Did I over-aerate?

[Makita]

Last night after my wort (2.5 gallons) was done boiling, I let it sit off the burner for about 15 min, then poured it into the primary fermenter on top of 2.5 gallons of store-bought drinking water that had been in the fridge. I immediately put the lid on and gave it a good mix but it was still around 82 degrees.

Over the course of about 3 hours, I kept checking the thermometer strip on the carboy. The carboy felt much hotter near the bottom. I wasn't sure if the plastic was thinner at the bottom or if the wort was dense and had sunk, so I kept rocking the carboy to mix it up. I did this about 4 or 5 times before finally going to bed because it was still too hot.

This morning, I shook it up again and finally pitched the Wyest Activator pack.

So, a few questions:

1) I did a lot of aerating the hot wort before needing to. Is this going to make the beer taste crappy?
2) The wort obviously remained hot for a long time. Is going from near-boiling to 82 degrees enough of a cold break?
3) I put the lid on immediately and the lid and carboy were still wet with Star San, but bacteria find ways to get everywhere. Is the fact that it took so long to get the yeast in there likely to cause a contamination problem?

 

[SpinDance]

I'll let those more expert than I speak to contamination, but my guess is you'll probably be OK. Just a guess, though!

As for faster cooling, I've had good luck putting the brewpot into my sink, covered, and filling the sink with cold water, swishing it around the pot every so often. I use the very high-tech method of putting my hand in the water and mooshing the water around the pan. I usually need a couple changes of water. I don't bother using ice, the cold water works fine and doesn't take all that long. When the temp is down to something reasonable (around 80-90) I dump it into the fermenting bucket and top up with more water.

I usually end up with between 70-75 F, just right for pitching the yeast.

Hope that helps!

 

[El Pistolero]

1) I did a lot of aerating the hot wort before needing to. Is this going to make the beer taste crappy?
2) The wort obviously remained hot for a long time. Is going from near-boiling to 82 degrees enough of a cold break?
3) I put the lid on immediately and the lid and carboy were still wet with Star San, but bacteria find ways to get everywhere. Is the fact that it took so long to get the yeast in there likely to cause a contamination problem?

1) It doesn't sound like you really aerated the wort much while it was still hot...as long as you get it down below 120F, then any aeration after that point is a good thing (at least until the yeast is pitched).

2) It sounds like you got it down to 82F pretty quickly, then let it set overnight, so it really wasn't hot that long. Next time, as soon as you get it down to 80 or so, go ahead and pitch. 75F would probably be better, but 82F is not going to kill yeast...just maybe shock it a bit.

3) It sounds like you sanitized things well, but that long before pitching the yeast could be a bit of a problem. As long as your sanitation was good, then you're likely OK, but in the future you want to oxygenate the wort and pitch the yeast as quickly as you can once you get the wort cooled.

 

[boo boo]

1) It doesn't sound like you really aerated the wort much while it was still hot...as long as you get it down below 120F, then any aeration after that point is a good thing (at least until the yeast is pitched).

2) It sounds like you got it down to 82F pretty quickly, then let it set overnight, so it really wasn't hot that long. Next time, as soon as you get it down to 80 or so, go ahead and pitch. 75F would probably be better, but 82F is not going to kill yeast...just maybe shock it a bit.

3) It sounds like you sanitized things well, but that long before pitching the yeast could be a bit of a problem. As long as your sanitation was good, then you're likely OK, but in the future you want to oxygenate the wort and pitch the yeast as quickly as you can once you get the wort cooled.

(1) Get your wort down to below 80f before aerating, 80 and above is ripe for bacteria growth.
(2) Why shock your yeast, pitch your yeast into your wort at fermenting tempertures for the yeast. 70f and lower is fine if you are brewing ales at 62f to 68f.
(3) you want to get yeast into your brew as fast
as your wort cools down, so that the yeast gains a good foothold in your wort before any wild spoors do.
(4) Aerate the living daylights out of it before pitching your yeast.
(5) Don't worry, RDWHAHB

 

[Wolf]

To cool the wort quickly (I use a canning kettle) I cool it in the bathtub. I run the cold water to about the level of the wort in the pot while it's still boiling, then just set the whole thing in the tub (with the lid on to protect from contamination). Every 5 minutes or so I just go move the pot around a bit to circulate the warmer water away from the pot and the cooler water in, and take off the lid for a second to let heat escape. I never need to add more cold water to the tub that way. Cools to 70 in about 20 minutes.