problem with smack-pack

I think if you read the instructions, it says that it may take up to a day per month of storage for it to swell. In this case, you'd probably be best off making a starter and not planning to brew until Sat. at the earliest.

Ed

Roger Grimm> Hello there,

Uh...no it doesn't

As Homer Simpson would say... "D'Oh!"

I'm sure they used to. The rest applies... you'd be better off making a starter and brewing on Sat. Maybe just give it some more time to see if it'll swell on it's own.

Ed (just the messenger)

Roger Grimm> Uh...no it doesn't

If it was me, I'd wait until it swells, then make a starter, and a couple days later I'd brew. You can rush the process if you want, but you'll have less than optimal results. Do you want to do all that work brewing and then blow it because you rushed the yeast?

----------->Denny

And along those lines, don't worry about it not swelling. I can just about guarantee you that it will poof up. Wouldn't be surprised if by Thursday you'll see it underway. Let us know. Incidently, I think everybody goes through your angst when they start using smack packs. Alas, all will be well! ; ) Ken

Either... give it time to swell and then make a starter or make the starter and pitch and let it work.

Either way, the starter will take at least a day. That goes for new fresh smack-packs... they should be smacked (at least) a day before you plan to brew. They will work as is, but they work better with a starter.

I'd give it some more time to swell but tomorrow, I'd make a starter whether it had swelled or not.

A starter is simple... a couple ounces of lme or dme in a cup of water, boil for a 5-10 minutes, and cool to 70F, then pitch yeast. There are optimum ways to do it but basically you are making a tiny wort to grow yeast. I think the optimum og for a starter is somewhere in the range of 1.035-1.040, but if it is between 1.025 and 1.045, it will give a medium for the yeast to start and multiply. The point is to make more (working) yeast cells to go into the 5 gallon wort.

And, I (as can most brewers) can relate to the upset of a snag in a brewday...

If you have > Thanks for your input Ed. I'm just worried it won't swell. This is the first

What's wrong with just activating it in some warm water like you do with dry yeast? (Never used a smack pack)

Roger Grimm> Hello there,

Check this out:

Thanks for the link .. I used to brew alot over 8 years ago and am now just getting back into it. This link will be a nice resource as to what is new that I don't know about.

Thanks a bunch Fran St Pete FL

By smacking, are you sure that the inner blister was ruptured and that the contents were mixed by kneading for a short time. I have found those inner packages more difficult to burst as of late. Also check the date on the package. Allow an additional day for every month after the manufacture date to allow for full expansion of the pack. Since you purchased this pack in May, assuming it was fresh then, allow5 days. You can speed the process by gently warming the pack, I set it near a window in direct sunlight. You can also wrap it in a warm moist towel. Just be careful to not cook the yeasties.

Dennis

Roger Grimm>Hello there,

We did! We did! Sooo... Whatever happened? Roger, are you still with us? Ken

Maybe it's time to ask your doctor about Viagra...

Jason

If your yeast is so dead that it takes a week or so to swell, then it might still be usable, but it's not in great shape. When it finally does swell, be sure to create a yeast starter with it, just to make sure you have enough yeast to get the job done. Mix a half cup of DME in a cup of water, boil for a few minutes, then when cool, add the yeast, cover it, and wait until the yeast colony starts making good amounts of CO2 again. Then you should have plenty of yeast cells for pitching.

Good luck.

Er -- 1/2 cup DME in 1 cup of water may be a tad strong for a starter and weakened yeast. At the most I'd use a 1:4 ratio (1/4 cup DME to 1 cup water) or even less DME.

Well, something like that anyway. I never actually measure it, I just dump some together, boil it, cool it, and you're good to go. I've never had any problems. But you're right, 1/4 cup DME to a cup H2O should be plenty. Actually, if you want to get all scientific about it, you could use all the good old equations to figure out the exact gravity to match the OG of your brew.... but that seems to be overkill.

wrote

Actually, it's not that hard - provided you're measuring in metric! For a

1.040 starter, assuming 45ppg DME, you just need 1 gram DME for each 10mL of starter. So, for example, a 250mL starter needs 25g, a 2L starter needs 200g, and so on. I make my starters in Erlenmeyer flasks which are marked in mL, and my electronic scales can read in grams, so it's easy.

Cheers, Rowan