When to pitch the Yeast

[bleeder]

As I'm new to brewing my own beer... here is my first silly question.

The day that I mixed my first brew it was quite hot. I followed the instructions to the tee but the temperature of the brew ended up being 36 degrees C. My question is.......

Should I have waited and let the brew cool to within the 20 to 26 C range before pitching the yeast, or is it still OK to add the yeast at the higher temp?

Fermentation seems to have finished and it has only been 3 days. Will the quality of the beer be reduced because of the temperature and the quick fermentation time?

Thanks

 

[docbee]

Had to get the Celscius scaled thermometer to see what temps you are talking about here. Too lazy to do the math.

1) Yes you should wait for the temp to get down to the 26 C range which is just below 80 F.

2) In baking it is commomn to rehydrate the yeast in about 105F before mixing into the flour etc. So i don't think that you killed the yeast, but the warmer temp will explain the faster fermentation. The 5 gal batch is going to take quite awhile to cool from 36C to 26C due to its mass.

3) You may get some off flavors due to the higher fermentation temps. I would definetly condition in the bottle longer than 3 weeks to see if this would mellow out.

Check the SG to see if you are @ the FG recommended with the kit and you will know if the fermentation is completed

 

[Evan!]

As I'm new to brewing my own beer... here is my first silly question.

The day that I mixed my first brew it was quite hot. I followed the instructions to the tee but the temperature of the brew ended up being 36 degrees C. My question is.......

Should I have waited and let the brew cool to within the 20 to 26 C range before pitching the yeast, or is it still OK to add the yeast at the higher temp?

Fermentation seems to have finished and it has only been 3 days. Will the quality of the beer be reduced because of the temperature and the quick fermentation time?

Thanks

• I don't do the whole Celsius thing, but it's always a good idea to wait until the wort is chilled to within the temp range that is listed for the yeast. Check the yeast packaging, it should tell you what the range is. That having been said, from what I understand, once you get below 105f, the yeast will be okay. The only risks you run are off-flavors, fruity esters, etc. But from a viability standpoint, the yeast will be fine, as is evidenced by the fact that you had fermentation. But you may end up with some fruity esters.
• As noted above, temperature is the main issue...but not just at pitching. What were your temps through the majority of fermentation? Within the range? Quick fermentation is nothing to be worried about. Just take a hydrometer reading and make sure that it's actually done. I've had my London Ale (pitched with Wyeast London ESB yeast) actually SURPASS the listed attenuation within 2 days...so, really, I wouldn't worry. Just make sure it's actually done, and not just stalled.

 

[david_42]

The biggest potential problem of a hot ferment is high-weight (fusel) alcohols. These can give you a harsh or "hot" alcohol taste that will not mellow out. The next one is ester production that will give fruity flavors to the ale.

Leave it in the fermenter for a few more days & give it a taste while racking.

 

[bleeder]

Thanks for the comments guys.
The temps during the 3 day fermentation period never went below 28C (about 82F), which is still higher then recommended on the brew can. I guess if I waited for the wort to cool to the correct temp, I would still be waiting to pitch the yeast.
Is there a limit to the number of days I should wait before pitching the yeast? Before the wort goes off???

 

[jezter6]

You shouldn't wait. You should chill the wort yourself. Put it in an ice bath in the sink and run cold water around the bucket until it gets to the temperature you need it to be.