i have my first batch in the secondary, every thing was going well i did hydro test before i transfered it showed that it was done, then last night my heat quit in the garage where the beer was, the air temp got down to about 50 degrees i didnt have a thermomometer on my carboy but i dont think the beer got that cold it was covered. the garage has in floor radiant heat so ithink that helped, at what temp does the yeast die? i am just concerned about carbonation when i bottle, Thanks Ron
at what temp does yeast die?
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Unless it freezes solid yeast does not die from cold, it just goes dormant until it warms back up. Heat will kill the yeast cells but I am not sure what the exact temp is. I am guessing it varies by the yeast.
GaryA said:
Just for future reference and because I am a geek, yeast will be critically injured at 120° and killed off at 140°. Cool will retard it's growth and cold will slow it down to nothing. Yes, you can kill beer yeast with freezing unless you protect it's cells from bursting.
danbloke2000
Member
Phew...so if I accidentally let my beer temp rise to 28/82 it will be OK?
BurtConnor
Member
28°C/82°F is fine. When baking bread I use water at blood temperature (around 37°C/98°F) to get the most out of the yeast.
Not sure how that sort of temperature would affect beer though. I'm keeping mine at a 'cooler than room temperature' limit.
Not sure how that sort of temperature would affect beer though. I'm keeping mine at a 'cooler than room temperature' limit.
danbloke2000
Member
mmm. me too. It was never my plan and let's just say there was a miss reading error. I keep mine in an out building which stays just about the right temp usually wih the little heat the freezer in there kicks out. Anyway, in error I miss read something and deceided I needed to put the brew belt on the barel. I had a look this morning and it was at 28°C....
Does anyone know if this might have killed it?
I usually get the airtrap bubbling by now (about day 3)
So, didtch it and start again to be safe? Don't wanna waste by only barrel on a month of undrinkable beer.....
PS. cool forum. I have only just disscovered it!
BurtConnor
Member
From what I've read, no bubbling doesn't mean no fermentation and I think the general advice is, stick at it. Take a hydrometer reading after a week or so to confirm whether there is activity.
Brewer_Dad
Well-Known Member
This is so good to read. Yesterday my Anvil Foundry marked 24C but when I transferred the Tilt marked 39C. I freaked out. It took me a couple of hours to get it under 25C.
39C is 102F and I over pitched so I might be safe. I might repitch if I don't see activity in a couple of days.
Yeast love 102F or even warmer. When I bake bread I put the yeast in 105F water to rehydrate and begin propagating. However, at temps in that range, the yeast also like to throw off some esters that are not the most pleasant in beer and can also create fusel alcohol. It does take time for the yeast to propagate enough to begin the fermentation so your 2 hours of cooling probably didn't hurt. Hopefully you were able to continue cooling the beer as some strains still produce off flavors at 25C.
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