Yeast sachet in boiling water

[zppz]

I was making a kit today (MJ Rustic Brown) and forgot that the yeast sachet was stuck to the bottom of the pouch. I put the pouch in a large pot and poured near-boiling water over it and let it sit for about 15 minutes to loosen up the malt. I'm aware that boiling yeast directly is a no-no, but are they sensitive enough that this would render them useless? I have other yeast I can use but I would rather try the kit normally first to get a reference point for future changes. Anyway, just wondering if anyone has experience to share about punishing their yeast like this?

 

[madscientist451]

I'd use a different pack of yeast. It actually might still work, and as an experiment you could put about a quart of your wort in a half gallon jug and toss the yeast that was overheated in their and see what happens.

 

[RufusBrewer]

If you have a second sachet of yeast that has not been exposed to boiling temperatures. If not, lesson learned about keeping some backup around.

How long before you can get some new yeast? If you can pitch some fresh, not poached, yeast during a long lunch time, I would do that.

If you are a day or two away from getting fresh yeast. Pitch what you got and order new yeast to be delivered pronto.

Good luck.

 

[Steveruch]

Yeast will die way cooler than boiling temperature. Use different yeast.

 

[zppz]

Thanks for the info. I put a little yeast in some sugary water overnight and about 1/4 of it has started that slow bouncing up and down that they do. In the past when I've tried this it's usually more like 1/2 of it that does that. This is hardly a scientific test but it looks like a possibly sufficient amount of it might still be ok. Since the wort is now at the perfect temperature I will pitch this and see what happens. I will order more anyway and use it if there's still no bubbling by then, which will be a couple of days at least.

 

[zppz]

For the record, I went ahead with the yeast that had been heated and it seems to be ok for now. The second and third days it was bubbling pretty well. Fermentation has stopped and it's tasting alright so far.

It occurred to me that due to the shape of the pouch that it was attached under, there might not have actually been that much water in direct contact with the sachet. The pouches on these kits are made to stand upright so they have a somewhat rigid base section rather than being simply two flat sides stuck together around the perimeter. This could have allowed for a pocket of air to remain under the pouch when water was poured around it. I jiggled the pouch around a bit to try and prevent that, but it might not have worked.

 

[RufusBrewer]

We tend to think if yeast as this delicate, fragile little organism. When I think about, yeast has been around since about forever. Yeast has got to be pretty hearty to survive in the wild.

Maybe this is an example of yeast being tougher than we give it credit.