Lager pitch temp

[catfishunter]

Hey whats up? I screwed up and pitched my lager yeast at around 80 for a bohemian pilsner. Am I screwed? I immediately put it in my fridge. Not sure what I was thinking.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

I think all home brewers have been there before: The day is getting long, the wort isn't cooling down despite your best attempts, and the threat of infection is looming in the back of your mind. So you pitch the yeast into the warmer than ideal wort... Or maybe it was just me.

As it sounds like you know, for a lager you'll want the pitch at about 50°F (10°C) At this point all you can do is hope for the best. The temperature will need to be above 46°F (8°C) for fermentation to occur, which means most refrigerators are too cold.

What yeast did you use?
What temperature is your refrigerator?

At this point your best bet might be a swamp cooler with ice like this:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/09/swamp-cooler.html

 

[mike11b82]

RDWHAHB not much you can do now. in the future i would just put it in the fridge untill 50* even if it takes over night.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

Agreed. It's ideal to chill the wort to pitching temperature 15 minutes but not necessary. (See the no chill method). As long as it is relatively well sealed it will be fine for a day without pitching. I've done it dozens of times and all of those beers came out just fine.

 

[catfishunter]

I have my fridge set to about 50 degrees. I got the temp down really quick and noticed fermentation did not start till I got the wort below 60. I called the home brew store in my area and they said as long as it starts to ferment, not to worry about it. I'm still worried about off-flavors possibly, but it is fermenting so I guess maybe it will be ok. Lets hope.