Dry yeast brick: lost vacuum seal

[CharlosCarlies]

We're currently using mostly dry yeast, and I didn't notice it when they were delivered but a couple of bricks lost their vacuum seal at some point in our cooler. Fortunately we had enough extra on hand today, but I did drop one of the bricks this morning and it lost its seal as well.

I can probably get away w/ pitching one less brick, but would you guys be wary of using the one I just dropped? What about the ones that lost their seal at some unknown date between now and the last month or so?

[gitchegumee]

You already know the answwer to this one...

Sorry to say it, but busted bricks are no longer useable. Oxygen exposure really messes with viability. I tried using a soft pack once. Just once. Never again. Now our SOP is to open the box and inspect each pouch to be sure that it has vacuum integrity. Any soft packs get a damage notice and refund from vendor. Good luck!

[MatthewS]

Agreed. Never use a pack that has lost is vacuum seal. I have probably tossed a case or two over the years (one pack at a time of course) due to this. Fermentis has it documented somewhere that the integrity of the pack is essential for yeast health. Crosby, back then, and BSG currently have always credited accordingly.

[CharlosCarlies]

You already know the answwer to this one...

Yep...just had to check. Also was curious to see if we should expect any kind of refund/exchange or not. Not expecting anything but I did contact our BSG rep just to see what their policy is.

This was our first double IPA, so I really didn't want to under-pitch. I did end up using the brick that lost seal the morning of the brew-day, but plan on discarding the rest. Ended up pitching 5 bricks total and I'm hoping the one less-than-perfect brick won't hurt things too much.

Thanks!

[CharlosCarlies]

Just an update: BSG is crediting us for the soft packs, so if anybody runs into the same problem don't just toss them! Great customer service from BSG imo.

[Lallemand Caroline]

the dropped brick

Hi my name is Caroline and I am the Lallemand East Coast rep. Speaking for our products, you would never want to use a brick that has been compromised and lost its vacuum seal. However, if you dropped it yourself and lost the seal, you can either vacuum seal it back or place it in a plastic zip lock bag, with no air. Once either of these are done, the yeast will keep for up to 3 more days in the fridge, or 1 more week in the freezer. This will hopefully enable you to still use the yeast. Please let me know if you have any additional questions, I can be reached at cparnin@lallemand.com.
Cheers,
Caroline