What temp. is highest you have pitched at?

I know what the manufacturer says, but I'm sure there is a window. I have a hefe down to 84 degrees in the fermenter and it is fairly warm evening. I believe it might take a few hours to get below 78 degrees. What is the highest temp. you have pitched?

80 is my limit for an ale, and I try to get it lower unless I know I'm going to ferment high (as in a fruity hefe). I think you can get away with 90, but I wouldn't do it.

I'm currently trying to overcome my first stuck fermentation...wouldn't want that to happen to you!

low 80's pitch. then continue to drop temp to target range slowly (2-4deg/hour)
since it's sealed less chance of infection and the yeast is in multiplication mode at this time not much of an effect on final product (fruity esters,diactyls,etc..)
happy brewing

Thanks, I just scored a 12 Gal. pot so going to full boils. I'm still extract brewing so I am getting used to droping temp to pitching temp. (takes a long time to drop a couple of degrees) Going to try a partial mash to see if there is that much difference to spend more time brewing. I have done (3) 7.5 Gal batches to get ahead on my schedule to become alcoholicaly independant .
My next step is to try the mash thing in the oven. Slowly expanding my brewing expertise This site is so informative.

I don't think I have ever pitched at 90 or above. I find for myself and my 5 gallon, on the stove, extract brewing, that even though the wort chiller is good I still can't get it down below 85 or so in the summer (live in GA). I have found that adding that last 3 gallons of spring/drinking water that I bought at the store and left in the freezer for a couple of hours really is my saving grace for good fermentation. After adding that to the wort in the fermenter, I will be able to get it down to a 66-68 before pitching. Then I have a closet that luckily has an A/C vent in the ceiling and during the night it keeps it relatively in the 70's until main fermentation is done. I also cheat and add a bit of yeast nutrient to make sure it doesn't get stuck.

85°f............

If you're going to pitch high, it is important to remember that that you may run into thermal shock if the starter is say 60 F and your wort is 85 F. The risk of infection and getting weird fermentation increase if you freak out the yeast by big temp changes.

Good Luck!

highest i've pitched is about 85F...my magic number is now 72F, unless the recipe calls for something different