Beginner Question on Proofing/Pitching Yeast

Hey everyone,

So I split up a 5 gallon, pre-packaged, Boston Honey Wheat recipe to do a smaller 2.5 gallon batch. When it came time to pitch the yeast I got some water to around 100 degrees and added it to a sanitized glass and slowly sprinkled in the yeast. I then covered with a sterilized piece of tin foil and let sit for five minutes. After than I stirred with a sterilized spoon until there were no clumps.

Not thinking, I pitched it right into the cooled wort waiting in the carboy even though the directions I was reading said to let it sit for 20 to 25 minutes. I've read online that a lot of people pitch the dry yeast right into the wort when it's cooled (the directions on the package of dry yeast said I could do that also).

Is what I did going to affect the final product? Is it ok to pitch dry yeast right into the cooled wort?

This is only my second or third time brewing, but I know yeast isn't something to mess with so I'd like to know for sure.

Thanks in advance,
Mark

You should be reasonably okay. You may have stressed the yeast a bit by pitching right into a food-filled and slightly acidic environment (wort) instead of letting them re-hydrate in a neutral solution (water), but you should still have enough viable yeast to get decent fermentation. You may get some off-flavors from yeast stress and underpitching, but if you pitched a whole pack into only 2.5 gal of wort, you should still be in great shape. rdwhahb

I see what you're saying. Thanks a lot for the explanation.

Mark