Ice isn't a problem, right ??!!?

[Thor]

I have a newbie question that is probably the result of too much thinking / not enough drinking. Basic question: will ice in the primary, after closing and airlocking, have any negative effects on the beer.

Details...

I brewed my first batch this afternoon, a Edme red amber kit to which I added dry malt and about 3/4 oz hops during the brewing, per my local homebrew store's suggestion. The hops were in a hopsock, removed before cooling.

To cool the wort, I froze a little less than a half gallon of sterile water in a sterilized, airtight container (a 1/2 gallon cooler jug). My thinking was that the warm wort would melt the ice, as I've seen suggested in several places.

I also put the wort kettle in an ice bath while I rinsed the primary fermenter, funnel, airlock, etc. I put the block of ice and two gallons of water (somewhat chilled) into the primary, then sloshed in the wort.

The ice in the primary did not completely melt. Not wanting to leave the primary open, I tool an OG reading (which I know will be somewhat off), added the pre-conditioned dry yeast / lukewarm water mixture, and closed everything off.

My thinking: since the closet I am using is about 75-77 degrees, the ice would melt over no more than a couple of hours and, since the temperature of the wort with ice was about 76 degrees, the yeast would be fine.

Do you agree, or did I screw up?

Thanks, all. Great comments throughout this forum - very helpful!!

 

[El Pistolero]

You'll probably be fine, but next time make sure the wort is well mixed (and thawed) before taking your OG reading and pitching. The danger is that the temp will have dropped below 70F, shocking the yeast and leading to a slow start.

 

[david_42]

Sounds like you ended up pitching though a layer of melt water. EP's right, stir it first. The yeast will recover from the thermal, but you'll have a slow start.

 

[Orfy]

Am I right in thinking the dried yeast will float which is where the is would be?

 

[Thor]

As it turns out, the primary started bubbling well after a few hours.

Then today, after two days, fermentation stopped. My closet is dark, and maintains temperatures between 72 and 77 degrees. OG was 1.056, current SG is 1.021. The recipe was Edme Red Ale LME (3.5 pounds in kit form), about a pound of dry amber malt extract, and 3/4 oz. Kent Golding hop pellets. All hardware was well sterlized, and the wort smells fine and currently shows a temperature of 72 degrees.

Seems like it stalled too early. Does anyone have thoughts? Should I stir things up and see if fermentation restarts? I appreciate the feedback, as this is my first batch.

 

[Orfy]

As it turns out, the primary started bubbling well after a few hours.

Then today, after two days, fermentation stopped. My closet is dark, and maintains temperatures between 72 and 77 degrees. OG was 1.056, current SG is 1.021. The recipe was Edme Red Ale LME (3.5 pounds in kit form), about a pound of dry amber malt extract, and 3/4 oz. Kent Golding hop pellets. All hardware was well sterlized, and the wort smells fine and currently shows a temperature of 72 degrees.

Seems like it stalled too early. Does anyone have thoughts? Should I stir things up and see if fermentation restarts? I appreciate the feedback, as this is my first batch.

My last one did in 2 to 3 days and I've been told that's fine. Not sure about temps over 75 though.