pitching days after brewing

Izumidai · Mar 2, 2012

So i got an email from a friend this morning asking a pretty interesting question...

If a person brewed 5 days ago and somehow forgot to pitch the yeast, is the batch salvagable at this point if he pitches a pack of dry yeast in today?

Sounds like his sanitation techiniques are pretty solid and there is no bubbling in the airlock at this point. He has the beer in a bucket see he doesn't know if there is a layer of bacteria on top yet? If he opens the bucket and things smell and look normal, should he be ok? Any thoughts on re-boiling (I have seen some folks mention that).

I know nothing harmful can survive in beer once it is beer, but what about before it is beer?

I have regularly waited til the next morning to pitch while waiting for temps to drop without any issues, but I have never waited more than 12 hours to pitch so this is out of my comfort level.

Any ideas or signs of trouble to look for would be helpful.

Thanks,
Kevin

heckler73 · Mar 2, 2012

would you drink orange juice that's been on the counter for 5 days in a closed bottle?

midfielder5 · Mar 2, 2012

It is worth a shot, I would pitch & just wait and see. Nothing to lose, right?

khiddy · Mar 2, 2012

This is where you apply "sunk cost" theory - he's already spent the money and the time, he can't un-spend it or get the time back. If he has a packet of dry yeast handy, I'd say go for it, he hasn't much more to lose.

But if he has to go to the LHBS to get yeast, or wants to use a more-expensive liquid yeast, he needs to weigh the relative additional costs incurred and time spent on what may well be an already wasted batch.

tbrink · Mar 2, 2012

heckler73 said:
would you drink orange juice that's been on the counter for 5 days in a closed bottle?

I bet it would be more fermented.

day_trippr · Mar 2, 2012

Any thoughts on re-boiling (I have seen some folks mention that).

That would be the safest option, but it would require the late hop additions to be repeated to get back to the same flavor/aroma characters. Still, wrt to the "sunk cost" theory, it'd be the way I'd go if I ever found myself in the same situation...

Cheers!