Did I kill my yeast?

[Kaingers]

Hi all,

I am new to brewing and have just finished brewing my 2nd batch of extract beer. The first recipe told me to add the yeast directly to the fermenting bucket, and this batch went off without a hitch. The 2nd batch I just finished told me to rehydrate my yeast in a 1/2 cup of water at a temp of 90-100 for 20 minutes. I do not have a thermometer and the water I added the yeast to was still steaming when I took it out of the microwave. Is it possible that I killed my yeast with too high a temperature water? The wort has been in the bucket for 30 hrs with no visable signs yet from the airlock that fermentation has started.

2nd part of the question is, will it hurt anything to just add more yeast to the bucket if in fact I killed the first round?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[shamrockdoc]

I added the yeast to was still steaming when I took it out of the microwave.

What yeast are you using?.....whatever it is pitch it again and don't microwave it just pitch it into your primary. And whomever told you to microwave water and yeast then pitch it into beer punch in the throat and then give him this webpage. Oh and welcome to the hobby and this website you will learn so much good beer info from here. GET A THERMOMETER

Yeast starters:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/YeastStarter.pdf

 

[Kaingers]

I used Safale US-05, thanks for the advice, link doesn't seem to be working.

 

[shamrockdoc]

check the new video much better

 

[NickN72]

What yeast are you using?.....whatever it is pitch it again and don't microwave it just pitch it into your primary. And whomever told you to microwave water and yeast then pitch it into beer punch in the throat and then give him this webpage. Oh and welcome to the hobby and this website you will learn so much good beer info from here. GET A THERMOMETER


It doesn't sound like he actually microwaved the yeast. At least that's one positive. But if the water was hot enough to be steaming then it was definitely too hot and you killed the yeast. I would just get some more S-05 and sprinkle it in the fermenter. That should fix it all.

 

[barrooze]

Is it possible that I killed my yeast with too high a temperature water?

Yes. Yeast can die if pitched into wort (or water) that is too hot.

The wort has been in the bucket for 30 hrs with no visable signs yet from the airlock that fermentation has started.

That's ok, keep watching. It can take 72 hours to see signs of fermentation. Be patient!

2nd part of the question is, will it hurt anything to just add more yeast to the bucket if in fact I killed the first round?

Nope, if you really think you killed the yeast, just properly rehydrate a packet of the yeast and pitch it into the wort.

A decent thermometer is one of the most important tools a homebrewer can have. And don't forget, anyone can make wort, it's yeast that makes the beer. Treat it right!

 

[lumpher]

if you pitched into steaming water, yes, the yeast is dead. repitch now, and it should all be good

 

[Eddiebosox]

Yeah, its dead. Thankfully us-05 is cheap and versatile, and you can just sprinkle it directly on the wort of you want to. (I rehydrate mine, but that's just my preference).

I keep us-05 packets on hand at all times as a stopgap for stuck fermentation's.

 

[Kaingers]

thanks for the advice everyone. I plan on getting some yeast today as all the brewstores in my area were closed on Monday.

 

[Calder]

Always have a spare pack on hand. Dry yeast will keep 'forever' at fridge temperatures. I think it loses 4% viability a year, which means that even after 10 years there are still a lot of live yeast in a pack.

 

[Pappers_]

You really should get a thermometer, but you don't need it to rehydrate yeast. No need to microwave the water, either. Turn on your tap water and adjust it until it feels neither hot nor cold to you - your body temp is 98 degrees. It's an easy way to loosely gauge temp that bakers use when proofing yeast.

 

[Kaingers]

I hope to get a thermometer for Christmas. I can report that fermentation has started with the re-pitching of non-hydrated yeast. Thank you all for your help.