Pitching the yeast again after vigorous fermentation for only 12 hrs.

Hi all! 6pm on Sunday night I pitched dry yeast into the result of cooking up some wort from the Midwest Supplies Irish Red Ale kit.

I stored it in my closet. LC thermometer on the side of the fermenting bucket says it's ca. 80F. I know that's too hot, but without air conditioning, I don't have any other convenient option and I'm going with it.

Checked on it Monday morning and the airlock was bubbling away like crazy. I was pleased. When I got home, it had stopped dead. I heard a bit of gurgling (I think) from within the bucket, but noticed no airlock activity.

Should I get some new yeast and re-pitch? Will this harm the beer in the even that everything's fine?

A few variables to layout (okay they're mistakes, but I'm learning):

• I didn't refrigerate the yeast after if was delivered, it sat in the box for about a week.
• When I learned I needed to refrigerate it, I did, but then accidentally pitched it cold.
• I did not stir the yeast in (or gently shake the bucket), I just sprinkled the yeast on top of the foam and sealed the bucket.

What do you all think? Thanks in advance!!

Dry yeast = high cell count.
High Temp = fast and vigorous fermentation.

So your fermentation is most likely done or mostly done. Check the gravity.

No need to repitch. The active phase of fermentation has finished a little more quickly than usual due to your high feremntation temperature, but still that part is done. Repitching isn't likely to gain you anything as all the fermentable sugars have been consumed.

Though at 80, your irish red is gonna smell like an apple green.

It's probably done for the most part, but airlock activity does not equal fermentation. It'll spend at least a week more fermenting the last little bit out and re-pitching won't change that. I'm not even sure why you'd want to re-pitch: it's doing its job and there isn't anything wrong, except the excessive temperature which will make your beer taste like apples or bananas.

pfgonzo said:

Though at 80, your irish red is gonna smell like an apple green.

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Funnily enough, that's exactly what happened to my first batch, also an Irish Red. Was not great. Was not horrible either. If you can't get temps down any further than 80 deg in the summer, brew some Saisons - they love the heat.

I wouldn't bother to check the gravity yet. There is likely some of the slower phase of feremntation still going on and checking gravity repeatedly "just to see" exposes your beer to oxygen. Check it two days before you intend/plan/expect to bottle, check again the next day and again, just before you transfer to your bottling bucket. If all three readings agree then you're good to go.

Thanks so much you all! Great advice. I think I'm gonna let everything sit in the fermenter for another five days. Then I'm gonna rack it to the carboy for a couple of weeks and then bottle. I won't mess with adding new yeast.