First AG brew mistake

Ok, I finally broke down and did an all grain brew yesterday and really liked it. I made an Oktoberfest. The problem came after I pitched the yeast and put it in my ferm chamber. It is a little dorm fridge with an external digital temp controller. I had tested the setup already and the fridge works great +/_ 1 degree F. Problem is that I did not incert the temperature probe when I close the door, leaving it hanging on the site of the fridge. When I got home at lunch today, 21 hours later, I noticed the problem and put it in the fridge. It was at 38F. It is now up to 50F where it should be but I am worried I may have harmed the yeast. Do I need to worry?

You didn't hurt the yeast, but you probably put them into dormancy. You'll want to warm it back up and give it a good swirl to get them back in suspension.

billl said:

You didn't hurt the yeast, but you probably put them into dormancy. You'll want to warm it back up and give it a good swirl to get them back in suspension.

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thanks, warn to room temp?

Fermentation temp.

This is what it looks like after a week and a half. Is it bad?

It looks like you had a healthy fermentation. The remainders of the krausen floating and a nice ring around the side of the bucket.

Wait another week and take some gravity readings to determine the progress of your beer.

Remember that you put your yeast to sleep for a couple of days so factor that into any time frames.

ccbadd said:

This is what it looks like after a week and a half. Is it bad?

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Judging by the ring of scum (beer in the fermenter just doesn't look appetizing, does it...), it looks like there was krausen at one point. Floating "gunk" is often normal. The hydrometer is your friend here as far as determining if fermentation occurred and is finished.