Pitching at high temp

[TastyAdventure]

I accidentally pitched my yeast around 95 F or so. Will it be ok? A couple hours after that it was down to 72... Will it just take longer to start or what?

 

[k_mcarthur]

If you get it to mid to low 60's asap it should be ok. It will take longer to start b/c yeast needs to acclimate to a stable temp before it starts its growth phase. They make off flavors almost immediately at the start of the growth phase, so give it another week after you reach final gravity to let the yeast reabsorb off flavors.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Thanks man. Any other opinions on this? Bump?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks man. Any other opinions on this? Bump?

Pitching too warm means that any flavors created by the yeast (esters) will stay with the beer. Most of the off-flavors of fermentation are generated by the yeast in the first 24 hours, and there is a flavor impact. If you don't mind the flavor, then it worked out ok.

 

[BigFloyd]

If you get it to mid to low 60's asap it should be ok. It will take longer to start b/c yeast needs to acclimate to a stable temp before it starts its growth phase. They make off flavors almost immediately at the start of the growth phase, so give it another week after you reach final gravity to let the yeast reabsorb off flavors.

I have my doubts about this batch turning out OK even if you get it cooled into the mid-60's. One of our beginner brewers did that very thing on his second batch (a blonde ale) and wasn't at all happy with the result. He declined to let me or anyone else see what it tasted like and said it wasn't good even after 3 months of bottle conditioning.

You didn't kill the yeast at that temp, but you stressed them at an important phase of the fermentation process.

What yeast did you "accidentally" pitch into wort that warm?

 

[TastyAdventure]

One was a Kolsh yeast into an Octoberfest ish beer, the other was California common pitched into a stout -esque batch.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Correction it was California, not California common in the stout.

Will harvesting the yeast from these be ok? Or has the yeast just been totally thrown off by my bone headed mistake?

 

[BigFloyd]

Correction it was California, not California common in the stout.

Will harvesting the yeast from these be ok? Or has the yeast just been totally thrown off by my bone headed mistake?

Taste a hydrometer sample after it finishes fermenting. If it's nasty, I'd pass on harvesting that yeast.

 

[dcp27]

Correction it was California, not California common in the stout.

Will harvesting the yeast from these be ok? Or has the yeast just been totally thrown off by my bone headed mistake?

temp related off flavors stay in the beer, not the yeast, they're fine to re-use

 

[KyGooglenerd]

Since I have no temp control (yet) in the summer I have to pitch with high temps usually. Typically I brew saisons and wheats which I like with fruity esters, but even beer which would normally have a clean taste, like centennial blonde are acceptable to me with the fruity esters. Temp control is vital to getting beers to taste to style...not so much when you rdwhahb...ymmv of course!

 

[BigFloyd]

Since I have no temp control (yet) in the summer I have to pitch with high temps usually. Typically I brew saisons and wheats which I like with fruity esters, but even beer which would normally have a clean taste, like centennial blonde are acceptable to me with the fruity esters. Temp control is vital to getting beers to taste to style...not so much when you rdwhahb...ymmv of course!

I'm afraid that I'm not following the rationale here. What does lack of temp control have to do with pitching at a high temp?

If anything, you would want to pitch cooler if you don't have solid fermentation temp control.

 

[jro238]

2 words:

"swamp cooler"

This is the reason we don't have a guest bathtub, we have a beer bathtub

 

[TastyAdventure]

2 words:

"swamp cooler"

This is the reason we don't have a guest bathtub, we have a beer bathtub

Is the tub with ice bottles reliable enough to keep the temp pretty consistent? Given that I change them out every 12 hours?

 

[m3n00b]

I pitched in the 90s once when I was new. Lets just say I still have 95% of the batch in my cellar. Probably going to dump it eventually.

 

[IslandLizard]

Is the tub with ice bottles reliable enough to keep the temp pretty consistent? Given that I change them out every 12 hours?

You posted that same question in your other thread. The answer is yes to reliable and you may need more or less ice bottles depending on ambient temps.

Drape an old towel or t-shirt over your carboy to keep the top cooled as well and you could direct a small fan to that towel to help in evaporation thuse cooling.

 

[jro238]

Is the tub with ice bottles reliable enough to keep the temp pretty consistent? Given that I change them out every 12 hours?

Short answer: yes

I do a good amount of fermentation around 66-68 and I have absolutely no problem holding peak fermentation there (+/- 1 degree F) with an ambient temp of 73-74. If I wanted, I could also get it even colder if I chilled my water bath more. I'll usually have my water bath about 5 degrees F colder than I want my fermentation (the water comes about 1/3 of the way up my plastic 6 gal bucket). Using a fan and wet tshirt or towel is a good way to make more fine temperature adjustments or get some additional cooling. I have found that the key to a successful swamp cooler fermentation is to cool the wort down to the coldest you're going to want it (at least throughout major fermentation) before pitching the yeast. It can be a little difficult to cool down an actively fermenting beer (possible, but not very easy to do it precisely).
It will take a little attention during the first couple fermentations so you can get a feel for exactly how water temp will change over the day and how it will change fermentation temp in your setup.

 

[KyGooglenerd]

I'm afraid that I'm not following the rationale here. What does lack of temp control have to do with pitching at a high temp?

If anything, you would want to pitch cooler if you don't have solid fermentation temp control.

When cooling water is 75 degrees in the summer and your basement is 72 summer pitching temp is about 80 unless I'm patient and pitch after 12 hoirs or so o cooldown. I need not only to get a ferm chamber but also a 2 stage immersion cooler. I'm unmotivated I guess because I'm strapped for cash and also I typically don't mind the esters. Ymmv of course!

 

[BigFloyd]

When cooling water is 75 degrees in the summer and your basement is 72 summer pitching temp is about 80 unless I'm patient and pitch after 12 hoirs or so o cooldown. I need not only to get a ferm chamber but also a 2 stage immersion cooler. I'm unmotivated I guess because I'm strapped for cash and also I typically don't mind the esters. Ymmv of course!

If you want, you can pump ice water through any immersion chiller after cooling as much as the hose water will allow.

A $39 submersible pump from Northern tool sitting in a cube cooler recirculating ice water through the chiller works great for me. Even in the heat of summer, I can get ale wort to 60*F (20# of ice) or lager wort to 44*F (30# of ice).

 

[KyGooglenerd]

If you want, you can pump ice water through any immersion chiller after cooling as much as the hose water will allow.

A $39 submersible pump from Northern tool sitting in a cube cooler recirculating ice water through the chiller works great for me. Even in the heat of summer, I can get ale wort to 60*F (20# of ice) or lager wort to 44*F (30# of ice).

Agreed....but now it's getting to be winter time in KY and groundwater temps will be back in the 50s and basement back to 60. I brew seasonally...time for some stouts!

 

[TastyAdventure]

OP Update: I am about to bottle this brew. What exactly are the "off flavors" like that I should expect?

 

[ColoHox]

Banana esters, apple acetaldehyde, fusel alcohol (which can eventually contribute ester flavors), and buttery diacetyl are all associated with high temperature fermentations.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Banana esters, apple acetaldehyde, fusel alcohol (which can eventually contribute ester flavors), and buttery diacetyl are all associated with high temperature fermentations.

Thanks man