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 I am going to keep at it, my next batch I will try to rehydrate or maybe even do the sloppy slurry method. Thank you all for the help, it has not fallen on deaf ears! John you have the patience of a saint! I think I will use a 36 hour rule and act only after that time frame. I will also make a starter as Lusty mentioned to ensure viability. Thanks again everyone, Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worts and all Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Or dont rehydrate at all...I just chuck it into the brew. It seems to work for me. What is the science behind this rehydrating business? I, too, toss the dry yeast into a wort of suitable temperature where it. I assume,rehydrates,gives itself a shake,looks around, and liking what it sees,begins to party. Never fails. Am I missing something? Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gag Halfrunt Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Or dont rehydrate at all...I just chuck it into the brew. It seems to work for me. What is the science behind this rehydrating business? I' date=' too, toss the dry yeast into a wort of suitable temperature where it. I assume,rehydrates,gives itself a shake,looks around, and liking what it sees,begins to party. Never fails. Am I missing something? Cheers![/quote'] Yeah mate, thats what I was kinda getting at. Isn't chucking it into the wort rehydrating it anyway? (After all the wort is wet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Hey lads, The yeast cells themselves cant control want goes in and out of them when first getting into a liquid substance. This will cause approximately half of your cell count to die if thrown straight into wort. Water on the other hand helps to protect the cells from this damage once hydrated. Not rehydrating can cause off flavours. Not saying will, just can, Pitch double the yeast for a full cell count if dry pitching. Cheers Captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gag Halfrunt Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 So you mean sugar shock if pitched dry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 I have dry pitched about 18 batches with 0 problems, but as I progress on the brewing journey I want to ensure I eliminate as many factors that could make an off batch, stressing the yeast is one way, so that is why I have been trying to rehydrate all my yeasts, since new year. Unfortunately it is causing its own problems that I never had with dry pitching yeast, mainly the slow lag times. A lot of that is my yeast choice, mangrove jacks is known for lag times but I generally noticed activity before 24 hours with dry pitching. I am going to get it right because at the end of the day it will make better beer or at least as good and it is just a few simple steps and those can be done while steeping hops. I believe in KISS in my brewery but despite my issues I think it is a good technique to follow. Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 I never really answered Kelsey's question, I have tried rehydrating with M44 and M54 yeasts and it works twice with M54 and this time not so much, well maybe activity did start 28 hours later and 4 hours after pitching a new packet. And it has never worked for the M44 yeast either time I tried it. Greg maybe? I am not a yeast guru...or did this post just confirm that? Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Sometimes (rarely), you just get bad yeast. I did have some doubts about this smack pack. It swelled a little after activating, but smelt slightly different from usual when I pitched. Not having used this strain before, I wasn't sure if this was just how it is. I guess not, since the Coopers kit Ale / lager yeast mix was showing signs of activity by the morning whereas the West had done nothing in 72 hours. It could have been the trip down from QLD, although my order had plenty of ice packs and it was still cool when I put it in my fridge. Think I'll stick to Brewman in Sydney for Wyeast or my LHBS if White Labs is what I'm after for a given brew. Rehydrating does add another risk of contamination, but is fine if you take some precautions. I boil water in a pyrex jug in the microwave then cover with afoul sprayed with Stars and and let it cool. When it gets down to 30 - 35C I sprinkle the dry yeast on top and re - cover. After 15 - 20 mins I stir with a sanitised spoon and pitch. Cheers and good luck! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 So you mean sugar shock if pitched dry? Basically. I too was sceptical about it as dry pitching previously worked fine before. I’ve done some side by side testing with it. I dry pitched one with 1 packet, another dry pitched with two packets and another with 1 rehydrated. All US-05. The cleaner tasting ones where the double pitched and the hydrated. The 1 packet dry pitched seemed to have a tad of phenols that were a bit off but only compared to the other two. If you had any of them on their own you probably couldn’t tell the difference. Cheers Captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 Nice experiment Capt. That is basically while I am trying to get this to work, better beer. Appreciate you chiming in with the details Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 On the few occaisons I've used MJ yeasts I've always found then to be slow starters - even when rehydrated. In stark contrast to my usual Nottingham and just yesterday, S04 - which was rehydrated, pitched and well underway in around 6 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 I am going to use Nottingham for the next batch. I like MJ yeast and was kind of hoping I was doing something wrong, but I will continue to use them while trying other strains, work my way through until I find one with all the properties I like, highly floccuent, quick starts and crisp flavour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worts and all Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 So you mean sugar shock if pitched dry? Basically. I too was sceptical about it as dry pitching previously worked fine before. I’ve done some side by side testing with it. I dry pitched one with 1 packet' date=' another dry pitched with two packets and another with 1 rehydrated. All US-05. The cleaner tasting ones where the double pitched and the hydrated. The 1 packet dry pitched seemed to have a tad of phenols that were a bit off but only compared to the other two. If you had any of them on their own you probably couldn’t tell the difference. Cheers Captain [/quote'] Thanks for that Cap’n! As always,there is more to things than meets the old gogglers. My feet are firmly planted in the keep-it-simple camp,and I was perfectly content with the fruit of my labours.. You have now sown the seeds of doubt, Thanks for that! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 So you mean sugar shock if pitched dry? Basically. I too was sceptical about it as dry pitching previously worked fine before. I’ve done some side by side testing with it. I dry pitched one with 1 packet' date=' another dry pitched with two packets and another with 1 rehydrated. All US-05. The cleaner tasting ones where the double pitched and the hydrated. The 1 packet dry pitched seemed to have a tad of phenols that were a bit off but only compared to the other two. If you had any of them on their own you probably couldn’t tell the difference. Cheers Captain [/quote'] Thanks for that Cap’n! As always,there is more to things than meets the old gogglers. My feet are firmly planted in the keep-it-simple camp,and I was perfectly content with the fruit of my labours.. You have now sown the seeds of doubt, Thanks for that! Cheers. My pleasure worts and all! Cheers and brew well, Captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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