Troubleshooting: Frozen beer in fermenter

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PierreLo

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Hi everyone,

I have messed up.
I use a freezer with an Inkbird ITC-308 to control my fermentation temperature.
Instead of plugging my freezer to the ITC, I have plugged it directly to the outlet.
Don’t ask me why… I just did.
I left for the weekend and when I came back, my batch was frozen solid.
Do you think I could salvage my batch by simply repitching yeast?

Thanks
 
Yes. Assuming the yeast you did pitch didn't get a chance to get going, I'd thaw, re-aerate (shake) and re-pitch the same yeast.
 
It's worth a try. Take an SG also and see if it had a chance to do anything. I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to thaw it out with lots of heat, but I wouldn't just let it sit and thaw in it's own time either.

Not sure I'd aerate again. Might consider direct pitching an appropriate dry yeast that doesn't need aeration.

Let us know if it comes back to life as you thaw it out. That will be interesting.
 
Thanks for your replies.
I am glad to hear that there is hope.
I have used WY1056, but I dont have more of it.
I plan to used a good old US-05 dry yeast without aeration once thawed.
Both of these yeast are close cousins and … That‘s all I have on hand.
I‘ll let you know what how it goes !!!
 
FYI, it works.
There was some activity after my beer thawed, so some yeast was still alive.
I repitch some yeast anyway.
Even though some yeast was still alive, my batch was probably underpitch.

I still have to taste the final result but I am glad to have saved my batch.
I will drink that stuff for sure.
Thanks guys.
 
I would have thawed and waited for activity. If the yeast started back up I would have let it ride, no re-pitch.

On a related note, my bucket fermenter froze once during an extended cold crash. I didn't know until only half my beer ended up in the keg. I opened the fermenter lid and found a huge iceBEERg. It took a day to melt and finish filling the keg. The beer tasted fine anyway.
 
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