buenaventura

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So . . .

I was in a hurry last night and wasn't able to properly cool my wort before dumping it into the primary and pitching the yeast. I felt the bucket afterward and it was HOT . . . as in . . . too damn freaking hot . . .

I fear I killed the yeasties . . . the last time I made this APA, I pitched with a cooled wort and had fermentation the next morning.

It is "the next morning" and there is no sign of fermentation.

My question:

Because I can't make it to the store to get more yeast until tomorrow afternoon . . . by which time the (now cooled) wort will have been sitting for 36ish hours at above average temperature . . . should I just dump this stuff and start over? I mean . . . will it have spoiled/become infected or contaminated/etc. by the time I am able to pitch again?

Or . . . should the wort be fine and am I overreacting?

Thanks

b

homebeerbrewer

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I'd say it should be fine, as long as you sanitized well and it was sealed. I've gone as long as 24 hours before pitching with no problems.

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buenaventura

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Thanks.

The thought that I sweated over the stove for hours and dropped the $ for nothing was stressing me out . . . then again . . . I suppose I should expect a dud and then I won't be disappointed, eh?

homebeerbrewer

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Pitch your yeast, leave it alone for 3-4 weeks, then RDWHAHB. If you expect a dud, then I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised in a couple months.

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homebeerbrewer

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BTW, I also never recommend dumping a batch. Even if you do get an infection, it could be perfectly good cooking beer.

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winvarin

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+1 for not worrying. +2 for celebrating your independence and your new batch with a homebrew. I've pitched warm (I've pitched cold). I've even pitched a yeast that was well after its "best by" date. I placed in the top 8 this winter with a stout that had to sit (covered) on my back porch overnight because it was too cold (frozen faucets) for me to run my wort chiller.

By the way, you'd be surprised how well a covered brew pot with 5 gallons of wort fresh off the boil will hold its heat when the temperature is 13F outside. I finished my boil at midnight and was still at 95F when I finally gave up and went to bed at 4 am. I didn't have time to rack and pitch before work and was not able to get yeast into it until late that night.

I had a dud yeast over Christmas this year and went almost 48 hours before getting the yeast on what turned out to be a tastey blonde that my wife still raves about. Same issue you had. I wasn't going to get to a brew shop for awhile.

And its an accepted practice with lagers (read "Brewing Classic Styles") to rack to a fermenter on brew day, seal without pitching and drop your wort to fermentation temp. Then rack off the next day, any cold/hot break that settled out overnight and pitch then.

What does this all mean?

Make sure your sanitation is in order. Then give yourself the time to get to the right temp and pitch the proper amount of healthy yeast. 24-48 hours in a sealed, sanitary container is fine.

Heat may have gotten this batch of yeast. But look at it this way. If you didn't fry them, pitching a second vial on Tuesday will only serve to increase your pitching rate. If you did fry them, then these valiant soldiers' little dead bodies will only serve as nutrient for what you pitch after the holiday. You're likely to be in good shape either way.

RDWHAHB - and happy 4th!

PS - All that being said, I made a porter last night at double-pitched at a colder than expected temp. I stressed out as well ... until I boosted the temp a bit this morning and got everything bubbling like I expected. We all worry more than we should.

homebeerbrewer

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Yep, yeasties know what they're doing. They've been doing what they do for millions of years.

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lumpher

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it'll be good, if you keep it sealed. no worries

buenaventura

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Thanks for all the reassurance and valuable insight!

Would you believe that after a long day of cooking, cleaning, grilling, eating, drinking and, (finally) dishwashing for our 4th of Brew-ly celebration . . .

I randomly decided to check in on the little guys before hitting the sack. I knew even before I saw the bubbling airlock that they had simply overslept and were off to a late (and wonderfully aromatic) start!

So . . . I think I should simply stick to the first rule of Papazian as has been suggested.

Happy 4th and good night!

b