Missing yeast, what to do?

[so5724x]

Hi, brewed beer from extract kit tonight before realizing the company i ordered it from forgot to include the yeast! ( Thanks Northern Brewer, this of the third time you've done this).

So, I'm going to wake up tomorrow and drive 40 minutes to buy yeast and pitch my yeast in the morning.

My question is, how should I store the wort without yeast overnight?

Should I cool it in a ice bath and let sit in the sanitized fermenter at room temperature? Or should I leave it in the hot kettle and let it cool in the fridge over night? Or any other options

Also, if i cool and put in fermenter, should I aerate it tonight or right before i pitch the yeast?

Please share advice and be as specific as possible thank you!

 

[Barbarossa]

You can reheat your wort to 180F tomorrow and cool it back down. It will be like you just made it.

Cooling it and putting in a sanitized fermenter will also work well, as I doubt that you can get an infection big enough in 12 hours to overpower the yeast.

 

[so5724x]

Thanks!

 

[IslandLizard]

... and aerate right before you pitch!

What yeast are you buying/pitching? Dry yeast may be the best at this point, unless the liquid yeast is ultra fresh and vital. There's really no time for making a starter at that point.

 

[bracconiere]

I doubt that you can get an infection big enough in 12 hours to overpower the yeast.

unless the yeast get wild!!!! i've tried before and the wort took off overnight, without any pitch.....i still regret not trying it, could have been true love. the yeast definetly liked my wort! i might have drank them back?

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah, relax!
Leftover starter wort has always been fine leaving overnight (~8-12 hours) in the original lidded pot it was boiled in. Even up to 24 hours in some cases. If I still want to use it for starters I always reboil it though, for all security.

Now after 18-36 hours I've often seen little bubbles or even the beginning of a light foam appearing, which means: it's fermenting!
And you could definitely taste the change. Remember, we merely pasteurize wort, it's not sterile.

I've left a kettle with chilled wort overnight before transferring to the fermenter and never had any issues. During that time everything had precipitated, the wort being very clear.
Similarly, I've also left a closed bucket with very trubby wort to clarify for 4-8 hours without any issues. Then transferred the clear wort off the top to another fermenter, oxygenated and pitched yeast.

 

[IslandLizard]

Hi, brewed beer from extract kit tonight before realizing the company i ordered it from forgot to include the yeast! ( Thanks Northern Brewer, this of the third time you've done this).

I'm quite sure you will now always check your orders as soon as they arrive! It may give you ample time to get it fixed, or find alternatives.

Having a few (spare) packets of dry yeast in the freezer, for emergencies like that, can save your brew day and your beer. Unopened dry yeast packets will last 5 years, or even longer, when kept in the freezer. Even previously opened ones can survive a few years in the freezer, as long as the granules remain dry. Double bag them.

Errors are made, although it seems to have become much more common than in the longer past. Not many people seem to check their work either. Maybe find a better supplier?

 

[IslandLizard]

unless the yeast get wild!!!! i've tried before and the wort took off overnight, without any pitch.....i still regret not trying it, could have been true love. the yeast definetly liked my wort! i might have drank them back?

I've never had an accidental inoculation taste good. In the beginning it may taste OK, even promising, but by the time it's finished it's just terrible, undrinkable.

 

[bracconiere]

I've never had an accidental inoculation taste good. In the beginning it may taste OK, even promising, but by the time it's finished it's just terrible, undrinkable.

damn, with yeast prices going the way they are, i was counting on that as a viable option.....

 

[bracconiere]

Having a few (spare) packets of dry yeast in the freezer,

https://labelpeelers.com/apex-cultures/
or a 500g brick....

 

[IslandLizard]

damn, with yeast prices going the way they are, i was counting on that as a viable option.....

You could use wild yeasts, but harvest them from under fruit trees or in certain areas, such as orchards. There are many resources now on how to do it with a larger % of success. Just avoid the ones from your home.

We had a small homebrew club here that's all they did, brew beer from harvested wild yeasts. I had a few of them, there were truly delicious ones. Others, only so-so, but overall still interesting. They increased the odds of success by being selective, and learn how to recognize good ones. It's a science in itself.

https://labelpeelers.com/apex-cultures/
or a 500g brick....

Now you're talking!
A much better, easier way to success, especially when you depend on producing a good or at least quaffable beer.

Which one are you getting?

 

[bracconiere]

Which one are you getting?

i already bought the san diego ale yeast..it was $64 for a brick off ebay, but now it's up to $76... but being that i like to repitch a lot, i've only used about 50-60gs since 10-4-21. (so like 5-6 batches, just eyeball tossing it into the fermenter, when you have a big bag...no problem! )


the yeast ferments really dry with the help of glucco, and floccs great!

 

[Falstaff]

Cooling it might inhibit anything wild. I, myself, wouldn't re-pasteurize it. The worst you get is a little kettle souring.

 

[Falstaff]

You could use wild yeasts, but harvest them from under fruit trees or in certain areas, such as orchards. There are many resources now on how to do it with a larger % of success. Just avoid the ones from your home.

We had a small homebrew club here that's all they did, brew beer from harvested wild yeasts. I had a few of them, there were truly delicious ones. Others, only so-so, but overall still interesting. They increased the odds of success by being selective, and learn how to recognize good ones. It's a science in itself.


Now you're talking!
A much better, easier way to success, especially when you depend on producing a good or at least quaffable beer.

Which one are you getting?

This too. I cultivated some wild yeast from some grain and it was probably the best beer I've ever made.

 

[rootAndBoom]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/no-chill-brewing.679062/
I always leave my wort in the kettle, lid on, or sealed in a corny keg overnight to cool before pitching a starter the next day. Saves some water, and some time!

 

[Gilbert Spinning Horse]

I often let my wort cool overnight too. Never had a problem yet.

 

[bracconiere]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/no-chill-brewing.679062/
I always leave my wort in the kettle, lid on, or sealed in a corny keg overnight to cool before pitching a starter the next day. Saves some water, and some time!

it doesn't implode?


i'd imagine sealing hot wort in a keg would keep it fresh for weeks, or even months?

 

[rootAndBoom]

it doesn't implode?


i'd imagine sealing hot wort in a keg would keep it fresh for weeks, or even months?

Ha! Assuming the keg has no leaks... I've left wort in a sealed corny for 3 weeks before when my brew schedule got ahead of my fermentation chamber schedule. No problems.

I often top it off with a small charge of co2, similar to what I do before cold crashing a beverage. I don't know whether it's necessary, but it's easy.