UH OH! Pitched yeast while wort was hot

[djmarkhill]

Hi All

Newbie here, I started my first brew yesterday and I pitched my yeast while the wort was way too hot, there does seem to be life in the fermentation vessel but I'm wondering if it's worth getting some more yeast this morning and adding it just in case, I'm brewing coopers english bitter.


Thanks

 

[stevem86]

How hot did you pitch it at?
80 degrees or 120 degrees?
I believe that temperatures above about 110-115 can kill yeast so if you were higher than that, you may want to get more yeast.

But, I'm no expert.

 

[djmarkhill]

I threw it in straight after I added the mix and the sugar, I'm not sure exactly what temp but the water was boiling before I added the syrup and sugar, will more yeast ruin the brew?

 

[podz]

More yeast will not harm a thing. Use the exact same kind. Plenty of people repitch yeast for one reason or another.

Cheap tip: There are 12" long glass thermometers at your LHBS for about 5 bucks and they are accurate. They come with a hole on the top where you can tie a string. You only need to hang one in your wort for about 30 seconds to get a temperature reading.

 

[djmarkhill]

Thanks podz, I bought a thermometer, the moment took me while I was putting the ingredients in and I just threw the yeast in without thinking. I've just put another 7g of yeast in and just sprinkled it on top (not mixed in), is this correct? also when I took the lid off there was quite a bit of foam on top of the brew, would this have happened even if the old yeast was dead?.

 

[podz]

Sounds like it might have already been fermenting, but sprinkling more yeast on top isn't going to hurt. It's probably going to turn out ok.

Adding dried yeast directly to sweet liquid is only a problem if the liquid in question is too sweet, but that's usually only the case when making wine. For example, if I am starting at 1.100 then I rehydrate my yeast in water before pitching. If I'm starting at 1.060 then I just pitch it dry. I'm not sure what the upper limit is for needing to rehydrate, because it will eventually ferment anyway, but the end goal is to get as fast a start as possible in order to reduce the chance of infection.

There's no need to be stirring the yeast into the beer.

 

[Cider123]

Sounds like you are going to be just fine. What I would do now is leave it sealed and leave it alone. Don't keep opening and checking in on it. That invites contamination. While airlock bubbling is not the only sign of fermentation, it is a damn good sign. If the airlock is bubbling after 24 hours then just leave her sit for 1-2 weeks before checking the gravity.

 

[unionrdr]

If you saw krausen foam on top,then you didn't pitch it hot enough to kill it which is like 120F. But being only 7g,another packet pitched dry wouldn't be over-pitching. some of the cells will die rehydrating in the heavier wort. Rehydrating in warm water is better for them & saves a lot more cells for fermentation.

 

[MarcusKillion]

Adding more yeast may be a good idea . I sprinkle yeast all the time , no re hydrating or starters and they work great .
One thing you must do to make a sprinkle good is to stir wort violently with a paddle for a couple minutes to oxygenate and then sprinkle it then wait 15 minutes . then stir it yeast in gently .

Like others said , if you are getting good air lock activity after a day then you are in good shape . If it is very light activity i.e. a bubble every 20 seconds I would add more yeast

 

[IslandLizard]

Next time consider using a different dry yeast. Most yeasts that are packed with commercial kits are not that good. Look into using Safale, DanStar, etc. You'll get 11.5 grams per envelope, which is a good amount for 5 gallon batches up to around 1.080 gravity. My favorite all purpose yeast is Safale US-05 but many beer styles use specific yeasts.

Follow the respective yeast maker's instructions on how to hydrate. Just pitching dry yeast on top of the wort may kill as much as half the cells.

Read up on controlling fermentation temperatures. Warmer is quicker, but doesn't make the best beer, unless you're using saison yeasts.

 

[unionrdr]

Cooper's ale yeast can be a beast rehydrated. The lil 7g packet rehydrated worked as well as a US-05 packet pitched dry in a side by side comparison I did once with a pale ale I brewed,& one my wife brewed. The Cooper's yeast took off about the same time the US-05 did,with as much vigor.
Also,Cooper's ale yeast is a high flocculation yeast,whereas US-05 is low to medium flocculation. In other words,the Cooper's ale yeast is easier to get to settle out clear compared to the US-05. But US-05 brews cleaner,the Cooper's ale yeast being more English in origin. Iow,the Cooper's throws fruity esters at higher temps where the US-05 stays "clean". Up to about 75F anyway...

 

[JayB240]

Does anybody pitch a second yeast latter in primary or secondary? I was talking to a great brewer who had a variety of beers that he shared with me. All had second yeast additions.

On thread topic. I pitched at 80 degrees last week during a Senior moment. Fermentation went fine. My rule of thumb is 65 to 75

 

[bethebrew]

Next time consider using a different dry yeast. Most yeasts that are packed with commercial kits are not that good. Look into using Safale, DanStar, etc. You'll get 11.5 grams per envelope, which is a good amount for 5 gallon batches up to around 1.080 gravity. My favorite all purpose yeast is Safale US-05 but many beer styles use specific yeasts.

Follow the respective yeast maker's instructions on how to hydrate. Just pitching dry yeast on top of the wort may kill as much as half the cells.

Read up on controlling fermentation temperatures. Warmer is quicker, but doesn't make the best beer, unless you're using saison yeasts.

Key word is "may" on the 50% cell death. I mentioned this notion to a yeast lab technician yesterday at a big yeast company, and he laughed out loud.

I notice Safale still has the instructions, sprinkle into wort. This is what I do, regardless of how big the beer is.

 

[podz]

Next time consider using a different dry yeast. Most yeasts that are packed with commercial kits are not that good.

Coopers goal is to sell as many extract kits as possible, and there does exist competition in the extract kit market, so I can't see any sort of incentive for them to package unsuitable yeast. I mean, they are a large, commercial brewery as well and they do have their own staff chemists and yeast production facilities. I seriously doubt that they package the exact same yeast in their pils and stout kits, though there aren't any markings on the yeast package and I don't own a microscope with an oil lens so there you go.

 

[djmarkhill]

Many thanks for all your responses. I've just tested with my hydrometer as the brew seems to be rather calm, no further signs of fermentation. The hydrometer reading is around 1.005 - 1.007. Which on it says BOTTLE. It's only been fermenting since Saturday night (I added a further 7g of yeast on Sunday morning). Is there anyway this could be incorrect or should I just bottle it. Would leaving it any longer in the vessel ruin the brew?

 

[jbaysurfer]

How hot did you pitch it at?
80 degrees or 120 degrees?
I believe that temperatures above about 110-115 can kill yeast so if you were higher than that, you may want to get more yeast.

But, I'm no expert.

This question is critical. It sounds like you pitched way higher then 120, and in that case it should have killed the yeast, but then it also sounds like you've got fermentation signs...so something will have to give.

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I pitched at 90F once, and the beer was horrible. If you've got fermentation from yeast pitched higher then that, then your only hope (and it's a remote one) is to pitch a new batch of healthy yeast (assuming the beer is now at proper pitch temp) and hope the activity of the healthy yeast can take over and mitigate the off flavors produced by the stressed yeast. GL...

For what it's worth, I view ruined batches as an opportunity to brew again and make an EXCELLENT batch..so if you get to that point, just think of it as opportunity gained...rather then lost.

Edit: just read above...if you're already that low on gravity, it's too late to repitch, you'll just be wasting yeast. How'd it taste? Bottling is a lot of work. If it's rocket fuel..it may not be worth it. Don't let me stop ya though..I know some brewers don't appreciate the advice I'm giving ya, but I wouldn't waste the time to bottle a batch that's clearly ridden with fusels.

 

[djmarkhill]

I had a brown/cream foam touching the lid by sunday and put more yeast in to make sure. This is the picture of the brew as is.

 

[unionrdr]

The brown stuff is krausen leftovers & the white bubbles & yeast rafts on the surface are normal & harmless.

 

[djmarkhill]

Thanks for your reply, does it look like it's finished primary fermentation?

 

[unionrdr]

You can't "see" if it's done. you have to "test" it to see if it's done. that is to say,you can't see gravity. You test gravity. It's clearing,krausen settled,lil to know bubbly foam on top. It looks like it's past initial fermentation. That you can see. but you cannot see fully fermented...it looks the same way.

 

[BigFloyd]

Does anybody pitch a second yeast latter in primary or secondary? I was talking to a great brewer who had a variety of beers that he shared with me. All had second yeast additions.

No. There's no sense in doing this for most styles. Once all of the fermentable sugars have been consumed and converted to alcohol/CO2, there's nothing left for that extra-added yeast to eat. You would simply end up with yeasty beer. In a very few situations, a small amount of additional yeast is added at bottling.

On thread topic. I pitched at 80 degrees last week during a Senior moment. Fermentation went fine. My rule of thumb is 65 to 75

A much better rule of thumb would be to pitch a few degrees below whatever the bottom end of the optimal range is for the yeast you are using. Pitching warm will cause the fermentation to take off faster, but at the cost of producing off-flavors.

 

[strambo]

I'd let it sit for 2 weeks, that will give the yeast a chance to clean up the off flavors, it will also help clear the beer. Take a grav sample in 2 weeks, if it is the same, and tastes even somewhat ok, bottle. If if tastes horrible, may not be worth it.