Liquid yeast agitation during drive home

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

So I bought all the stuff I needed for my first batch today, including a vial of White Labs California Ale Yeast. Now that I'm back home I've noticed the yeast is no longer in a solid sediment at the bottom of the vial. Is this going to cause some kind of a problem or is it really no big deal?

[phirleh]

So I bought all the stuff I needed for my first batch today, including a vial of White Labs California Ale Yeast. Now that I'm back home I've noticed the yeast is no longer in a solid sediment at the bottom of the vial. Is this going to cause some kind of a problem or is it really no big deal?

Should't be a problem, usually if I'm out for a while after buying yeast, I'll have a cold pack with it so it doesn't reach room temperature, but it's not a big deal at all to get all shook up. Are you making a starter with it? Depending on your gravity, you may want to. Check mrmalty.com for the pitching rate calculator.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

So I bought all the stuff I needed for my first batch today, including a vial of White Labs California Ale Yeast. Now that I'm back home I've noticed the yeast is no longer in a solid sediment at the bottom of the vial. Is this going to cause some kind of a problem or is it really no big deal?

Should't be a problem, usually if I'm out for a while after buying yeast, I'll have a cold pack with it so it doesn't reach room temperature, but it's not a big deal at all to get all shook up. Are you making a starter with it? Depending on your gravity, you may want to. Check mrmalty.com for the pitching rate calculator.

Cool, good to know I shouldn't have any issues.

I hadn't planned on making a starter, as the OG is only 1.045. Is a starter recommended?

I was just about to get started when much to my chagrin I realized the equipment starting kit I bought doesn't contain a sanitizer, despite being told it did. Guess I'll have to wait until morning.

[phirleh]

So I bought all the stuff I needed for my first batch today, including a vial of White Labs California Ale Yeast. Now that I'm back home I've noticed the yeast is no longer in a solid sediment at the bottom of the vial. Is this going to cause some kind of a problem or is it really no big deal?

Should't be a problem, usually if I'm out for a while after buying yeast, I'll have a cold pack with it so it doesn't reach room temperature, but it's not a big deal at all to get all shook up. Are you making a starter with it? Depending on your gravity, you may want to. Check mrmalty.com for the pitching rate calculator.

Cool, good to know I shouldn't have any issues.

I hadn't planned on making a starter, as the OG is only 1.045. Is a starter recommended?

I was just about to get started when much to my chagrin I realized the equipment starting kit I bought doesn't contain a sanitizer, despite being told it did. Guess I'll have to wait until morning.

You should be good without a starter, but it's always a good idea, even with a low OG to give the yeast a running start.

[Tapsucker]

You can make up your own sanitizer with bleach and vinegar if you really want to brew today.

Add 1 oz of bleach to 5 gal of cold water and mix. Then add 1 oz of vinegar. Make sure the bleach is dissolved in the water before adding the vinegar or you will release chlorine gas.

You can use this as a no-rinse sanitizer or you can rinse with hot water if you are worried there make be bleach residue. Contact times seam to vary by opinion. I like to let things soak for at least 10 minutes.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

You can make up your own sanitizer with bleach and vinegar if you really want to brew today.

Add 1 oz of bleach to 5 gal of cold water and mix. Then add 1 oz of vinegar. Make sure the bleach is dissolved in the water before adding the vinegar or you will release chlorine gas.

You can use this as a no-rinse sanitizer or you can rinse with hot water if you are worried there make be bleach residue. Contact times seam to vary by opinion. I like to let things soak for at least 10 minutes.

In the book I have it said 1 tbsp of bleach per 1 gallon of water would do the trick, so that's what I went with. I'm about half way through this process right now and thoroughly not enjoying it.

I was very surprised how much more aromatic the Amarillo hops are compared to the Cascade and Columbus I picked up. The Amarillo smell absolutely amazing.

[Steak Andersson]

As phirleh says, it's usually a good idea to make a starter. In addition to getting the fermentation ball rolling more quickly, it acts as an insurance policy against possible foreign infectious agents present in your wort. Think of the good yeast as mounting a shock and awe campaign against wild yeast and bacteria.

Out of curiosity, what book are you using as a reference?

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

As phirleh says, it's usually a good idea to make a starter. In addition to getting the fermentation ball rolling more quickly, it acts as an insurance policy against possible foreign infectious agents present in your wort. Think of the good yeast as mounting a shock and awe campaign against wild yeast and bacteria.

Out of curiosity, what book are you using as a reference?

I'm using "How to Brew" by John J. Palmer.

I just stuck the airlock in my first batch, and I must say this first time out was a less than stellar experience. Just some issues I had:

-This is definitely a two man at least operation.

-I have one of those glass top stoves and I had a bitch of a time getting the wort to retain a rolling boil. I think if I go further one of those propane fired burners is a must have.

-No thermometer. Starter equipment kit didn't have one. Had to "eyeball" when the wort had cooled.

-I didn't do a yeast starter, shook my vial up real well and when I opened it it did one of those pop bottle explosions. Thankfully I was smart enough to open it over the ferment and I got all the yeast in.

-The cleanser that came with my kit didn't foam or anything. Sure hope that doesn't mean it's a dud. =/

-No hot break and no cold break occurred.

-On a plus note the wort (I was doing taste tests throughout) tasted like a ridiculously raw beer, so at least it tasted like beer, and hopefully the yeast is kind to me.

-The beer is a dark brown colour, I thought it would be reddish.

-I aerated the hell out of the wort, poured it back and forth about fifteen times, tons of bubbles when I pitched the yeast, let's hope that goes in my favour.

-Some weird sediment boiled out of my tap water, which I assume is because we have hard water. Next time I'm going with bottled.

-Looks like I only got 4 gallons of liquid in the fermenter, despite expecting five. That can't be good.

I'm hoping the airlock begins bubbling within 12 hours just as a reassurance that at least fermentation is actually happening. I am happy though that after 6 years of drinking good beer I've finally made a batch of my own brew. Despite the fact I did not have all that fun doing this, if the beer actually turns out okay I just might do it again.

[Steak Andersson]

My best advice is to not worry about it -- yet, at least. My first batch was potentially botched in every way possible, but it turned out great. (Note that 'great' at that point just meant it was drinkable and not infected.)

I find the brewing process can sometimes seem stressful; I often feel I'm underprepared. (Like the exam dream.)

That said, you've probably just discovered one of the most addictive hobbies out there.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

My best advice is to not worry about it -- yet, at least. My first batch was potentially botched in every way possible, but it turned out great. (Note that 'great' at that point just meant it was drinkable and not infected.)

I find the brewing process can sometimes seem stressful; I often feel I'm underprepared. (Like the exam dream.)

That said, you've probably just discovered one of the most addictive hobbies out there.

That's encouraging at least. This first batch out that's pretty much what I'm aiming for. No off flavours and a palatable beer with a decent hop presence. I ended up using more hops than the recipe called for and .5lbs of DME more as well.

I also still can't get over how delicious the Amarillo hops smelled. Someone should bottle that as an air freshener aroma!

[Steak Andersson]

Keep an eye on your airlock and how long you notice action. My main concern at this point might be your OG -- you've added extra DME and your initial wort volume is less than the recipe called for. You may want to add a gallon of boiled and cooled water to the fermenter, along with another shot of yeast, if your fermentation halts in the next few days.

Don't worry yet, but you may need to perform surgery in a few days. (No panic yet, though.)

More experienced homebrewers - please weigh in with your thoughts.

[Hamilton Brian]

As Papazian made a fortune out of this mantra, I'll repeat it: Don't worry; have a homebrew.

Honestly, what you think are problems now are correctable in future batches. Secondly, you'll wonder how you can replicate this recipe again. I made a pilsner for my first batch...totally awestruck with the process and the novelty. 20 years later, I've made some gems, I've brewed some dogs. But, there's always a learning process.

Keep at it, and keep asking for hints.

[Steak Andersson]

Please keep us posted.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

Please keep us posted.

Will do. Let's hope I don't have to add anymore yeast because I don't really want to venture all the way to Brampton again.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

Just opened the airlock to peek in the hole, not a single bubble and no krausen. FML.

EDIT: So it is now 1:50am and the airlock has started to faintly bubble.