Pitched WAY too hot onto yeast cake

Can I save this beer?

The recipe called for nottingham yeast I was all out and I just happened to have a batch transfered to secondary today that had nottingham yeast.

So the plan was to pitch onto the nottingham yeast cake.

Here is the story, my floating thermometer doesn't float very well (12 inch thermometer lies on its side and only sticks an inch out of the liquid)

So I worry about infection while checking temps while cooling down.

Well I guess I panicked and saw 65 F and I rushed to transfer to the carboy.

Turns out the wort was probably at 165 F!

The wort seemed warm and I checked the temp realizing my probable mistake.

The aeratin action of the funnel must have cooled the wort some for shortly after the transfer (10 minutes?) I was reading 89 F

The yeast cake was intact on the bottom (I didn't swirl the carboy yet) and have place the carboy in a ice bath.

Could it be that the yeast cake provided some insulation and protected some of the yeast?

When it gets down to 70 should I pitch with Safale US-05? To be safe?

It is a 1.3 Gallon batch so it would be a shame to lose it but it is not a giant loss.

Oh well, live and learn

Thank you for your time and suggestions.

While it was hot it probably didn't kill the yeast buts once you put it into a cold water bath quick is great, but now the yeast are shocked and dropped out.

As the vessel warms a bit the yeast should acclimate and get to work.

That being said since its early and nothing is happening there is no harm in rehydrating some yeast and now pitching it at the right temperature

1 gallon batch size
165F wort poured onto yeastcake through funnel
10 minutes after pouring you read ~90F

My gut instinct says to just use a dry packet when you get the wort down to ~65F. I've read on these forums the upper threshold of yeast is 110-120 and I'm guessing you hit them with those temps when going through the funnel. I guess I would go for safe on this batch (as opposed to sorry). Regardless of you choice, let us know how it works out.

Looking at the bright side, if you re-pitch some S-04 it's going to have loads of nutrient to gorge itself on. IE the stewed yeast cake

pitched some safale us-05 just to be safe. I'll post back when/if I hit krausen.

Well, the yeast should have been ok. It's just that nottingham yeast tastes positively foul when fermentation occurs over 72 degrees with it.

I suspect overpitching, and a too hot temperature, so this beer may not have great flavor.

Yooper said:

Well, the yeast should have been ok. It's just that nottingham yeast tastes positively foul when fermentation occurs over 72 degrees with it.

I suspect overpitching, and a too hot temperature, so this beer may not have great flavor.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the brief hi-jack Yooper's response has got me wondering.

I've got my second AG batch sitting in the fermenter at just under three weeks from pitching.

Used 1 pack of Nottingham for 2.5 gallons of 1.078 OG wort. 2.25 Kg Maris otter, 125 g crystal 70L, 28 g chocolate wheat and 454 g Lyle's golden syrup. Nugget for bittering and Kent Goldings/Fuggles for flavour and aroma additions.
Definitely kept ferm temps down in high 50s to low 60s for the first 4 or 5 days. Let temps creep up to mid-high 60s, possibly even lower 70s eventually over the following week.
Right now it has a really pungent, funky, yeasty smell about it.

Was using the entire 11.5g of it in my brew anywhere near overpitching?
Does Notty react badly to 72 plus temps, even after the initial attenuation phase, during the winding down conditioning phase??

Edited to add this was my first batch using my tap water treated with a Campden tab. Didn't realise 'til after brewing this batch that the ratio of 1 Campden to 20Glns is the correct one and mine was mixed at 1 tab for 5 gallons.

Ogri said:

Right now it has a really pungent, funky, yeasty smell about it.

Was using the entire 11.5g of it in my brew anywhere near overpitching?
Does Notty react badly to 72 plus temps, even after the initial attenuation phase, during the winding down conditioning phase??

Edited to add this was my first batch using my tap water treated with a Campden tab. Didn't realise 'til after brewing this batch that the ratio of 1 Campden to 20Glns is the correct one and mine was mixed at 1 tab for 5 gallons.

Click to expand...

No, I don't think it was overpitching- at least not by much. According to mrmalty.com's yeast pitching calculator, .7 package was the right amount, if the yeast was very fresh. So I think you're ok.

I've heard that temperatures after the initial fermentation don't matter as much- but I've never put that theory into practice so I can't say.

I just don't know.