DIY CO2 recipe for 20oz bottles

oh yes...one more thing....like anything new...patience is key. that is why i waited 48 hrs to post since i've seen it should start reacting anywhere from 12-24 hrs. ;o)
 
Bah - unless you're using Champagne yeast (or other bottom fermenter), it doesn't matter for more than ~1 day how much you use. It will multiply until it saturates the top of the liquid, then it will be in a steady state.

Baking soda, I've read, is actually counter productive as the sodium ions are somewhat toxic to yeast and they are much harder on it than the pH changes it's there to ameliorate are.

1 part sugar, 3 parts water, enough yeast to get it going - swirl gently, Done.
 
Heres a paragraph from the site everyone knows about : LINK

Conversely, sodium ions are also toxic to yeast, so once the sodium biphosphate has been broken down by the acids, the free sodium ions tend to kill off more yeast cells. So this method is only a transparent fix to the yeast kill-off. The logical alternative is to find strains of yeast more resistant to high alcohol levels, since alcohol appears to be the true killer. The apparent regulation by buffering with baking powder is probably due to the issue of sodium slowing the reproduction process, thereby slowing the consumption of sugar by limiting the population of living yeast cells. While this extend the life of the mixture, it also reduces the CO[SIZE=-2]2[/SIZE] output over the lifespan of the mixture. This is a result of reduced, or at least controlled, yeast cell population.
Click to expand...


 
So, conversely, you could use less yeast and get the same effect, but get more cumulative output from the solution.
 
Nope.

The output of the solution is fixed by either the amount of sugar going into the solution (if you use the right amount or less) or the tolerance of yeast to alcohol (if you use too much sugar). If you use 3 parts water to 1 part sugar, the yeast consumes the last of the sugar just as the alcohol concentration gets lethal.

The rate at which this fixed amount of CO2 is produced is a function of temperature and (I strongly suspect but have not proved) the area of the liquid surface in the bottle (for top fermenter yeasts). I also suspect that surface area and temp are much more reliable and predictable controllers of production rates than Na would be.

The amount of yeast used only determines how fast the population reaches a steady state. If you use just a little yeast, population will stabilize within a few days. If you use more or too much (to a point), it will stabilize faster.
 
I've heard you say that about the surface area before, but I don't buy it. I get equally productive (time-wise and yield-wise) ferments with brewers yeast whether I'm using a carboy filled up to the neck (1-2 sq in of surface area) or a regular bucket (~130 sq in). The bottom line is the yeast will use all the available oxygen in solution (still producing CO2 aerobically), then goes anaerobic. Meanwhile, CO2, being heavier than air, forms a cap over the surface, so even yeast on the very surface of the ferment is only in contact with CO2. I'm not sure why else surface area would have any correlation to ferment speed or yield.
 
ok...just shook up both bottles. not much happened. so bummed!
 
My only guess is that you still aren't rehydrating the yeast properly. As people have mentioned, either

A)Water isn't right temperature...use a good thermometer.
B)Your water is heavily treated and kills the yeast...solution, dechlor the water like you do your tank
C)Yeast is WAY old
 
I used warm water (from the sugar solution) to hydrate the yeast. Even when it was in the shot glass hydrating, I kept the bottle in warm water to keep the temp up.

I am not treating the water at all. It is right from the well (tap). So it has my standard < 6 ph, blah, blah...but don't think that matters for yeast.

Date on yeast is Feb 21 2010.
 
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