Oh no, killed the yeast.

Hello everyone, great forum here.

I started my first batch last night, and in my excitement, I added the yeast to the cooling wort, instead of waiting for it to reach 75 degrees. I checked the temperature, and it was around 150. I didn't see any activity this morning, and the local brew shop doesn't open until noon. Maybe all of my buddy's mocha porter had something to do with it...

Do you think I'll be fine if I pay strict attention to sanitation (spraying the air around the fermenter with bleach, washing my hands well, wiping down the top of the fermenter and the outside of the yeast package, and letting the bleach settle) to add more yeast to the fermenter today? Or should I just go ahead and brew another batch?

I'm not worried, just concerned.

I'd say as long as it was sealed you'll be ok. I've used some Wyeasts packs that took 48-72 hours to start and they turned out great.
I'd go pick up some yeast though.

Keep the bleach away from the wort! Just add some more yeast through the airlock hole. If you feel the need to re-sanitize, use some cheap vodka.

From what I know so far it sounds like you may have killed the yeast, as you know by now ideal temp is @ 80 degF. Maintain your sanitation procedures, and add more yeast if ther is no active fermation in another 24 hours.
Good luck

But don't be in too big of a rush to decide you killed the little fellas off. Give them a chance, you may be surprised. If you get to 48 - 72 hours out and still no activity, maybe some more yeast is in order. I would give it that long.

myself, i'd re-pitch some yeast. just remove the air lock, wipe the rim w/ some sanitizer or vodka, pour it in, and wipe the airlock w/ sanitizer or vodka, and put it back in.....

I agree with Deroux. 5 bucks is not a bad price compared to the cost of the whole recipe. If you wait 2 or three days, it will give the nasties quite a chance to get a foothold on your precious brew.

150 degrees should kill off just about any yeast I have heard of. Definitely repitch.

Genghis77 said:

150 degrees should kill off just about any yeast I have heard of. Definitely repitch.

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Ale yeast can survive temps up to around 110 degrees, lagers barely to 90 degrees, and the higher the temps, the more unwanted esters are produced. I would say repitching is the right thing to do.

Well, I repitched yesterday, and I had blowoff start around 7 hours later. This morning it looked as if the krausen was starting to fall back down, so I'll probably put the airlock back on tonight (left airlock on yesterday until krausen got to within half-inch of stopper). The air coming out of it doesn't smell bad, it just smells really malty and has a hint of hoppiness to it. It certainly doesn't smell like a good beer yet, but it has a hint of that aroma.

I am pretty concerned that I'm going to have a bacterial contamination, and I'm wondering if there is anything I can do at this stage to decrease my chances. I made another mistake during the brewing, and that was letting the wort cool down on its own AFTER transferring it to the fermenter. I read a statement in Complete Joy that said more hops would help inhibit bacteria growth. Can I dry hop during a primary fermentation? Will the blowoff I did help minimize the amount of bacteria in the wort (is most brew-contaminating bacteria surface-living)?

You're worrying for nothing. Calm down.

There's nothing wrong with letting it cool down in the fermenter. There's no reason to suspect that it's contaminated.

Chances of contamination would be higher had the first batch of yeast got things started. Using some caution you should have no problem.

Genghis77 said:

Chances of contamination would be higher had the first batch of yeast got things started.

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?? ??

how is this true?

-walker

I understood that once the fermentation started, the environment would be easier for contamination to get started as well. But either way, his chances of contamination are minimal if he took standard precautions. Sure wouldn't throw it out yet.

DeRoux's Broux said:

myself, i'd re-pitch some yeast. just remove the air lock, wipe the rim w/ some sanitizer or vodka, pour it in, and wipe the airlock w/ sanitizer or vodka, and put it back in.....

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I'd just open the sucker up a little bit and re-pitch soe yeast then close. Told you I wasn't anal...

Well, everything worked out. Will probably be bottling tomorrow night (bottles have to soak tonight). Yay for fast brown ales.

Love Brown ales! If you ever have a chance at Pelican's Dorrymen's Dark, do it.