Letting wort sit overnight?

I don't have a chiller, and this time on my second batch I added about 3 gallons of chilled water to the 2 gallons boiled. Fours hours later and the temp is about 83°F. It really won't be until tomorrow after work (another 17 hours ) where I can add the yeast, and after searching I couldn't find a clear anwser if letting it sit is really bad or not? Should I just pitch it now or have patience

If your sanitization is good, then letting the wort sit another day is fine-- I do it all the time. Just keep it sealed up tight.

As for pitching at 83 deg. F., it's definitely not optimal. If you are sure the wort will be down to a better pitching temperature tomorrow, then you might want to wait.

-Steve

Cerpintine said:

I don't have a chiller, and this time on my second batch I added about 3 gallons of chilled water to the 2 gallons boiled. Fours hours later and the temp is about 83°F. It really won't be until tomorrow after work (another 17 hours ) where I can add the yeast, and after searching I couldn't find a clear anwser if letting it sit is really bad or not? Should I just pitch it now or have patience

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You can do either, letting it sit shouldn't hurt it just seal it up with airlock, etc. Just be careful when you take everything apart to pitch yeast, sanitize anything that goes into the wort. If it was me though, I would just pitch the yeast. I have pitched at temps higher than that many times, after putting all the ice in my freezer into the bucket to get the temp down

Some people say that you will get off flavors but I don't have a chiller either and pitch my yeast above 80 and am yet to get any off flavor that is noticeable or that doesn't go away after 2 or 3weeks of carbing.

If I were to pitch it now, or pitch it later, does it need to be aerated more since its been sitting for a few (+) hours?

I'd just as soon get it down to pitching temps so I can clean up. My laziness factor is such that if I don't do it the same day I may not pitch the next.

That said, like the linked showed, The Pol is a proponent for letting the wort chill over a period of time (no artificial chilling) and is worth reading about.

Cerpintine said:

If I were to pitch it now, or pitch it later, does it need to be aerated more since its been sitting for a few (+) hours?

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As long as you've aerated the wort, I don't think it matters if it sits another day before pitching-- it certainly wouldn't matter for just a few hours.

-Steve