Did I kill my yeast and how do I fix it?

[Ageek]

This is my first post. Thanks to everyone on this forum, I have never been unable to find an answer that I needed in the past.

This is my 4th batch of homebrew and I have been refining my techniques while reading these forums and a few books.

I brewed an Amber Ale yesterday and I could not have been happier about how everything went through the entire brew process. The sample tasted great.

Instead of pitching dry yeast right into the carboy, like I have done in the past, I decided to re-hydrate the yeast this time. I boiled some water and put it in a pyrex cup, added the yeast and covered it with plastic. The issue is that the book I read said to put it in cooled boiled water, I did check the temperature when I added the yeast and it was 170F, I missed the "cooled" part. I waited 15 minutes to stir the yeast and it was a little foamy and you could smell it. I waited another 20 minutes before I pitched it. It had settled into a creamy layer on the bottom with some cloudy water on top. I stirred it real quick before I pitched it.

The wort was 71F when I pitched it and the carboy has been holding at 68F for 24 hours. I have no krausen, the foam that was on top from aeration has settled back into the wort, and no airlock activity at all. My concern was that I killed the yeast when I added it to water that hot. Since it has only been 24 hours, I was going to wait another day and see how it goes.

If I do not have any activity, can I pitch more yeast? Should I just add it or re-hydrate it correctly this time? Will adding more yeast impact the flavor or anything else about the beer?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[eadavis80]

You COULD wait another day to see if it gets going, but I'd say there is a 99% chance that yeast is toast. I would probably just rehydrate correctly another packet and add it. Overpitching at the homebrew level is pretty hard to do and since the yeast that you pitched is probably toast, I doubt you'd be overpitching anyhow.

 

[brewkinger]

You COULD wait another day to see if it gets going, but I'd say there is a 99% chance that yeast is toast. I would probably just rehydrate correctly another packet and add it. Overpitching at the homebrew level is pretty hard to do and since the yeast that you pitched is probably toast, I doubt you'd be overpitching anyhow.

I would even go as far as saying that the yeast is 100% dead.
170 degrees is too hot.
Get another packet of dry yeast and pitch it ASAP.

 

[Ageek]

Thank you both for the replies.

I will head down to my LHBS this morning and get some new yeast.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Jimbodaman]

the yeast is dead. no big deal just sprinkle a new pack on the wort and rdwhahb

 

[tracyk]

Yeah, you can heat the water up in the microwave to the correct temp which I believe on dry yeast is between is between 98 and a 104 to rehydrate it or just direct pitch onto the wort.

But yeah that original pack is hosed. throw on another.

 

[Ageek]

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

I re-hydrated some new yeast, at the correct temperature this time, and pitched it yesterday afternoon. This morning I have a bubbling airlock and a krausen forming on the top.

Thank you again to everyone. I am very excited to try this batch.

 

[Weaves]

For hydrating mines just make sure what I using is clean and use like warm tap water (same as I use for the beer) and never had an issue