I'm brewing a clone of double jack and I'm new to the brewing world so would love some help. This is my third batch of beer and the last one took 30 min to cool so I could pitch the yeast. That being said this time I bought two bags of ice to add to my primary fermenter but the problem is my temp was at 50 degrees. I know the temp should be 70 to 75 so i wasn't sure what I should do. I ended up pitching the yeast at about 55 and was wondering if it would still work? Please help me out. You never know you might get a christmass card in the mail. Thanks
Pitching yeast at 55 degrees
- Thread starter cgreen
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FTR, you would get more traction posting this in the Fermentation/Yeast forum. What was the yeast? Depending on the yeast, it will probably be fine. It might take a little longer to take off, but low 60's is ideal for a lot of ale strains.
That one is not super tolerant of low temps, but it's not going to hurt anything. Just warm it up a few degrees and it will get started. What was your OG?
Like i said i'm new to this so don't laugh if i'm reading this wrong. I checked my reading before pitching the yeast and it was on 15 so i think that would be 1.15 or 1.015. If you can tell me the right way to read it that would be cool. thanks again for your help.
brussum
Well-Known Member
Are you sure you're reading the right scale on the hydrometer? Pls post your recipe.
The yeast will be fine. You just want to get the wort up into the optimum temp range for your strain.
The yeast will be fine. You just want to get the wort up into the optimum temp range for your strain.
Neither of those numbers make a lot of sense. Watch something like this
If it was an extract batch, it's possible you didn't mix well before taking your sample (pretty common). Like brussum said, a recipe would be helpful
If it was an extract batch, it's possible you didn't mix well before taking your sample (pretty common). Like brussum said, a recipe would be helpful
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Just remember it said 15 so don't know if you minus or add numbers at that temp. Also I don't want to sound dumb but how do you read that? 1.15? my recipe is weyermann cara red (crystal 20) malt,
4 lb muntons hopped light malt extract, 3.3 lb briess munich liquid malt extract, 1oz warrior (17.2% aa) at 60 min. 1oz columbus hops (14% aa) at 60 min. .5 oz cascade (3.2aa) at 10 min. .5 chinook (13.9%aa) at 10 min. .5 cascade (3.2%aa) at 5 min. .5 chinook (13.9%aa) at 5 min. then the wyeast liquid activator 1098 british ale. dry hop 1 oz. amarillo, 1 oz. cascade, 1 oz. chinook, 1 oz. citra.
4 lb muntons hopped light malt extract, 3.3 lb briess munich liquid malt extract, 1oz warrior (17.2% aa) at 60 min. 1oz columbus hops (14% aa) at 60 min. .5 oz cascade (3.2aa) at 10 min. .5 chinook (13.9%aa) at 10 min. .5 cascade (3.2%aa) at 5 min. .5 chinook (13.9%aa) at 5 min. then the wyeast liquid activator 1098 british ale. dry hop 1 oz. amarillo, 1 oz. cascade, 1 oz. chinook, 1 oz. citra.
Watch the video I posted earlier. It explains it in great detail. Extract batches are almost never off in OG if you hit your volumes. What was the projected OG? When you top off the fermenter with water, it tends to not mix very well with the thick sugary wort underneath. That's probably why you are reading so low.
My hydrometer lists Brix in addition to specific gravity. If you were reading 15 Brix, you would have been at ~1.061. Based on the fermentables you listed, that's probably pretty close to accurate, but that's going to be very low for a 9.5%ish ABV Double Jack clone. Was it supposed to be regular Union Jack? I've never tried cloning either beer, so I have no idea what the recipe should look like.
I don't know off-hand, but I know that Double Jack is listed as 9.5% ABV, and 1.061 is not high enough for that. 1.061 is low for Union Jack as well. Again, don't know the exact OG it should be, and you can get 7.5% out of 1.061 with extremely high attenuation, but that'd be too dry for an IPA and I don't recall Union Jack being THAT dry. But for 7 lbs of extract plus the little bit you'll get from steeping grains, 1.060-1.062 is right about where you should have been.
thanks guys. You both know your stuff and the video helped out a lot. But adding the yeast at 55 is ok? I have it at room temp 65- 70 now but was scared to add the yeast at that temp. Did I do the right thing by pitching the yeast or should I have waited till it got to 65 to add the yeast?
A common recommendation from many folks on here is to pitch below fermentation temperatures. I usually try and pitch at my fermentation temperature. 55 is lower than I would have pitched, so you'll probably have a slow start, but it should be fine. Pitching low is better than pitching high, for sure.
You didn't hurt anything, but it was unnecessary to cool it that far, obviously. Next time cool it a few degrees below desired fermentation temp, and then pitch. Setting the fermenter in a rope tub filled halfway up the fermenter with water is a good way to keep the fermentation temps in check.
mvcorliss
Well-Known Member
I agree with all of the info given to you about the yeast. There are some spot-on people here. But I'm concerned about something else you said. Did you add the two bags of purchased ice to your warm wort to cool it? Or did I read it wrong? Purchased ice really isn't always the cleanest stuff in the world. Even without the dirt and dust it can contain you are now adding a non-boiled (non-sterilized) addition to your boiled (sterilized) wort. Better to boil some water ahead of time and get it into the fridge or freezer to cool.
BUT... Relax ... It will most likely be fine. It's just better to remove as many potential problems as you can
Michael
BUT... Relax ... It will most likely be fine. It's just better to remove as many potential problems as you can
Michael
