Pitch right away?

[YanknOnion]

I have had trouble getting wort cool enough to pitch right away. It's warm here most of the year and wort chiller will only get me down to about 88F or so and can take 1hr to do so. I have been pitching and putting into cooling fermentator I built, but of course because of activity remains in high 70's at the start of fermentation. My IPA's and pales can turn out a bit buttery. (the only one that didn't was the one I made a yeast starter for from dry yeast). Question is: As long as I keep things sanitary, would it be advisable to wait until wort is at 67f to pitch? I've read some guys wait until up to the next day to pitch. Would this lessen chances of diacetyl problems, or invite new worries about contamination? Reason i made starter is that yeast is all shipped overseas to me and I figured I wanted to be sure it was still healthy, don't mind doing every time if necc to get good beer, just wondering which is worst contributor, yeast or starting ferm temp? Thanks for any help

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

If you haven't already pitched, don't. Pitching too warm will lead to funky flavors. Even if it takes several hours to cool it's OK. Plenty of people do no chill cooling with fine results. It's better to be at pitching temp no matter how long it takes. Stick it in a tub or sink with ice water. Whatever will work.

 

[Riot]

If the groundwater is warm and I finish the brew late(drunk) I will sometimes drop it in the chamber and go to bed without pitching. 8 or 9 hours isn't that big of a deal if you keep everything g as sanitary as possible and pitch enough yeast.

 

[ong]

If the groundwater is warm and I finish the brew late(drunk) I will sometimes drop it in the chamber and go to bed without pitching. 8 or 9 hours isn't that big of a deal if you keep everything g as sanitary as possible and pitch enough yeast.

I do the same, with good results. I think it's more important to pitch at the right temp than at the right time (within reason!).

 

[bford]

I'm in the same boat.... I just either make a lot of ice and give the kettle a bath in it....

I have friends that do five and ten gallon batches... and they just use a really big cooler that will fit the kettle....


With enough ice, you'll get below the temp at least by thirty minutes with some light stirring.

 

[dkevinb]

I bought a pond pump and recirculate ice water through my IWC to chill. I use the garden hose until it's down to 100-110 F, then put the pump in a 5-gallon bucket of ice water and recirculate that water through my IWC to get it down into the 60's. Works great. The pumps are cheaper than the copper to build a pre-chiller, too.