Wort still to hot to add yeast.

[freakshow10mm]

Made my first batch tonight. Not going well.

Have it in the fermenter but haven't added yeast. When I added top off water to make 5 gallons (partial boil) it warmed the wort too much. Went up to almost 90 degrees. An hour later it's now about 80 degrees.

Is it safe to add the yeast yet? The yeast is Danstar Munich dry. Man, I'm so pissed. Everything was going great up until this point.

 

[wetzie]

70-75 would be better but I would pitch soon. Don't forget to airate the beer well.

 

[Fat_Bastard]

put the fermenter in an ice bath and chill it down

 

[OldAtHeart]

Cover the fermenter and set it outside. What's the temp up in Michigan tonight? Should cool pretty quick.

 

[Skyforger]

I wouldn't worry too much; I've left beers for a long time before pitching without detrimental effects. Pitch in the 70's as soon as you can, but don't tear your hair out over it. It's mostly just an annoyance due to waiting time.

In the future, chill top-off water separately; it goes much faster. Only add it when it hits about 90*F or so.

I've taken to preparing top-off water in advance. I just boil a gallon of water, pour it into a sanitized jug, and put it somewhere cold so it'll be ready for brewday. Saves me a lot of fiddling time.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Thanks guys.

I have it in the fermenting bucket on the porch. It's 6 degrees outside.

For cooling after boiling it took almost an hour to get down to 70 degrees like the instructions said. said to add water at 64-72 temp to top off. Water temp must have crept up when I was adding it to the wort.

I've heard/read things about adding yeast above 80 degrees is not good. I know this batch will be terrible but I want it at least drinkable. I'll give it another half hour to cool then add the yeast.

Thanks again. I feel a bit better now.

 

[SirCaptain]

if it's your first batch then you have no idea how terrible this will be. just stick with it, it'll be worth it.

 

[davesrose]

I've heard/read things about adding yeast above 80 degrees is not good. I know this batch will be terrible but I want it at least drinkable. I'll give it another half hour to cool then add the yeast.

Well it depends on the yeast....but all ale yeasts will do OK with a pitch temp of 80 or so. The main thing is that you make sure the batch still continues to cool down to whatever the recommended temps of that yeast are (the first couple hours aren't as critical as the whole active fermentation). Danstar has 3 popular yeasts: most are good at fermentation temps below 65.

 

[ChshreCat]

How were you cooling your wort and where did you get the water to top up that it made the wort hotter?

I just brewed and it took me about 30 minutes to get almost 4 gallons down to 62F using just my sink. I'm sure Michigan tap water has to be at least as cold as mine right now.

 

[freakshow10mm]

How were you cooling your wort and where did you get the water to top up that it made the wort hotter?

I just brewed and it took me about 30 minutes to get almost 4 gallons down to 62F using just my sink. I'm sure Michigan tap water has to be at least as cold as mine right now.

I used tap water from the faucet. I ran the water into a cup in the sink with a thermometer in it. When the thermometer read a steady 70 degrees, I moved the wand over to the bucket and topped it off that way. I didn't have the money to use bottled water (in the gallon jugs), so I just used tap water.

I put the brewing kettle directly on the snow in the driveway. It's 6 degrees outside. Took a little over an hour. The plastic bucket sucks for heat conduction.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Finger points to level after boil. Started with 2.5 gallons.

Fermentor in "safety bucket". Any overflow is caught in the big bucket and saves the floor (and a messy cleanup).

 

[ChshreCat]

I use bottled water and I put two gallons in the fridge. I use my sink to cool the wort until it gets below 90 degrees and then I use the chilled water from the fridge to top up and that takes me down to the low 60's. I bet you could do something just like that, but using water straight from the cold tap instead of from the fridge. If it's 6 outside, your tap water should be pretty damned cold.

edit: Just saw your pics. If you have any trouble keeping the beer cool during the ferment, you can add some water to your "safety bucket" and then add frozen bottles of water now and then to keep it cool. That's exactly how I ferment my beers, except I use one of those "party tubs" with the rope handles to put my fermenter in.

 

[freakshow10mm]

I think next time I'll try the cold water thing in the sink.

The plastic safety bucket is a cut down 55 gallon plastic drum from work. I get them for free and just take what I need at the time. Make great garbage cans for the workshop.