Cold Teperature Issue

[ghostrider82]

****First post notification****
***First homebrew***

I started my Irish Stout on 12/28/10, did all my sanitizing and boiling and temperature and gravity readings. Everything good to go, right? So on the 12/29 after checking in on it making sure it was in the proper temp. range I left town for a New Years snowboarding/drinking trip. I get home today to find that my furnace went out at some point and the high in my region was 20°F, inside my house it was 46° and my beer was about 52°, which is like 10° lower than it should be. Everything I've read here before posting says don't worry it'll work out, I just want some advice.

1) What is the best way to find out if my yeast is active again/still?
2) Should I agitate the yeast sediment (obviously without introducing oxygen)?
3) If I've killed the yeast and need to re-pitch when should I consider doing so?

Thanks for any advice you'd care to toss my way.

 

[Clann]

Bring the temps back to 65-70.

Roust the yeast by grabbung bucket handle and spin back and forth 5-6 times.

You did not kill the yeast, mabye put them to sleep but temp control and agitating

should do the trick. The yeasties are hardy little buggers so dont worry to much.

 

[RM-MN]

If you could kill yeast that easily, beer would never happened. It's likely that just warming it up will get the yeast working again.

 

[Yooper]

Don't shake it or do anything yet! What yeast strain did you use? Some ale yeast strains are active down to 57-59 degrees, so you're barely below that range.

Take a hydrometer reading. I bet the beer finished up while it was still warm, and that the beer is fine. Don't shake/rouse/etc. Just take a reading. If it's high, just allow the beer to return to the mid-60s. If it's not high, just allow the beer to return to the mid-60s. Don't risk aeration, as I doubt any jostling is needed.