First batch, pitched too hot, fermentation seems to be going, any suggestions?

[JPrather]

Hey guys,

Yesterday I brewed my first batch of beer, the Nut Brown Ale Extract kit from Northern Brewer.

Besides spilling some specialty grains, the brewing process went smoothly, and my OG was spot on (1.044). However, it turns out my thermometer is wonky, and I pitched my yeast (Danstar Nottingham) much too early. My best guess after testing the thermometer is that it's off by 30-40 degrees.

After mixing my cooled wort (100deg according to the bad thermometer) with about 3 gallons of cool water, and areating for a few minutes, the thermometer read ~60, I freaked and pitched. So, unfortunately I think I may have pitched real hot, like 90-100degrees F, but I can't say for certain what the temp was.

After storing, I noticed that my bucket was slightly warm to the touch. I immediately moved it to a cold garage. It was no longer warm to the touch by the two hour mark. I then moved it to the coldest bathroom in my house, where I should be able to keep it in the low 60s.

Today (about the 16 hour mark) I saw no activity. I removed the airlock and peered through the hole. I could see what appeared to be a thin layer of krausen forming that wasn't there the night before.

I must not have had a good seal originally, because when I re-seated the airlock, within minutes it began bubblng away with steady bubbleage every 1-2 seconds now. So, it appears that the yeast didn't die and fermentation has taken off.

From reading, It seems that I may end up having to call it banana nut brown ale and hope nobody knows any better. I should be able to keep it at the low end of the fermentation temp range (low 60s), so hopefully I can mitigate my mistake as much as possible.

So, I'm guessing all I can do now is RDWHAMGD64 (sorry, that's all I have on hand), but if you guys have any other suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks!

 

[scottballz]

Hey guys,

Yesterday I brewed my first batch of beer, the Nut Brown Ale Extract kit from Northern Brewer.

Besides spilling some specialty grains, the brewing process went smoothly, and my OG was spot on (1.044). However, it turns out my thermometer is wonky, and I pitched my yeast (Danstar Nottingham) much too early. My best guess after testing the thermometer is that it's off by 30-40 degrees.

After mixing my cooled wort (100deg according to the bad thermometer) with about 3 gallons of cool water, and areating for a few minutes, the thermometer read ~60, I freaked and pitched. So, unfortunately I think I may have pitched real hot, like 90-100degrees F, but I can't say for certain what the temp was.

After storing, I noticed that my bucket was slightly warm to the touch. I immediately moved it to a cold garage. It was no longer warm to the touch by the two hour mark. I then moved it to the coldest bathroom in my house, where I should be able to keep it in the low 60s.

Today (about the 16 hour mark) I saw no activity. I removed the airlock and peered through the hole. I could see what appeared to be a thin layer of krausen forming that wasn't there the night before.

I must not have had a good seal originally, because when I re-seated the airlock, within minutes it began bubblng away with steady bubbleage every 1-2 seconds now. So, it appears that the yeast didn't die and fermentation has taken off.

From reading, It seems that I may end up having to call it banana nut brown ale and hope nobody knows any better. I should be able to keep it at the low end of the fermentation temp range (low 60s), so hopefully I can mitigate my mistake as much as possible.

So, I'm guessing all I can do now is RDWHAMGD64 (sorry, that's all I have on hand), but if you guys have any other suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks!

If you have a local Home Brew Shop in your area it might be worth going down and grabbing another package of yeast and tossing it in. this should make up for any yeast cells that may have been killed and will ensure a good primary fermentation. If not, just let it go and chalk it up to a learning experience. I'm sure it will still taste great!
Cheers

 

[BigFloyd]

Without knowing for sure what the pitch temp really was, there's no way to know at this point. At 90-100*F, you didn't kill any yeast. No need to pitch more.

You're doing the right thing now keeping a Nottingham ferment cool. That stuff does fine on down into the 50's, but it doesn't like warm (above 68*F beer temp) while active.

You learned some things already that very important. Lack of airlock bubbles doesn't always mean no ferment. It also sounds like you've gained an appreciation for needing accurate temp readings. There are some decent (although not great) inexpensive thermometers like the Taylor 9842 available on Amazon. Get one. If you've been a really good boy this year (like me) Santa may even bring you a Thermapen.

 

[RM-MN]

Hey guys,

Yesterday I brewed my first batch of beer, the Nut Brown Ale Extract kit from Northern Brewer.

Besides spilling some specialty grains, the brewing process went smoothly, and my OG was spot on (1.044). However, it turns out my thermometer is wonky, and I pitched my yeast (Danstar Nottingham) much too early. My best guess after testing the thermometer is that it's off by 30-40 degrees.

After mixing my cooled wort (100deg according to the bad thermometer) with about 3 gallons of cool water, and areating for a few minutes, the thermometer read ~60, I freaked and pitched. So, unfortunately I think I may have pitched real hot, like 90-100degrees F, but I can't say for certain what the temp was.

After storing, I noticed that my bucket was slightly warm to the touch. I immediately moved it to a cold garage. It was no longer warm to the touch by the two hour mark. I then moved it to the coldest bathroom in my house, where I should be able to keep it in the low 60s.

Today (about the 16 hour mark) I saw no activity. I removed the airlock and peered through the hole. I could see what appeared to be a thin layer of krausen forming that wasn't there the night before.

I must not have had a good seal originally, because when I re-seated the airlock, within minutes it began bubblng away with steady bubbleage every 1-2 seconds now. So, it appears that the yeast didn't die and fermentation has taken off.

From reading, It seems that I may end up having to call it banana nut brown ale and hope nobody knows any better. I should be able to keep it at the low end of the fermentation temp range (low 60s), so hopefully I can mitigate my mistake as much as possible.

So, I'm guessing all I can do now is RDWHAMGD64 (sorry, that's all I have on hand), but if you guys have any other suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks!

It sounds like you got the temperature down before the yeast got into phase 2 of their life cycle which is where the off flavors like banana form. You shouldn't have any problems with pitching that high. Here's a nice explanation of what happens during the different phases of the yeast's life cycle. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[JPrather]

Haha, thanks for the replies guys. I just re-calibrated my thermometer, and it was about 25 degrees low at ~195 degrees. So, if it was just a calibration issue I might not have pitched as hot as I thought.

That Taylor digital is nice though, I may get one of those anyway.

I checked around last night and the nearest supply company with the same yeast is pretty out of the way for me. I would do it if my yeast was dead but considering fermentation is rocking along right now I'll take my chances that it works out .

Thanks again for the replies, this forum is a great resource, one of the better ones I've seen around.

 

[JPrather]

In case anyone's curious, here's how it looks at the ~43 hour mark. No clue if this picture is indicative if anything. Bubbling had slowed to maybe half the rate of yesterday or so. I didn't bother to take a gravity reading.

Fwiw the room temp in the bathroom it's in fluctuated between about 64 during the day to the high 50s at night, I shouldn't have any issues maintaining similar temps throughout.

And don't worry, I have no plans to open it up again for at least a week or so