I screwed up the temp with yeast - what to do?

I think I was so worn out when I got home that I misread the directions on my extract kit from Austin. The directions state that I should refrigerate my yeast until brew day and then to take the yeast out up to 24 hours before use and let sit at 72-78 degrees.

I thought it read to set it out for "at least" 24 hours before use. Being that I am planning on brewing this Saturday I went ahead and set it on top of my fridge and it has been sitting there for 5 hours now.

What should I do - put it back in the fridge or leave it out?

You should stop worrying. It won't make any difference. No point in cooling it down today, just to warm it up tomorrow.

-a.

You can go ahead and refridgerate it. You could also make a starter.

John

Don't worry. The recommendation for refrigeration is to retain good yeast viability after a long period of storage; in the case of dried yeast, that could be a couple of years. A few days at room temperature will not make any difference.

I think the idea of removing it from the fridge is bring it up to pitching temp.

Remember, these kits can sit for months on shelves, so a few days will not matter.

Stormrider51 said:

You could also make a starter.

John

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I assume he is talking about dried yeast - You do not want to make a starter with dried yeast. The yeast has all the nutrients it needs and making a starter will deplete he nutrients. Also, the cell count with dried yeast is a lot more than with a package of liquid yeast.

no it's liquid yest....

White Labs California Ale WLP051 to be exact

Does liquid make my situation different or will 48hrs be fine at room temp?

Thanks

ajf said:

You should stop worrying. It won't make any difference. No point in cooling it down today, just to warm it up tomorrow.

-a.

Click to expand...

+1

All is OK

No difference with leaving it out for a couple of days, but I agree with Stormrider that you should make a starter. While pitching the vial should ferment your beer (if it's high gravity you could have problems), making a starter will get the ferment off quicker, and put less stress on the yeast.

As Calder said, the best thing to do would be to make a starter.
A few days at room temperature won't make any noticeable difference, but you need to refrigerate for long term storage (more than a week or so).

-a.

It won't matter what you do if you will be brewing in two days. Yeast (and bacteria) are stronger than you think. That's the whole reason why we all sanitize. It's not going to die being at room (low) temperature for such a short time. Now if you left the yeast in your car during the summer, that might be a different story.

Can I use LME and water to make a starter if I don't have any dry malt extract?

Sure can. It is just a mini-beer without hops.

Yeah I've watched a couple videos on it and it seems pretty easy. Let me make sure I have it straight.

1. Mix about 1 cup of LME w/ 32oz of water - stir well
2. Bring to a boil, keep rolling boil for 15 mins.
3. Chill to below 80, put in container & pitch yeast

Does this look right?
How long does it need to set up?

I think 1 cup LME made up to 1 qt would be about right. (That's a little bit stronger than 1 cup LME + 1 qt water). You want a gravity of 1.030 to 1.040
Steps 2 and 3 look right.
If you have a stir plate and fresh yeast, it should be ready in 12 - 18 hours.
Without a stir plate, or with older yeast it will take longer. 24 - 48 hours should be fine.

-a.

http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

DME is a bit stronger than LME - I'd go w/ 11 G per 10 ML of starter.

110G per liter of starter.