I am getting ready to brew my second batch. I am bottle conditioning an Irish Red Ale right now, and I used dry yeast with that one. The second batch is the Waldo Lake Amber and I got liquid yeast: Wyeast #1450 Denny’s Favorite 50. I had planned to brew tomorrow so I took the yeast out of the fridge yesterday, but I did not “smack” it. Now I won’t be brewing until Friday. Should I put the yeast back in the fridge and pull it out tomorrow, or is it fine to leave it out until Friday? Also, when should I “smack” it? I’ve gotten conflicting information. Thanks in advance for any help!
If you are brewing Friday, I would go ahead and activate it. This will give you more time to proof the yeast and allow you time to make a starter if needed.
I always make a starter with liquid yeast, so it doesn’t really matter if/when i break the membrane inside. I would suggest leaving the pack in the fridge until brewday. Just take it out a few hours before you start & smack it, making sure you break the membrane and let it sit at room temp. By the time you’re ready to pitch, it will be inflated & ready to go. Keeping it cool until ready for use is usually a safe bet. Good luck! :cheers:
For WLA, you definitely need to make a starter. Start now…you’re already short on time!
Making a starter is very straight forward. In the NB link below there is a nice video with instructions. Take a look and I’m sure you will have no problems.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/2000 ... r-kit.htmlThanks everyone for the advice. I decided to go ahead and make a starter so we’ll see what happens. After about 10 hours, everything had settled out, so I have been consistently shaking it this morning. It has the look of starter (according to the directions in the yeast starter kit), except that it still has the sweet smell. Hopefully that means I got it right and am on my way!
That sounds great. Good luck!
