Need some reassurance

[ZomBob]

Today I made an extract kit and tried a fast way to cool my wort. I had premade a gallon of ice and intended to do a 4 gallon boil, chill it on a sink of ice water and them rack it to a fermenter on top of this gallon of ice thus getting me my 5 gallons as well as speeding the chill process. I rehydrated my safale t 58 yeast ahead of time and pitched it before the I've completely melted. Also out brought the wort down to about 52 degrees. I have the fermenter sitting on a heating pad to try and get it back up a well as the room ambient is about low to mid 60s. Did I just kill most of my yeast?

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[Tippsy-Turvy]

What was the temperature difference between your yeast and wort at the time of pitching? It's temperature shock of greater than 10 degrees at pitching that'll kill yeast.

From what you've written, it seems like your yeast must have been about low-mid 60's (since you pre-prepared it at room temp). Then, if your wort had already been chilled in ice water pre-pitching and the lowest temp of your wort was 52F after pitching, then I'm guessing the wort temp at pitching time must have been high 60's.

Sounds like you'll be fine.

 

[Yooper]

Yeast hate being chilled, but they love going into warmer wort. A big temperature differential won't kill the yeast, although they might not love that.

 

[Beernik]

I think the yeast is fine. You don't kill yeast with cold unless you freeze it. But you can shock it into going dormant. If fermentation doesn't start up in a couple days, give it a couple of swirls and wait another day. If that doesn't work , repitch.

I'm more concerned about racking onto ice. Was the water boiled before freezing? If not, there could be wild bacteria that got into your beer via the ice.

 

[ZomBob]

I think the yeast is fine. You don't kill yeast with cold unless you freeze it. But you can shock it into going dormant. If fermentation doesn't start up in a couple days, give it a couple of swirls and wait another day. If that doesn't work , repitch.

I'm more concerned about racking onto ice. Was the water boiled before freezing? If not, there could be wild bacteria that got into your beer via the ice.

No it wasn't boiled...i assumed freezing it for 3weeks would kill any wild bacteria. This was the practice perpetrated by the Sam Adams brewing contest a few years ago.

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[Beernik]

Unboiled water has dissolved oxygen in it. Microbes can go dormant and survive in the microscopic air pockets between the ice crystals. Then they can revive after the ice melts.

I wouldn't bet my beer on it being contaminant free.

Besides, you could boil the water and put it in a sanitized container to freeze and use it in your brew in two days. Waiting 3 weeks seems a bit unnecessary.

 

[ZomBob]

Unboiled water has dissolved oxygen in it. Microbes can go dormant and survive in the microscopic air pockets between the ice crystals. Then they can revive after the ice melts.

I wouldn't bet my beer on it being contaminant free.

Besides, you could boil the water and put it in a sanitized container to freeze and use it in your brew in two days. Waiting 3 weeks seems a bit unnecessary.

I didn't leave it for 3 weeks intentionally. I was going to brew and got side tracked. Either way, brew is now up to 71 degrees and clicking like a mad man. Just needed more patience.



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[Yooper]

I didn't leave it for 3 weeks intentionally. I was going to brew and got side tracked. Either way, brew is now up to 71 degrees and clicking like a mad man. Just needed more patience.



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You are better off cooler, rather than warmer! 71 degrees is a bit too warm for that yeast strain, so hopefully you can get it stable at a nice even 66 degrees or so.

Here's a link to the specs on that yeast strain: http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFBT58.pdf

 

[05m50dan]

Using pre-boiled I've to chill you wort is fine, just do the math so you know what temp to pitch onto the ice so you don't over-chill again.

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