The Situation...Possible Outcomes?

Ok, so my friends and I just brewed our first batch of a Pale ale...brewing went generally ok.

Our biggest problem was cooling the wort. I'd read many conflicting reports, and due to limiting circumstances and space, decided to throw a bag of store-bought ice into the bucket and then dumped the wort in there, but took the temp and it was still too high to pitch the yeast.

So, I threw the cover on the bucket, but realized this would just take too long. I put some more ice in, put the cover back on, and waited some more. I removed the lid too many times to take the temperature since I was eager to pitch the yeast and get it fermenting. Finally, I got the temp below 90f, pitched the yeast, and stuck 'er in the closet.

Got some good bubbling for the next two days, but then today the bubbling seems to have stopped. There are bubles formed around the inside of the airlock, but no movement.

What's the worst that could've happened? Best? What should our gameplan from here on out be?

Thanks a ton,
(nervous) aaron

What temperature was it fermenting at? It could be done (or mostly done) fermenting. Take a gravity reading if you have a hydrometer, or at least taste a sample. You can take a small amout out with a turkey baster. If it tastes like bandaids chunk it, but I'd guess that it should be ok. If you plan on racking it to a secondary, now may be the time.

The worst that could have happened is a nasty bacteria infection from the ice and/or repeated opening of the fermenter. The best is a tasty batch of homebrew in a couple of weeks. For now, open it up, and see if there is still a layer of krausen on the top of the beer, if not, take a sample and rack it if you have the means. For the next batch, save yourself the agony and dont put ice in the wort. A better alternative for cooling the wort would be to set it in a sink full of ice water for about twenty minutes, or if you are doing a partial boil and fermenting in plastic, chill your top-off water and add hot wort to that. Using this last method in a glass carboy could break it though.

Good luck,

- magno

What was the recipe? If the gravity wasn't high to start and if the fermentation temps were right, primary fermentation could be about done. I wouldn't open it, though. If it's good, it will be good for a few more days. If it's bad, it will still be bad. Leave it for at least 7 days total before racking to a secondary or bottling. You have a good chance that everything is fine, but next time I would recomend chilling in an ice bath or adding cold water as magno suggested.

Worst that could have happened: Little green microbes from another dimension got into your wort and ate up all you sugars...

Best: The yeast was fresh and finished fermenting in a couple days.

Next time? Don't use store bought ice, Put the pot in an ice bath, Before I got a wort chiller I used 3, 20oz water bottles, Freeze them the night before, Sanitze them before using and add them to the wort a few minutes after you put it in the ice bath. while cooling cover the pot, drink beer and talk about Hot Chicks from another dimension.

hmm, the worst that could happen?

i say the worst thing that could happen is your beer turns out fine. So for every future beer you have confidence that throwing ice in your wort is not only a good thing, but kind of your trade mark. Years go by and your beers become famous first locally through word of mouth. Eventually you quit your job and start brewing full time to keep up the need of your 'ice man cometh ale'.
10 years from now, you are invited to become a master brewer at a world famous belgian trappist brewery. The first batch you make, still using the by now tried and true ice-in-wort method, actually develops some nasty off flavors from some unknown microbe. This is the begginning of the end. By the time you realize this Thousands of beer are on the market, thousands of potential bottle bombs.
Needless to say, the brewery loses millions of customers, and as a result, the monks are all fired, and the monastry is torn down.
Scores of kids are now forced to hang around ymca's and what not, instead of learning the ways of the monk. And in the end, when all is said and done, you get up to the pearly gates and the big white bearded old guy up there just looks at you witha disapointed look and with the hand he is not holding a chimay in points to the ground.

I go differently, at least in the winter (I live in an area with cool to cold winter temperatures). I use bottled spring water for my brews, and I will put three gallons outside on my porch for a day or so before brew day. Those go into the brew tank first when the boil is done. They are usually about 40 degrees (F) or so. Then I just dump the wort right in (I never filter). The resulting mix is at about 80 degrees, just fine for dry ale yeast. This has never failed me yet.

However, for summer brewing this is problematic. I've never had a failed fermentation but there are bunches of variables that have to be controlled that don't require attention when you have nice cold water. I like Budbo's idea of the improvised chiller - I will try that in my next warm weather batch.

Worst that could have happened? Flying ninja monkeys hid in your bucket while you weren't looking and drank all your brew, leaving you clean up after them as they slipped out into the night.

Best, no monkeys this time, so there's still brew in the bucket.

Thanks for all the replies, I think I'm going to let it sit until this weekend then rack it to secondary, and in that process see if it tastes like bandaid or armpit or whatever.

Hopefully no monks will have to be fired.

Since nobody said it yet...Relax, don't worry, have a brew. I think your beer will be fine, and while I personally prefer an ice bath to cool the wort, I don't really see any problems with putting store bought ice into the wort...particularly while the wort is still near boiling temp.

I'm a newb, so my advice can probably be taken with a grain of salt, but here it is:

I do a partial boil of 3 gallons. I sterilize (boil) 2 gallons and put the water into a sterile 1 gallon jug (like a milk jug that's been cleaned and sterilized, or water jug) and then throw it in the fridge while I brew. By the time I get to the point where i'm cooling the wort I will put the brew kettle in an ice-bath. To further cool the wort I will top it off with the now sterile and clean water that is in the fridge. I can get my wort down to 80 degrees in about 12 minutes doing this.

Dispite what certain members (you know who you are) might say, taking a gravity would probably confirm that the fermentation is done. The 100-80F zone is when contamination is most likely.

But ale is a robust thing and your's is likely to be ok.

MrEcted1 said:

I do a partial boil of 3 gallons. I sterilize (boil) 2 gallons and put the water into a sterile 1 gallon jug (like a milk jug that's been cleaned and sterilized, or water jug) and then throw it in the fridge while I brew. By the time I get to the point where i'm cooling the wort I will put the brew kettle in an ice-bath. To further cool the wort I will top it off with the now sterile and clean water that is in the fridge. I can get my wort down to 80 degrees in about 12 minutes doing this.

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One thing you might want to consider with this method is that the refridgerator probably has more nasties growing in it than the toilet, the litterbox, the drain trap, or any other nasty habitat in your house. I usually dunk thinks in sanitizer solution if possible after they've been in the fridge, or if not possible (as in your case), run a little high-proof vodka around the mouth of the container with a q-tip. When I pour saved yeast out of a bottle that's been in the fridge, I do this and then burn off the alcohol from the opening of the bottle.

cweston said:

One thing you might want to consider with this method is that the refridgerator probably has more nasties growing in it than the toilet, the litterbox, the drain trap, or any other nasty habitat in your house. I usually dunk thinks in sanitizer solution if possible after they've been in the fridge, or if not possible (as in your case), run a little high-proof vodka around the mouth of the container with a q-tip. When I pour saved yeast out of a bottle that's been in the fridge, I do this and then burn off the alcohol from the opening of the bottle.

Click to expand...

I use a rather large sanitation tub (iodophore is cheap =), I clean and submerge the jugs (and their caps) in the sanitation bucket along with a funnel. I then funnel the sanitized water into the jugs and cap them. The fridge is used to just cool them down while I brew. I then for extra measure throw the now cool sanitized jugs with the water into the sanitation tub for a few minutes while the ice-bath is cooling the wort.

MrEcted1 said:

...I then for extra measure throw the now cool sanitized jugs with the water into the sanitation tub for a few minutes while the ice-bath is cooling the wort.

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Sounds like we're on the same page.

cweston said:

Sounds like we're on the same page.

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yup!

I started using store-bought ice and never looked back. I buy about 7 lbs of ice and throw it in the bucket, then pour the hot wort on it. If you buy from a reputable store, you'll be pretty safe. Most commercial ice makers are into the sanitation thing and more good stores will clean out their freezer every now and then.

Let's face it: it's almost impossible to get 100% sanitary water. All these imperfections add to the ultimate flavor. I'm still sure that two people can make the same recipe and have a different flavor due to the wild yeast and water.

Remember: when in doubt, relax, don't worry, and drink a PBR. A homebrew will sure taste good after a PBR.

Buy a large length of copper pipe and fashion your own immersion cooler, by bending it into about 10 coils then attaching a hosepipe connection to each end. Or buy one, they're not as expensive as you might think.

Cheesefood said:

I started using store-bought ice and never looked back. I buy about 7 lbs of ice and throw it in the bucket, then pour the hot wort on it. If you buy from a reputable store, you'll be pretty safe. Most commercial ice makers are into the sanitation thing and more good stores will clean out their freezer every now and then.

Let's face it: it's almost impossible to get 100% sanitary water. All these imperfections add to the ultimate flavor. I'm still sure that two people can make the same recipe and have a different flavor due to the wild yeast and water.

Remember: when in doubt, relax, don't worry, and drink a PBR. A homebrew will sure taste good after a PBR.

Click to expand...

How long have you been doing this with good results? I'm awfully tempted, but don't want to spoil my first batch. Call me lazy if you will, but I like saving time, and I'm really hoping to get a nice cold break. Don't want cloudy beer!

You could also create your own ice out of sanitized water and use sanitized ice-trays... but that's a huge pain in the ass...

MrEcted1 said:

I sterilize (boil) 2 gallons and put the water into a sterile 1 gallon jug

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Neat trick! can you teach me how to do that?

budbo said:

Neat trick! can you teach me how to do that?

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haha...

let me rephrase...

I sterilize (boil) 2 gallons of water, and store the water into two 1 gallon jugs =)

FYI didn't end up racking to secondary and bottled yesterday after about 9 days of fermentation, though most of the fermentation seemed to have happened in the first 2 days.

Had a little taste of the beer, tasted just fine, dare I say good. All it needs is some carbonation and it will be a damn decent homebrew. Thanks for all your help.