Picked up some WYEAST smackpacks, now what?

[jpsherman]

Mr.Beer has had these on sale for a while, and now I see some that I got are no longer for sale. Picked them up to round out a purchase for free shipping.

What kind of recipes would you suggest for these?

1968 ESB
3068 Weihenstephan Weizen
3787 Trappist High Gravity

[philm00x]

3068 is wheat beers. It's great for hefeweizens and it's also the yeast I used for Mashani's Weizenbock. 3787 is for Belgian high gravity ales (dubbels, tripels, etc). 1968 is for English Special/Strong bitters.

[russki]

Just my 2 cents:
- 1968 is also Three Floyds house yeast, and will ferment nice and clean if kept under 66F, it works fast and drops clear.
- 3068 is the quintessential "Hefe" yeast - fermented under 68F, you get clove phenols, above that, banana esters. Requires a lot of headspace or a blow-off tube.
- 3787 is great for all Belgian beers - it's very fruity. The perfect yeast for a low gravity Patersbier among other styles.

Make sure to check the dates on the packs and use a yeast calculator to figure out how big of a starter you need to make.

[NOVA Brewer]

I got the 1968 ESB and the Trappist HG too. I used the the Trappist HG for the Mr. Beer Amberosia Tripel I brewed earlier this week and the 1968 ESB for Mr. Beer's Spiced Christmas Ale. I planned to use the ESB yeast for an ESB recipe I was planning in the future but the use by date on my yeast pack was approaching so I threw it into the Xmas Ale instead.

My guess is that those items went on sale because their "best if used by date" was just a month away.

[jpsherman]

I got the 1968 ESB and the Trappist HG too. I used the the Trappist HG for the Mr. Beer Amberosia Tripel I brewed earlier this week and the 1968 ESB for Mr. Beer's Spiced Christmas Ale. I planned to use the ESB yeast for an ESB recipe I was planning in the future but the use by date on my yeast pack was approaching so I threw it into the Xmas Ale instead.

My guess is that those items went on sale because their "best if used by date" was just a month away.

Yeah I used the 1968 the other day for a 2.3g batch, and beersmith said it only had 30% viability. So I threw in a 2g packet of BrewDemon S-33 just to be sure, since it didn't swell much.

[NOVA Brewer]

Yeah I used the 1968 the other day for a 2.3g batch, and beersmith said it only had 30% viability. So I threw in a 2g packet of BrewDemon S-33 just to be sure, since it didn't swell much.

I had some swelling of the pack, but it took 3 days before lots of activity was visible in the LBK. After 24 hrs there were just a couple of yeast colonies on the surface...no bigger than the end of a pencil. Day 2 more colonies...dime & nickel sized. Day 3...foam all over!

[russki]

And that is why you NEED a starter with liquid yeast.

[Rebel_B]

Wyeast 1968: Stone IPA; Wyeast 3787: Any Belgian recipe, you're good.

[haerbob3]

also some of the yeast do take more than a day to swell. When you make a starter you do not to swell the pack. The contents in the large outer pack is just yeast nutrient & a mini starter wort. The yeast is in the inner "smack" pack is the yeast. My LHBS has given me past the best by date smack packs. By doing a step up starter have brewed some great beer. Another advantage of doing a starter is if you know that a bottle conditioned commercial beer. If the brewery does not filter and/or pasteurize you can collect the yeast and step it up to brew your beer with. Yes I am a fan of starters