Cold pitching ale yeast

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Brewer3401

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Messages
1,160
Reaction score
6
Location
Southeast Louisiana
With some slightly new equipment, I got an ale wort down to 50 F.

I pitched when it was 52 F, and still got activity within 12 hours.
I'm at 62 F now (36 hours later), and it's bubbling nicely, about 2x per second.

One note, I made a 1 liter 1.040 starter the day before with 1 packet of SF-56. I'm sure I had a ton of yeast when I pitched.

I am writing this to verify that pitching a little too cool does work. Also, I've read some accomplished brewers pitch below optimum temps, and let the wort "warm up" into the ferment.

Jamil is one, and I've read others do so also. If your sanitation is good, then having the wort sit for a little longer in the lag phase is not a bad thing. Getting too fast a start can be detrimental (fusel alcohols, diacetyl)
 
Cold pitching is still a controversial topic, but you sure don't hear many people complaining about it. That suggests to me that it is probably working.

Just curious why you bothered with a starter for dry yeast? Unless it was a high gravity ale (i.e., above 1.080), you probably didn't need to do it with US-56. The cell count in those packages is already very high. In fact, making a starter with them can sometimes do more harm than good.

Regardless, I am sure it will ferment out really well. Just curious about the extra (unnecessary?) step.
 
FlyGuy said:
Cold pitching is still a controversial topic, but you sure don't hear many people complaining about it. That suggests to me that it is probably working.

Just curious why you bothered with a starter for dry yeast? Unless it was a high gravity ale (i.e., above 1.080), you probably didn't need to do it with US-56. The cell count in those packages is already very high. In fact, making a starter with them can sometimes do more harm than good.

Regardless, I am sure it will ferment out really well. Just curious about the extra (unnecessary?) step.

I knew ahead of time I would be pitching into cold wort. My OG was 1.047.
Yes, 1 packet hydrated would probably have worked.

I had been hydrating 1 packet in tap water with some yeast nutrient (2 hours before pitching), and had great starts. I boil water with nutrient, cool down, add yeast and spin for 2 hours).

The ferment is very steady. Usually, if I pitch into 65 F wort, in 36 hours I am bubbling 3-4x per second. I'm about half that now, assuming the temperature is throttling back the yeast.

Wish I were independently wealthy - would love to go to the Seibel Institute (Chicago first, need to learn a little German).
 
I prefer to pitch cold as well. Less chance of fermenting too warm if the fermentation generates a lot of heat. My fermentation fridge died and my temperature control options are limited.
 
Yes I know this thread is six years old...

I just brewed a Citra IPA about a month ago and I wasn't used to how freaking cold the water was coming out of the hose this time of year. Got the wort down to 52 degrees in half an hour which is about how long it takes to get down to 70 or so in the summer, when it STILL needs a few hours in the fermentation chamber to get down to fermentation temp. I like to pitch at 60 and let the temp rise. Anyway, I was going out of town early the nex morning so I waited as long as I could and pitched at 54F. The first two days the temps rose to 58-59 or so, and there was adequate kruesen formation. Took about a week to climb up into the 60's, when the kruesen dropped finally (took about 2 weeks) the temp was up to about 64. I tried the hydro sample and it was very clean and dry, and finished with around 85% attenuation!!! Yeast was Denny's Fav 50.

In the keg and carbing as we speak, I expect its going to be fantastic, but may have lost some of the complexity the yeast brings to the party.
 
Back
Top