The cardinal brewing sin

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wtrfwlnut

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I did it today..... Today was my second brew day ever. I chose a California Ale kit from a LHBS close to me and have been anxiously waiting to brew. Been reading, watching videos, upgrading my equipment in anticipation of loving this hobby. Recently added a ball valve and a thermometer to my boil kettle and converted a free chest freezer to my fermentation chamber. I also got a great deal on 3 ball kegs, so I'm ready to keg.

I've really been excited and looking forward to today and then it happened....I followed the directions included in the kit, steeped my grains for 30 mins keeping a close eye on the 152* F temp. Brought that up to boil for the recommended time and made my additions at the correct times.....all was going well. I added hops at flame out and steeped that for 15 min...Put my chiller in 10 min before flame out for sterilization and got the wort down to 90 with water addition and cold water recirc chilling....Then I read the directions that said to get the wort below 80 for pitching the yeast.....This is where I went stupid....After all the videos I watched and pages I read, I got in a hurry and forgot the cardinal rule....If you remember one essential thing, remember to pitch your yeast at 65*F or even a couple deg cooler.....UGH, what was I thinking!!! And why would the directions say to pitch at under 80 deg? Then, I poured the dry yeast through the car boy neck and felt like it was all piled up in one place so I sterilized a long thermometer and stirred the yeast slightly....then I stuck my theif in for a OG sample to read....Man did I just blow chunks right at the end.



Anyway, I did get it in the ferm chamber right away and within a couple hours it is stabilized at about 67*F for a few weeks or fermenting. I really hope I didn't ruin it by pitching too warm.

My buddy that is kind of mentoring me just shook his head over the phone (he has about 100 brews under his belt) and proceeded to laugh and chastise me a bit...I won't forget this again (I hope)!

Anyone else have experience with this big mistake and care to share their results or offer advice that may help me with this batch moving forward?
 
Rehydrating the dry yeast packet will mostly get rid of the problem you had with the bits sticking to the carboy neck. I really wouldn't worry about it too much, as I'm sure your friend told you. As long as the majority of fermentation was done at the right temp, there shouldn't be too much harm done.
 
wtrfwlnut said:
Anyone else have experience with this big mistake and care to share their results or offer advice that may help me with this batch moving forward?
Click to expand...

we all make mistakes. take it for what it is and do better next time. given that you have temp control, it probably won't be as bad as you think. maybe not perfect, but good enough for one of your first brews.

sounds like you are ahead of the curve compared to most new brewers. this will be but a little hiccup.
 
Thanks for the reassurance guys, I hope it turns out ok. And thanks for the advice on rehydrating Amadeo38, I really meant to rehydrate the dry yeast this time. I felt like I was running short on time (another mistake) and didn't have time to get the dry yeast up to room temp to start the rehydration process... I learned that I did have time... Made notes too, next time I'll do better.

And Shematix, that is exactly what my buddy said as well... Chalk it up to experience and make the best of it. I have had fun buying all the equipment, getting deals and finding the right stuff for what I want to do. I still have a list of things I want!

My first batch was a Pilsner and I just started drinking it this weekend. I'm so amazed and inspired that it doesn't suck! Definitely room for improvement but not terrible for a first brew.
 
Haha, totally got lucky and had a great mentor to guide me who literally held my hand over the phone while I brewed from a kit. His advice on the water bath ferm with frozen water bottles to keep the temp down saved the day I'm sure.
 
Duck nut,
From the sound of your processes and attention to the right details, you're on the right track.
There will be lots of great beer in your future, I can tell.

As others have said, the hot pitch should be fine.
That you were using dry yeast is a big plus for your 'error'...most dry yeasts recommend rehydrating in 70-80 degree water anyway.
So you were just doing a progressive rehydrate.

Keep the fermentation temp under control and you'll find some great beer in the bottles in a month or so.
 
I think you should drive that swill 4 hrs north when its all done and share with me...Baaahhhhaaaaaaa

Your gonna be fine. I stuck my entire ARM into my first ferment, mining for the airlock grommet I pushed into the bucket....That batch was KILLER..I think!

If you want to try a different kind of "KIT" let me know. We're so close I could almost drive it down to ya.....

Cheers
Jay
 
My first batch, and so far my only batch, I did everything right except I thought I had to rack to a secondary. The only other thing I had was my bottling bucket. So, after about 9 days in primary, I racked to secondary, which was fine, but the instructions say to add your priming sugar to 2 cups water, boil for 15 minutes, and then pour into your bottling bucket. Then siphon your beer in. I didn't want to kill the yeast by dumping boiling water in, so I set that pan in another pan of ice water and got it down to room temp. The carbonation has been ok with some, and better with others, so it wasn't so bad after all.
 
Jaybird said:
I think you should drive that swill 4 hrs north when its all done and share with me...Baaahhhhaaaaaaa

Your gonna be fine. I stuck my entire ARM into my first ferment, mining for the airlock grommet I pushed into the bucket....That batch was KILLER..I think!

If you want to try a different kind of "KIT" let me know. We're so close I could almost drive it down to ya.....

Cheers
Jay
Click to expand...

Right on! Thanks Jay, I just might take you up on that. And, I will be willing to share once this batch is ready for sure. Think I'm going to keg it though so I might have to pour you a growler.

One of the other things I was thinking about is that I pitched 1 package of the Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast and I've read some things talking about pitching a second package (not sure of the unit of measure they use for that small package). When I took the sample (with my wine/beer thief) for gravity testing I had quite a bit if sediment in the bottom of my test vile. So I wonder if taking a sample right after pitching sucked up some of the yeast. I wasn't real confident on whether or not I sanitized the vile I used for the gravity test so I didn't want risk returning it to the carboy and tossed it. Does it make sense to pitch more to be safe or do you think there should be enough cells left to ferment?...I'll take a look tonight after it has had 24hrs to get started and see if I have some good action going on.
 
wtrfwlnut said:
When I took the sample (with my wine/beer thief) for gravity testing I had quite a bit if sediment in the bottom of my test vile. So I wonder if taking a sample right after pitching sucked up some of the yeast. ...I'll take a look tonight after it has had 24hrs to get started and see if I have some good action going on.
Click to expand...

Generally you want to take a gravity before pitching the yeast just so that doesn't happen. Also with dry yeast you typically have way more yeast than you need, unless you do a super high gravity beer.

And just curious, where is your local Homebrew supply store?
 
I want to meet these brewers that have "100 brews" under their belt. I brew over 100 gallons a year but still only have about 30 brews under my belt. 100 brews and the best he could do is tell you to pitch dry yeast? tisk tisk! Welcome to HBT!
 
I have been brewing for years and only have about 40 under my belt (38 AG BIAB and 2 or 3 extract brews).

I think people get all caught up in getting everything "exact". 80degree pitch is not going to make a batch undrinkable, now if you ferment at 80F or more you may get some off flavors, but come on.

Dont take this in a bad way, but people need to remember that people have been brewing beer for well over 2 thousand+ years and we have only had all these incredible tools for the last 100 or so.

(I am sure that the brewmeister in 1548 was just kicking himself when he pitched his yeast at 80F, oh wait, they didnt know what yeast was...) as another poster aptly posted

RDWHAHB
 
nDub said:
And just curious, where is your local Homebrew supply store?
Click to expand...

Well, I kinda fibbed...I got this kit from The Brewmeister in Sacramento. The local Homebrew Store in Stockton is Fat City BBQ and Brewing and I feel like they are working on getting better. They have good selection and are very nice, I just felt like some of the home brew stores in Sacramento had a little more knowledge.
 
cannman said:
I want to meet these brewers that have "100 brews" under their belt. I brew over 100 gallons a year but still only have about 30 brews under my belt. 100 brews and the best he could do is tell you to pitch dry yeast? tisk tisk! Welcome to HBT!
Click to expand...

For the record, he didn't, he told me that I should have rehydrated...If I said/typed that I made a mistake. He definitely told me that I should have rehydrated but I called him after I had already pitched. I felt like I was in a hurry and didn't have time to bring the yeast up to room temp and go through the rehydration process. He pointed out that I was wrong about that...Even mentioned that some guys he knows even wait and pitch the next day to make sure they have the right wort temp, no need to hurry up and pitch.

I was surprised too when he told me he had 100 batches under his belt...He brews 20 batches a year and shares a lot of beer with a club.
 
Hey buddy - If you pitched at 90 and got the wort down to 65 within a few hours you shouldn't have any problems. As for the yeast sticking to the side, just slosh the wort around to get the stuck yeast into the wort. I'm not seeing any red flags on your brew day. Now, if you didn't get it down to 65 after pitching, you would probably be in for some gross beer.
 
On my first 2-3 I pitched at around 78 or so. I knew damn well I should wait until 68-70 but it was like 1am. Pitched anyways and both beers turned out fantastic. You will be fine. Again, I have never hit every metric. Whether it is OG, FG, pitch temp, etc. I will say that the metrics that I do hit is strike temp, mash temp and I keep the bucket in a cool dark room never above 70. I think those are the real important ones. Yeast are more ruged than people think from my readings.

I would say that sanitization, good water and patience are key. The rest if these metrics are born out of convenience. As long as you are in the ballpark, you will be fine.

To the poster above regarding priming sugar and boiling water, I have always just threw the boiling water solution right into beer before bottling and never had a carbonation issue. I think the volume of beer to hot water is significant enough such that the 2 cups of solution dont effect the overall temperature of the beer enough to do any damage to yeast. Dont over think it and have fun with it.
 
wtrfwlnut said:
Still cant figure this one out....
Click to expand...

RDWHAHB - Common homebrewing term.

Relax, Don't worry, have a homebrew - Charlie Papazian the book "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing"

If you don't have it, I highly suggest picking it up.

Welcome to the hobby/obsession!!!
 
wtrfwlnut said:
Well, I kinda fibbed...I got this kit from The Brewmeister in Sacramento. The local Homebrew Store in Stockton is Fat City BBQ and Brewing and I feel like they are working on getting better. They have good selection and are very nice, I just felt like some of the home brew stores in Sacramento had a little more knowledge.
Click to expand...

I'm just curious. I live in Sonora and Barley & Wine (in Modesto) is the closest spot. I wanted to know if there was one in Stockton as well.

I think I've been by the Fat City BBQ store (near Trader Joes?) and I wasn't too impressed, hopefully they get better.

There used to be a place in Lodi right off 99, across from that half built abandoned shopping center, but the last time I drove past I didn't see the sign for it.
 
I agree, pitching warm is not best practice but probably not going to produce any noticeable flaws. Your beer is going to be fine. To me the biggest "sin" in your story is stirring with a thermometer. Do you mean a traditional glass thermometer filled with mercury? Now that could have been a huge disaster! WTF were you thinking, man?
 
nDub said:
I'm just curious. I live in Sonora and Barley & Wine (in Modesto) is the closest spot. I wanted to know if there was one in Stockton as well.

I think I've been by the Fat City BBQ store (near Trader Joes?) and I wasn't too impressed, hopefully they get better.

There used to be a place in Lodi right off 99, across from that half built abandoned shopping center, but the last time I drove past I didn't see the sign for it.
Click to expand...

Yes, Fat City BBQ and Brew is the one in Stockton (Lincoln Center) that offers home brew supplies. They are working on beefing up their inventory and they give some advise, not gonna say it's great but it's not bad either. I felt like the person I spoke with was still learning also.

Lodi Wine Labs is the place in Lodi that offers beer brewing supplies but I'm not sure if there is an abandon shopping center there though....That place is further north on 99 around Elk Grove/Laguna area.

I like the places in Sacramento much better. I went to the Brewmeister first but then went to BFD (Brew Ferment Distill). I really liked Tim at BFD and will most likely buy from him moving forward. He took the time to talk to me about supplies and brewing and offered for me to call anytime I had questions. Heck, I didn't even buy anything that day. So when I don't buy online, I will give them some business also.
 
wtrfwlnut said:
...abandon shopping center there though....That place is further north on 99 around Elk Grove/Laguna area.

..I really liked Tim at BFD and will most likely buy from him moving forward. He took the time to talk to me about supplies and brewing and offered for me to call anytime I had questions. Heck, I didn't even buy anything that day. So when I don't buy online, I will give them some business also.
Click to expand...

Yeah I googled it. It is farther north near Elk Grove.

I was in Sac recently for a work conference and stopped in at BFD for some bulk grain. I had a good talk with Tim also.

Although I think for you the morebeer concord show room might be just as close as Sac. Maybe.. That one probably the coolest homebew supply store I've visited. Well that and The Platypus in Bend, OR.
 
Flubs happen even to the most experienced brewer. RDWHAHB. If you don't have any homebrew ready to drink, then just follow this guy's example.......

ZEN GORILLA V2 flat samp.jpg
 
Aristotelian said:
. Do you mean a traditional glass thermometer filled with mercury? Now that could have been a huge disaster! WTF were you thinking, man?
Click to expand...

Hahaha, that would have been bad... No, I meant one of those bimetal thermometers with the long probe...I seem to remember a story of a kid, when I was young, wanting to pretend he was sick at school, so he took the thermometer out of his mouth and when the school nurse wasn't looking he put it in her coffee...Well, the thermo broke and the mercury was at the bottom of her cup...Hearing that story is when I learned that mercury is poison...The way the story went was that when she saw the broken thermo she figured it out and he was in deep trouble, I don't think he realized he could have killed her....Maybe one of those urban legends...

Anyway, not to worry about that....But clearly I wasn't thinking clearly anyway...Wasn't even drinking!
 
nDub said:
Yeah I googled it. It is farther north near Elk Grove.

I was in Sac recently for a work conference and stopped in at BFD for some bulk grain. I had a good talk with Tim also.

Although I think for you the morebeer concord show room might be just as close as Sac. Maybe.. That one probably the coolest homebew supply store I've visited. Well that and The Platypus in Bend, OR.
Click to expand...

The big difference between going to Concord and Sac...Traffic....Easy drive up I-5 to Sac. Oh, and I have accounts in Sac so the company pays for my mileage to go there! But I will be checking out the Concord Morebeer store sometime soon.

Dang it, I was just in Bend last summer too and wasn't home brewing yet. Kind of a long drive for me to go back there anytime soon.
 
Ok, so I have another question. I have a freezer that was given to me as I mentioned earlier. I bought an Inkbird ITC 308 dual zone temp controller and have it set at 67*F with max Differential values at 2 Deg for heat and cool. It seems to be stabilized right at 67.9 Deg...My question is, is this a good target temp? From what I've read on the Safale US-05 yeast, it seems to be right in the middle, they say 65-75 deg.

Also, is the 2 Deg differential (both ways so I guess it is a total of 4 deg of diff) for heat and cool too much room for fluctuation? Should I set it tighter?
 
The cardinal brewing sin is not sanitizing your equipment post boil IMO. Do that and you can just about guarantee you're going to have some bad beer. This? This is a slight hiccup, you'll be fine like everyone already said. Enjoy your brewski!
 
Personally I have pitched all my brews (albeit only 4 total) in the upper 75-78 F range. All my beers have turned out great thus far. I wouldn't worry one bit. Just don't let it stay at that temp for fermentation and you will be fine.
 
Yep, thanks, that seems to be the general consensus...We'll see how she turns out...36 hours after pitching the airlock is bubbling away and I seem to have a good krauesen so things look positive from an activity standpoint.
 
Hey wtrfwlnut I just brewed my first ever this past friday. Like you I pitched a little warm. It was around 76 or so. But by the time fermentation started kicking in a few hours later i had it down to mid 60's. Right now it's reading 63-64. Hoping it turns out well. I did re-hydrate the yeast like you. Maybe we can compare our results. I did sterilize everything and I personally added a campden tablet and some calcium chloride to up my calcium in the water. I'm also employing the wet towel around the bucket. Takes it to a bit BELOW ambient :)

PS: My instructions too said pitch anywhere under 80, and ferment ANY style of beer at 64-72. Load of BS if you ask me.
 
Yeah, I agree..Why would the directions say to pitch anywhere under 80?

Anyway, I did not re-hydrate my yeast as I thought I was short on time so I pitched dry. It will be interesting. I'm fermenting at 67*F + or - 2*F so I hope it turns out.....Time will tell!

I'll be more precise next time, bet on that...
 
Because the people that buy these kits are new brewers and they want to make it as easy as possible for them to brew to get people hooked. If you follow those instructions you'll get an OK beer. Not the best possible though. It's all to make a sale.
 

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