HOT yeast! Problem?

[newdamage1]

I just got my first (extract) kit from AHS, and due the crazy weather, the cool pack and yeast were pretty hot, ~90ish. I found another thread that had mixed results from others that had a "hot delivery", this has me worried. I put everything in the fridge, and was planing on doing the brew on Sat/Sun.

Is it possible to tell if everything is OK, just by looking at it? I'm attaching a pic, in case color/clarity can help determine if there is an issue. Any advice would be most appreciated!

P.S. Great Forum!

Pic

 

[RobWalker]

Putting it in the fridge might have damaged it more than the heat, because the sharp change in temperature can cause problems too.

Only advice is to try it and see what happens, or you could even make a starter using a tiny amount of the yeast and send the rest back if it doesn't work. Worst case scenario, your brew will sit not fermenting until you add more yeast.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Make a starter (with the whole vial). That's the only way to test for viability (and boost it at the same time if it has suffered).

 

[asterix404]

+1 to starter, Make one and if it takes off it's fine.

 

[Vance71975]

+1 to starter, Make one and if it takes off it's fine.

+1 do a small starter just to be sure!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

You should always make a starter with liquid yeast. Not just to ensure viability, but to ensure a proper pitch rate as well. Use the whole vial in a 1L starter, it should be fine.

 

[Stephonovich]

I'm having similar experiences, even with ordering the cold pack - I found out the first time that you have to open the yeast vials quite slowly (I didn't put it in the fridge), or it sprays everywhere.

I made a 1L starter and had absolutely no issues. I think yeast, and beer in general is a whole lot more hardy than we give it credit for.

 

[newdamage1]

Thanks for the tips folks. I went out and got a container and made up a starter from the instructions I found here.

My kit came with LME so I found this conversion from DME to LME, it seemed correct to me. :cross:

Its only been a few hours, but here's what it looks like. PICS

Fingers crossed...

 

[EricT]

Just make sure you airate that starter real well, yeast love O2. If you dont see any action by tomorrow morning I would go buy a new vial. I think you are going to be fine though.

 

[Jamminjoenapo]

I'm having similar experiences, even with ordering the cold pack - I found out the first time that you have to open the yeast vials quite slowly (I didn't put it in the fridge), or it sprays everywhere.

I made a 1L starter and had absolutely no issues. I think yeast, and beer in general is a whole lot more hardy than we give it credit for.

I bought my last order with 3 yeast packs and got the styrofoam cooler thing and added an extra ice pack. And the nice people at Midwest added an extra 2 packs for me due to the weather I told them we were having, it is 91 at 7 PM right now I got the packs in after 3 days shipping and they weren't cold, but weren't hot either. Made a starter yesterday and it's foaming up real good.

To OP just make a starter and you can check your viability. Truthfully I don't think I'll ever make another batch of beer without a starter after I brewed my last one. It hit just below the projected FG on the kit and it sure is nice to not worry about fermenting when it starts after a few hours.

 

[Brett3rThanU]

Just got my vial from AHS the other day as well and it was 102F when it was delivered. Needless to say the yeast was hot. I stuffed it in the fridge for a day and made a starter the next and it's going crazy, I'd say my yeast is still good.

+1 on the warning when opening it, mine squirted everywhere.

 

[bottlebomber]

Always make a starter. Most brew supplies will comp a new yeast if the one they sent was dead, but none that I know of will replace a screwed up batch of beer.

 

[iron_city_ap]

It seems like 9 times out of 10, no matter what day of the week I order my ingredients, it ships on either a Thurs. or Fri. and sits in a hot truck over the weekend. In the warmer months, I ALWAYS get cold packs and make starters. In the colder months, I don't worry about the cold packs and make starters based on the estimated OG (which is still 75% of the time).

I guess my point is, make a starter for insurance but if you don't you'll probably be okay still. Also, I used to always keep a packet of dry yeast around incase my liquid yeast was bad so I could pitch something and start fermenting before nasties settle in. I started washing/reusing yeast, so I have plenty of liquid around now, unless its a strain I don't already have.

 

[DoubleAught]

I had a hot yeast delivery as well about 5 weeks ago. Was concerned as well that it may have gotten too hot. I read somewhere that if its under 150 degrees that they would probably be ok, (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Anyway, I brewed the batch and pitched the yeast without a starter. The lag time was a little over 48 hrs but it was fine after. I'm enjoying the first bottle tonight and all is good. If I had it to do over I'd make the starter like the others here have recommended.

 

[bottlebomber]

Also, I used to always keep a packet of dry yeast around incase my liquid yeast was bad so I could pitch something and start fermenting before nasties settle in.

Can't + this one enough. ALWAYS have a packet or 2 of dry yeast in the fridge. It keeps for at least a year, and even if you don't want to ferment your belgian with US-05 it sure beats losing the whole batch

 

[unionrdr]

I always make a starter with the 7g cooper's ale yeast now. Works really great that way. It took my 1st IPA down from 1.050 to 1.011 in 2 weeks. Gives me 5.7% so far,by cooper's formula. No discernible off flavors from the 24C (75F) brew temps.

 

[newdamage1]

Can't + this one enough. ALWAYS have a packet or 2 of dry yeast in the fridge. It keeps for at least a year, and even if you don't want to ferment your belgian with US-05 it sure beats losing the whole batch

We have a container of Fleischmanns "active dry" yeast that we use for pizza dough, bread etc. I saw a few threads here were people had used it, but for wines. Could I use this for a Brown Ale?

Sorry to barrage everyone with Pics of every step, I'm not sure what things are suppose to look like.(yet) Here's the starter after 20hours of being out on the counter (~75deg). PIC. I never saw any bubbling, but it does smell a bit different than when I first mixed everything, more acidic for lack of a better term.

Brew scheduling wise, I was going to brew tomorrow. Should I hold off?

 

[bottlebomber]

Swirl it around. Does it foam? Look at it closely- can you see small bubbles rising up through it? It looks fine to me...

 

[newdamage1]

Swirl it around. Does it foam? Look at it closely- can you see small bubbles rising up through it? It looks fine to me...

No foam when swirled, (not shaken, just enough to get the sediment suspended) just a few large bubbles that pop in a few seconds.

And definitely no carbonation type bubbles at all in the wort.

 

[bottlebomber]

Hmm... it could just be taking a little extra time. I wouldn't use the Fleishmans unless it was last resort, I would just brew as normal (I assume you don't have a reasonably close LHBS) and pitch what you've got. After 48 hours, if there's NO activity in your fermenter I would consider pitching the bread yeast, and call it an experiment. I try to only order dry yeasts through the summer, and stock up on vials before then or use washed yeast slurry

 

[iron_city_ap]

We have a container of Fleischmanns "active dry" yeast that we use for pizza dough, bread etc. I saw a few threads here were people had used it, but for wines. Could I use this for a Brown Ale?

QUOTE]

Many years ago, some friends and I tried brewing and had no clue at all what we were doing. We used bakers yeast instead of brewers yeast. I don't know what you'd call what we made, it certainly wasn't beer. It tasted like bread. NASTY stuff. I would only use that in an absolute emergency.