too warm in the fermenter? yeast OK?

Hello - OK here comes a beginners question - or rather a beginners fvckup leading to a question...!

I did my first boiled extract batch this morning, allocating 2:15 hours to the process. That was the *latest* I could leave for work. You probably already know the end of this...!

It was great up to the end, I added my hops on schedule, no boil overs, everything in it's place and sanitized etc.

Cooling the wort was the issue. It took too long. I had the boilpot in a sink with ice and circulated cold water around the container but by the time I just had to go to work it was still quite warm. So I did this:

I put the hot wort in the fermenter, and added cold filtered water to it to get to 5 gals. The yeast was already to go (dry yeast I had prepared with warm boiled water ready to pitch.)

When I pitched the yeast the temperature was around 26C. I put the airlock on with vodka in it and hurriedly made sure all was sealed, covered the fermenter, and ran then drove like a maniac to get to work 15 minutes late leaving all my beer making **** in a heap in the kitchen!

So. Since I messed up on the wort cooling, and pitched the yeast when the temp was quite a bit warmer than the target temp (18-20C) do you think this beer has been really compromised? I am terribly disappointed as all went very well but for not allotting enough time to cool the wort, and my recipe was sure to make a wonderful hoppy american ale (!) I am worried of course that the wort never got the cold break or whatever, and that off flavors will result in pitching the yeast when the temp was so high. The possibility of infection maybe? And other intangibles!

What do you think?

I think what could very well happen is if you didnt kill a good portion of the yeast, they will at least be stressed and could produce some wicked off flavors.

I had this happen to a batch a while back and its just now starting to tone down on the band-aid and other estery flavors.
-Me

Finish the process, you may need to add more yeast. Let it ferment, finish and package it.

Try it. If it is good, send it to me. If not so good, do NOT dump it. Let it sit for six months and try one every now and then.

Too often we are so quick to dump beer that may be ok with time.

good luck.

That's why I never, ever brew if I have any plans later at all... or i give myself at least twice as long as I think I'll need. You never know what can happen and the last thing you want to do is rush. Homebrewing should be relaxing and should always be done while enjoying a few beers.

Yeah well liv'n learn right?! My first batch was from an old Coopers no boil kit and tasted a bit cidery - though not terrible - my second, also a Coopers K&K is conditioning in the bottles now but no mishaps. This was to be my first real brew, lots of hops, stronger and capable of jumping high buildings but, well, who knows now!

The temp of the wort when I pitched the yeast was around 80F so that would not have killed it right? I had prepared it with boiled water @ 95F or so so it seems to me the yeast would be OK. I hope? Anyone had a similar experience?

Effington said:

That's why I never, ever brew if I have any plans later at all... or i give myself at least twice as long as I think I'll need. You never know what can happen and the last thing you want to do is rush. Homebrewing should be relaxing and should always be done while enjoying a few beers.

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Couldn't have said it better myself... My first batch was very nerve racing just because I didn't really know what I was doing and didn't want to ruin it. Was it an awesome beer? No.. But I made it and it's tastes good enough for a first attempt. Read Revvy and other mods posts on here.. It'll put your mind at ease.

I may be wrong, but 26 degrees actually sounds like an ideal pitching temp. What type of yeast was it?

Fermentis SafAle US-05. If 26 is OK then all I have to worry about then is perhaps that the wort was not fully cooled.

The book I have been using is Palmer's "How to Brew" & he says that the fermentation should start at around the same temp the beer will be fermenting for the 10 - 14 days (or whatever it will be.) My house has several places at 68 or so so this is where the fermenter will be doing its thing.

stevedasleeve said:

...The temp of the wort when I pitched the yeast was around 80F so that would not have killed it right? I had prepared it with boiled water @ 95F or so so it seems to me the yeast would be OK. I hope? Anyone had a similar experience?

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95f is kinda high but it should still start. My first brew I pitched at 91f and it took off in a few days. 80 is good, I usually try to pitch around 75 or so. From what I heard 71-91 are the "good temps" with 71 being the ideal temp. Some might have more knowledge about yeasts and be able to tell you which temperature is best for which yeast if that kind of thing matters. Did you boil the yeast? That might be an issue, but like the old saying goes its pretty hard to wreck a beer and RDWHAHB.