Crosby & Bakers DADY activity qoestion?

[Prairiepiss]

Ok I'm not happy. I bought a pound of Crosby &Baker DADY the other day to use in my first AG ferment. The wort is 10 gallons. I rehydrated 15 g in 95 f RO water. Then pitched after about 20 min. 8 hours later I really don't have any activity that I can tell. The fermenter temp was 73 f. I put a coat on the fermenter and a heating pad. I got the temp up to 79 f. Still nothing.

This was the first time using this yeast. So I rehydrated 15 g more with 95 f RO water. Waited 10 min. Added a little of the wort from the fermenter. 20 minutes later and I barely have any action. A very thin layer of foam on the surface. Some visible movement in the liquid not very much.

I'm use to my starters foaming over within 10 minutes.

How active should this yeast be?

Could I have gotten a bad or old batch from the brew shop?
If so? How can I tell.

[Prairiepiss]

Ok its been 40 minutes. Since I added the wort. Temp is 80 f. The foam on top of the liquid has dispersed. And only covering 40% of the surface. I do see bubbles coming up from the yeast bed now formed at the bottom of the jar. Not very frequent though.

[Dnderhead]

I dont know that yeast,,you say all grain...was it cooked? a rather high gravity like8% if yes id aerate for
several hours.

[Prairiepiss]

Note to self don't ever ever deviate from your normal yeast preparation method.
I started another test batch actually 2. The first I rehydrated in 110 f RO water added wort after 10 min. At around 95ish f. And it took off like a rocket. That is my normal process I use with bakers yeast. The second I tried the same method with tap water. Was just curious. It to is slow and not very active. Same as the first.

[Prairiepiss]

I dont know that yeast,,you say all grain...was it cooked? a rather high gravity like8% if yes id aerate for
several hours.

It is the flaked wheat I cooked over the last two days. I airated for 3 hours last night. Aquarium pump and large stone. 7.5% or so.

[Prairiepiss]

It's not looking good for this yeast. I pitched all three test jars in the fermenter last night. Still nothing this morning.

[Prairiepiss]

I've got some EC-1118 and bakers yeast on hand. I was just trying to give this yeast the benefit of the doubt. If nothing when I get home. I will drop a bomb on it. I think I will try the DADY in a sugar head. To try to find out if its the yeast. Or wash. I just have a sneaky suspicion the yeast is old.

[Dnderhead]

"I just have a sneaky suspicion the yeast is old."
or mishandled..

[Prairiepiss]

That is what I was thinking. I think I will contact Crosby & Baker and find out if they can tell me by the lot number how old it is.

[Stilly]

I have never heard of or used DADY yeast, but I do have plenty of experience with Crosby and Baker Super Start and their plain ole Distillers Yeast. Both work fine but they like heat, lots of it! Anything below 80 degrees and they slow down big time and can stall. What I like about them is they finish very clean, important for my Oat Sugarhead. I like to run the temp in the 85 degree range. Start them at 90-100 degrees and watch the ferment take off within a couple hours, sometimes less.

I have a bucket of UJSSM that is generation 12 that started with 5 TBS of Super Start and still fires up and runs great on reloads. Good stuff in my book.

cheers
stilly

[Prairiepiss]

Well I got the fermenter temp up to 81 f last night and nothing as of this morning?

DADY Dry Active Distillers Yeast.

Doesn't say supper start on the package.

[Stilly]

If its Super Start it should say so. I think the stuff you have is what I call my plain old C&B distillers yeast. I would oxygenate either by stirring or gassing with pure oxygen, If that doesn't work, then the only answers I can come up with would be lack of nutrients, horribly low ph or dead yeast. My two packages of C&B are both over a year old and work fine, been refrigerated though.

Good Luck
stilly

[Prairiepiss]

Airated for 3 hours. It's a AG wheat flake and malt. SG was Did add a little bit of nutes1.059. PH at roughly 5 test strips aren't real accurate. Temp at 82 f. Just checked it and nothing.

With 3 times the recommended amount of yeast. I'm going to say this yeast has gone bad? And pitch a different yeast when I get home.

[Dnderhead]

proof the yeast,make a small wash sugar/water.add yeast and see if anything happens

[Prairiepiss]

proof the yeast,make a small wash sugar/water.add yeast and see if anything happens

Good idea. Will do a gallon just to see if it is the AG wort or not. Wonder if I can get my money back if it turns out to be the yeast? That's 9 bucks.

[Dnderhead]

you dont need much ,,,a cup of water and a spoon of sugar..

[Prairiepiss]

I did that last night. 3 different ways. 2 kinda started but didn't do much of anything. One at a higher temp did take off but fell on its face.

[rtalbigr]

That's odd Piss. Crosby&Bakers DADY is my primary yeast and I've never had a problem. I always re-hydrate at 95F w/Go Ferm Protect. Let sit 15 minutes, then stir. Let sit until temps are at 80-85F then pitch. This yeast does work best at temps of 80F or better. Crosby&Baker sent me a data sheet and it actually says best temps are 85-89.6F.

I believe they ship out of Atlanta. If this particular batch had been shipped this summer there is the possibility it was overheated. I mean you're a pretty good way from Atlanta. I'm only 4-5 hrs and the brew shop where I buy keeps his stock pretty fresh.

I'd proof it as Dnder suggested, cup a water, teaspoon a sugar. If it doesn't proof out then I'd take it back.

Like I said this yeast has been real steady for me, I really like it, short lag time, high flocculation with everything except corn, pretty good attenuation.

Big R

[Prairiepiss]

I'm just now getting home. I'm going to pull some of the wort out. And test it with both EC-1118 and bakers yeast. I will also do as Dnderhead said. I mistakenly said I had done as he said but I hadn't used sugar. I will do that. Will post pics of what its doing.

[Prairiepiss]

Ok test results. My wort is crap? I don't think its the yeast. I took 4 jars with 1 cup of heated RO water in them. I added TO water to cool to the hydration temps for that yeast. 1 tsp of yeast was used in each jar.
Jar 1 DADY @ 95 f
Jar 2 EC-1118 @ 105 f
Jar 3 Bakers @ 110 f
Jar 4 DADY @ 95 f

After 15 min I added 1/3 cup of my AG wort in question to jars 1 2 and 3. 1.050 SG at this point. So it has dropped?
And mixed sugar water to 1.060 SG. Added 1/3 cup to jar 4.

15 min jar 1 and 2 nothing to speak of. Jars 3 and 4 started and formed a cap with movement in the solution.

15 min jars 1 and 2 still have not done anything and yeast had fallen to the bottom. Jars 3 and 4 still had a cap and movement in the solution no bed of yeast on the bottom.

So something is wrong with the wort I do beleave? I for some reason was sure the yeast was the problem. Sory for the separate thread.

And thank you to all of you for your help.
I will post some other info on my AG thread that doesn't really pertain to this thread about yeast. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=25386

[rtalbigr]

Hey PP, One of the most intriguing aspects of this hobby is the frustration of "what did I do wrong." Believe me, been there done that. At some point you'll get that OOOH moment and you'll think, "D***, of course!" There are so many variables, ya just got to filter through and find the one that matters.

Big R

[Prairiepiss]

Just when you think you figure something out. BAM It slaps you in the face. Ugh.

Just so everyone knows. I made a large starter with bakers yeast and sugar. When it turned into a foam fountain I pitched it. And 20 min later its bubbling its ass off.

[Prairiepiss]

Is it possible that your grain has preservative?

Got it from a brew shop. I hope not?

[Prairiepiss]

Your fine Rock. I'm going over it all in my head. Over and over and over. I just don't know. But its my first AG so I'm not sure I know what I looking for? So the suggestions are welcome. No mater how simple or stupid they may seam.

But I would think if the grains had preservatives. I wouldn't have gotten conversion? Could be wrong on that?

[Dnderhead]

things to look for..if grains are cooked they will be thick like pudding this is mash,,next when converted they will thin out and will be much like beer or honey water sort of thick like syrup ,this is wort.gold or amber in color..this is just what you want.

[brewit2it]

It is the flaked wheat I cooked over the last two days. I airated for 3 hours last night. Aquarium pump and large stone. 7.5% or so.

This won't help with the yeast problem but you don't have to cook flaked grains. They are already gelatinized when go through the flaking process.
As for the wort is seems strange that it wouldn't work with distillers yeast or EC-1118 but would work fine with bakers yeast.... this really is a strange mystery.
3hrs is a long time to aerate for a wort that is only normal strength, but have you checked the air stone to make sure that it is working? Also, if the pump isn't very strong then it will have a hard time pushing air against the pressure of the 5gal wort. Just going through the motions to help figure this one out.

[Prairiepiss]

Yes by cooked I meant mashed.

3 hours is just what happened. and the air stone and pump work fine. it was a 10 gal ferment not 5. I gave up. It finished and im running it now. Im starting ferment number 2 tomorrow. Will try again.

[brewit2it]

I guess I'm still learning the lingo, and the air was just a shot in the dark. The only other thing I can think of would be your water, but it still wouldn't make total sense why one type of Saccharomyces would take off when the others wouldn't. Anyway, good luck to you Prairie.

[Prairiepiss]

It is odd. I'm going to boil the water this time. Instead of bringing it up to mash temp. Then I will boil the wort. Let cool airate and pitch.

[The Baker]

It is odd. I'm going to boil the water this time. Instead of bringing it up to mash temp. Then I will boil the wort. Let cool airate and pitch.

Boiled water has little or no oxygen so you would need to oxygenate the wash or the yeast cannot survive and grow.
Bubble lots of air through it before and for a while after pitching the yeast...

And I don't understand the technique of fermenting grain, but was it necessary to boil it??....
Obviously you can see possible advantages but here was the disadvantage, right here.