Hoping I got this right

Sounds like you rushed a little bit. Typically when you add top off water, some to most people probably do not get it stirred in really well, which could leave you with a lower OG. Everything else sounds like it will work out ok. Did you cool the yeast down to about what your wort was? If you had it hot and cold wort, you may have lost some cells from the shock. Don't be surprised for it to take a while to get fermenting. If you see fermentation taking off, then I wouldn't worry about it. Make mental notes of what you did and try to avoid them next time.

When you say your thermometer broke. . . do you mean that there is mercury in your beer, or that your digital thermometer stopped working? Mercury is toxic both to yeast and to you.

pericles said:

When you say your thermometer broke. . . do you mean that there is mercury in your beer, or that your digital thermometer stopped working? Mercury is toxic both to yeast and to you.

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Mercury has not been used in thermometers in many years. The liquid currently used is just alcohol. If you were using an old thermometer that had a silver liquid and not red then yeah...mercury. I would personally dump it.

Are you dryhopping, adding anything additional or need to free up your primary? If not, I would leave it where it sits for another week at least, perhaps two if you just brewed this past weekend, and then you could be ready to bottle. Keeping it around 70 will be just fine

I think the consesus will be that you are OK. I mean your not going to toss the batch down the drain I hope.

On another note- do others do this? Put a frozen water bottle in the wort to chill it? I mean the concept is there- I would be afraid of introducing something into the wort- even if its the most tiny microscopic whatever.

Not likely. If it was still around the boiling temp when you threw them in, it probably killed off anything too terrible. You should know soon though. Give it a taste when you transfer, though do know there is a greater risk for infection and aeration at this point. But you should be fine.

mikemet said:

On another note- do others do this? Put a frozen water bottle in the wort to chill it? I mean the concept is there- I would be afraid of introducing something into the wort- even if its the most tiny microscopic whatever.

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I'm going to say not likely. The top methods would be to add cooled water to top off to a 5 gallon batch, setting it in a tub with ice water around, or an immersion/counter flow chiller. Haven't heard throwing ice bottles in the wort.

mikemet said:

I would be afraid of introducing something into the wort- even if its the most tiny microscopic whatever.

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If you are not brewing in a sterile lab then all kinds of microscopic things make their way into the wort. There is wild yeast and other fungus, mold, bacteria and all kinds of critters in the air all around us.

My 4th or 5th batch now, and I'm hoping I got this right, In the past I usually pitched the yeast while it was too hot, this time I may have did it too cold, among a few other things.

The Rundown:

1.Steeped grains @ exactly 155 degress as the instructions stated. Check
2. Brought to a boil with liquid extract, no boilover, no sticking to pan. Check
3.Cooled down wort with 6 frozen water bottles, just tossed in, forgot to sanitize.Damn!
4. Dropped in fish tank thermometer (sanitized) wort to hot, broke thermometer. Damn!
5.Added more cold water to sink with Ice & Salt. Check
6.Used Thermomenter from the boil (cooking thermometer) Wort now at 58 degress. Damn!
7 Panic. Check
8.Rehydrated yeast in 95 degree water for 10 minutes. looks good. Check
9.Added 3 more cold gallons of water to carboy, now at 50 degrees. Damn !
10. Hydrometer reading of 1.21? (right below the 15% notch), instructions on box said SG should be 1.043 ??.. Damn !
11. Panic. Check
12. Put on Carboy cap with airlock + tubing in water in case of Krausen overflow. Check
13. All Settled in cabinet hours later, temp @ 72 degress. Check
14. Added some frozed water bottles this morning, want temp between 68-70 for American Wheat beer. Check ??

So, please review. 8 checks, & 5 Damns!, and 1 Check??

I think I got the photo correct now, (in original post above). Used Image Shack this time.

Anyway, this is still doing good, temps have been at 65 on average...In the past I've pitched too hot, and fermented too warm, the ice cooler has fixed that issue. Gonna rack it to secondary this weekend, and let it sit at room temp (cabinet is 72 degrees) for 2 weeks, then add my raspberry flavoring, corn sugar, and let it set for 2 more weeks, or 3..........Will keep you updated.

I have a 2.5 gal Mr Beer American light I'll also need to bottle this weekend as well, 23 bottles maybe. I pitched that at around 70 degrees, and bucket fermented in the same cabinet, hope it didn't get too warm...(Also in the same photo, beside carboy)

dstranger99 said:

Anyway, this is still doing good, temps have been at 65 on average...In the past I've pitched too hot, and fermented too warm, the ice cooler has fixed that issue. Gonna rack it to secondary this weekend, and let it sit at room temp (cabinet is 72 degrees) for 2 weeks, then add my raspberry flavoring, corn sugar, and let it set for 2 more weeks, or 3..........Will keep you updated.

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Is the corn sugar part of your secondary process, are you trying to dry it out a bit?

Probably didn't type that right, I meant let it sit in Secondary for 2 weeks, then add Raspberry & my sugar on bottling day, then let it sit for 2 or 3 more weeks to carb.

That's what I thought your intentions were, just wanted to double check

Is there a specific reason you are using a "secondary"?

Kingfish said:

Is there a specific reason you are using a "secondary"?

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Doing another 2.5 sample batch, need the container........

FWIW - I cool the wort to about 90-95 and then pour over frozen bottled water for top-off. Stir and shake like hell and by that time I'm usually around pitching temps. Works faster than my buddy's IC. Hehehe. Just a thought for future reference. I've also been known to wait a few hours to pitch. Some would say I'm lazy. I tend to think I just have great patience.

Whattawort said:

I've also been known to wait a few hours to pitch. Some would say I'm lazy. I tend to think I just have great patience.

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All beers going forward for me will be "no chill". I will pour the boiling wort into a fermentor (bucket), pop the fermentor in the spare fridge for a few hours then into the chest freezer set to slightly below ferm temp. The next day aerate, pitch and set the controller to the desired fermentation temp. I might transfer to another bucket before pitching to leave behind any kettle trub since I will be harvesting and washing my yeast. No wasted water and no time chilling the wort. The way I figure it, I have about the same chance to pick up something nasty as using an IC or a CFC...Maybe less. I spray down the inside of my fridge and freezer with StarSan.