Looking for hands on, first hand Whitelabs PurePitch new Packaging

WL expects to have PurePitch packaging available to homebrewers this fall.

http://www.whitelabs.com/homebrewernews

 

Uhh...WL is not yet shipping their PP product to home brewers...so (like) there's nothing to report...eh?

 

Just tried it today. Packaging was much harder to work with vs. vials. Very messy and hard to squeeze all the product out of the package. More time leaning over fermenter and cussing. I can't even tell any difference in quality. The purepitch yeast looked and smelled off vs. the last vials I used. I think we've been sold a turd.

 

They had started to ship in San Diego when I was at the NHC. They had an inventory of tubes to go through, then roll out to the rest of the country. My LHBS just got their first shipment.

 

I tried this for the first time a few days ago. The vials are a bit easier and less messy to work with, but it wasn't all that different. I made a starter with it and pitched into an Imperial IPA I brewed Sunday. I had airlock activity within hours, a thick cap of foam after 18-20 hours, and it appears to be at high Krausen as of this morning (32 hours after pitching). If the new packaging results in less impurities, sterile growing conditions, and better growth, I'm all for it.

 

They have been selling commercial sized pitches to breweries for some time. If it was too bad of a thing for commercial Brewers who pay hundreds for a pitch, there would be some pushback from them.

 

What's the cell count, is it just the same or a bit more?

Not that it matters much, I'll probably always do a starter with them anyway as they are always at least a month old by the time we get them, and god knows what customs do to them