Stuck #7

[souportugues]

So I'm doing a batch with 4 different yeasts right now (4 way split), and my White Labs #7 appears to be stuck and dead. I scooped out a bit and put some sugar on it to see if it was really dead, and didn't see any foam after an hour.
1: Could this be because I have a full dose of yeast and only 1/4 of the rest of things? That seems unlikely to me, but possible.
2: If that's not the case, can I do something to un-stick it, other than re-pitch.
3: Furthermore, can I overpitch yeast (too much in the batch)?

[dray]

What was the temperature of the ferment, what stage are you in and was it a vial/smackpack and when was the yeast packaged date?

Did you do a shubo method moto or 2-3 week natural build up? The acid might not be high enough stunting the yeast a bit.

Did you use the same koji on all 4?

I don't think too much is a problem. Is any of the yeast in a different batch? Did you rinse out the container well before starting? Did you put anything into the batch that might stunt yeast? Was the container previously used in a process that had either stunted/stopped yeast before?

I would re-pitch, especially if you used all the yeast from a single source, could simply be for whatever reason the yeast was DOA. What color was the yeast when you pitched? Dark peanut butter? That would suspiciously indicate bad yeast.

I don't think you can overpitch with a few vials/packs (add 5 or so, then maybe)... The moto is supposed to build the colony sufficiently anyway.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Dray

[souportugues]

Well, I managed to get it going on its own. Just went home and whisked the ever loving hell out of it, and it's now fermenting to the level of the wine yeasts. Incidentally, my batch of #9 foamed over, which makes for the 3rd batch of #9 in a row foaming over. You'd think I'd learn...

Incidentally; Yes, I'm doing a shubo, it's all been fermenting in buckets (new, clean and sanitized) on the counter at around 72F. The yeast looked perfectly fine when I pitched it (not too dark or thick, nor to light and watery). This is my first batch (or mini-batch?) using #7, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Has anyone else had slow or little response with their WL#7 yeasts?

[pdarling]

Hello, yes I have noticed weak ferments with White Labs #7, I never really nailed down the culprit. It's been awhile since I tried.

I had to repitch twice out of only 3 batches using #7. For one batch the yeast was pretty old; I think it was a seasonal release or something and I caught some old inventory. Is it still a seasonal release?

The other batch was with fresh yeast and still had weak performance. I got too nervous and the taste was telling me it was failing so I never gave them a lot of time to come around. I repitched #9 on top of the last sluggish #7 and never went back. Wish I had more insight to offer.

About pitching too much yeast, I don't think its possible. Heh, well at least it'd break the bank before it hurt the batch. I've turboed a couple batches with high doses of yeast and was pleased with the ferment. It won't behave as a moto though, so I pretended it was a finished moto. Not as good/economical/wizardly as starting with a small amount and creating massive colony though.