Customer Reviews

Great but unsmackable Review by Randmo

Rating

I've used this many times, with great results but they always come inflated, even with the ice pack (I'm in S.E. Fla.) although lately more so. I also had to open the outer pack first, so I just tossed it and the inner pack into my starter jar and went from there. I'm going to try White Labs WLP001 California Ale next time, it got good reviews for pale ales. I took off a star for the unsmackable smack pack. (Posted on 3/12/13)

Great Product Review by Trent

Rating

Responding to the above comment, I also had a hard time at first getting the nutrient packet to burst. I found that you have to turn the yeast packet up side down and get nutrient bladder in the side where the packaging is thin. Then you can smack and easily bust the packet. (Posted on 10/20/12)

Great Yeast Review by TXBREWER

Rating

I have used this for years and it is a great yeast. I have had none of the problems other posters have had.
I reclaim yeast and wash it after the first useage. I usually obtain 4-5 pints of washed yeast for subsequent brews. Makes price really good!
(Posted on 3/6/12)

Great yeast Review by William

Rating

I use this yeast in a lot of my beers and it has never failed to give consistent yummy results. Plus i have never had a issue with the smack pack not functioning properly as some previous reviews stated. (Posted on 1/20/12)

Perfectly clean and consistent Review by Jason

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I use this yeast for every beer I make. Put it at 64 and forget about it. Works great every time. (Posted on 12/11/11)

worked perfect Review by jerry

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I smacked the pack and it worked as expected. Now I have to wait for the results. (Posted on 12/4/11)

Good well balanced yeast Review by Doug

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The description is accurate, clean and well balanced. Don't ding the yeast because you don't know how to order it (with ice pack) or had trouble using it correctly. It's good yeast. (Posted on 10/24/11)

Worked Perfectly! Review by C4Brewing

Had the yeast shipped with a cold pack and though it had swelled a little, the nutrient pack was easy to locate and smack. The pack was fully inflated in less than 12 hours. Vigorous fermentation within 9 hours of pitching. NO STARTER. (Posted on 10/14/11)

Great Clean Yeast Review by Tom

Rating

Don't be afraid to order this yeast. There are some negative reviews on here but it's probably more because it's human nature to want to complain when you've had a bad experience. I live all the way in Texas and haven't had trouble as long as I order these smack packs with an ice pack. It's only 75 cents and it definitely helps to buffer the yeast from the harsh TX elements.

Anyway, like I said great clean yeast. I used US-05 almost exclusively before this and kept noticing a subtle peach note that should not have been there. It was tolerable until I brewed a cream ale and it really stood out. No worries with this yeast though. Very clean and I almost always get about 79% attenuation when using a temperature control.

Tom (Posted on 6/30/11)

What a mess Review by Bob

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First time using a smack pack, and it wasn't pleasant. Package arrived partially inflated, and it was difficult to feel where the inner packet was in the pouch. When I gave it a good smack, the outer pouch failed and left yeast all over the kitchen. I have heard that they have been having problems with this strain for this very reason. I hope they can fix it, for it looks like a good system. In the meantime, perhaps White Labs has a replacement for it. (Posted on 1/23/11)

A problem and a solution Review by Frank

Rating

When I received this yeast the the pouch was already inflated and the yeast was already dead. NB quickly sent me a replacement. They also told me that Wyeast had been having a problem with the pouches swelling with this strain. When I received my replacement, the pouch was again partially inflated making it difficult to locate and crush the nutrient pack inside My solution was to sterilize a pin along with the outside of the pouch. I then made a small pinhole near the top of the pouch and gently squeezed out some of the excess gas trapped inside. I then covered the pinhole with a piece of tape. The nutrient pack was now easy to locate and pop All things functioned as advertised from this point on with the result being a really nice pumpkin spiced aie. (Posted on 9/26/10)

This a great all around yeast. Review by Andrew

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I use it exclusively in my cream ales. (Posted on 8/13/10)

Didn't work out Review by James

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First time trying this product, and while it's supposed to be foolproof I found it anything but. I watched the YouTube video which demonstrated how to use the pack beforehand, but I couldn't tell if the inner packed had in fact been broken after I smacked it, so I smacked it again, felt it, and then smacked it again. The pouch did expand, but it must have just been due to the rise in temperature from being out of the refrigerator, because when I opened the pouch to pitch, the nutrient pack was unbroken. I had to pitch it the way it was and I'm hoping for the best.

I have another pack in the refrigerator and I'll try again on my next batch, but I really think the pouch/packaging could be constructed so that it is easier to use. (Posted on 5/17/10)