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RBlagojevich · 01-12-2013, 01:29 PM

the temperature at which you pitch your yeast is one of the the most important factors in beer flavor. definitely wait to pitch until you get down a couple of degrees below your desired fermenting temperature.

**cheezydemon3** · 01-12-2013, 01:32 PM

Pitching over 68F or so is one of the worst brewing mistakes you can make.

Calder · 01-13-2013, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezydemon3

Pitching over 68F or so is one of the worst brewing mistakes you can make.

Not according to Chris White:

"The lag phase can be carried out at a higher temperature than the rest of fermentation because very little flavor compounds are produced. Ethanol production is also very limited, therefore ester formation is not a concern. Some brewers begin the lag phase for ales at 72-75 F, and complete the fermentation at 68 F."

stpug · 01-13-2013, 02:59 AM

I can definitely see where cheezydemon3's post is coming from and I typically cool my wort to 60-65F. If pitching a proper sized yeast starter or worse, an oversized yeast starter then things get away from you REALLY fast. I've recently found my carboys in a winterish garage trying to keep fermenting temperatures down while the ambients were 10+ degrees F lower! On the other hand, if starting slow and perfect then it's much easier keeping things in control throughout the fermentation with minor adjustments. At least this has been my experience.

billsteiner26 · 01-13-2013, 03:21 AM

Ice in the sink with the water maybe?

SteveHeff · 01-13-2013, 03:41 AM

I fill my bathtub with cold water and ice. Cools a 5 gallon batch to 80 degrees F in about 30-40 mins. Works well, but you do have to do a bit more lifting to get through the house.

looneybomber · 01-13-2013, 03:30 PM

In the winter time, I use a 20gal rope handled tub 2/3 or 3/4 full of water, outside, filled 24hrs or so ahead of time depending on how cold it's going to be (less if it's going to be real cold). When my boil is over, I kick a hole in the ice and drop the pot right in. It will float just fine with the lid on and I periodically stir the water and the wort (with different paddles).

I have two tubs and will be using both of them tomorrow night for my next brew day (eg. when the wort reaches 140 or 130 transfer to the next tub). Maybe I'll take temp readings with time stamps to see how fast I can get the wort below 100º.