Yeast sunk after pitching

[littleladyshay]

Howdy everyone,
not my first batch ever but my first going all grain. The whole brew day went really smoothly but as soon as I pitched my yeast (I went with the dry kind, Safale-05 specifically) and the thermometer on my kettle was reading around 90 degrees F when I siphoned to my fermentor. I pitched the yeast after aerating for about ten minutes and I figured the wort would cool down just enough after this time, but I'm worried the temp was too low for the yeast to start fermenting.
Every other batch I've brewed, the yeast started foaming up almost immediately following the pitch so I'm worried that I ruined the batch.
I use star san to sanitize and even though it's supposed to be a no rinse and relatively safe sanitizer in small quantities, I'm worried that there might have been an amount of it coating the sides of my fermentor as well that may have killed the yeast or something.
Am I being too impatient with this? Will it start to ferment in a few hours or should I find a way to warm it back up a bit? Would that even help?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Rish]

Your wort wouldn't have cooled down too much for the yeast to start. I'd say just give it a little more time. I think you'll be fine.

 

[davidabcd]

The high end of pitching temp is low 80's.
Starsan, as you present the situation, will not affect your yeast.
You don't need to warm up your fermenter, actually I would pitch at a lower temperature since fermentation is going to warm it up on its own.
Nothing you mentioned will stop fermentation from starting.

 

[RM-MN]

US-05 will start fermenting at temps lower than 60 F. I try to get my wort close to that temp before I pitch the yeast.

 

[GoodTruble]

Let me guess, by Sunday night it was bubbling away? =c)

 

[seatazzz]

90° is pretty hot for pitching for any yeast other than kveik. Your target temperature for pitching on an ale should be within the 65-70 range, maybe a little higher for more tolerant yeasts like Nottingham. Yeast are like your annoying co-worker who always complains about the temperature in the office; they do better work when they are comfortable. Turn the thermostat up too high (or too low) and all they do is b*tch and moan, and spend a lot of time not being productive. Or worse, throwing off some nasty off-flavors.

You didn't mention your chilling method, but if you are on a budget and can't afford an immersion chiller or a plate chiller, consider the no-chill method (search it on HBT or google). Many brewers here use it to great success.

 

[Knightshade]

@littleladyshay did the yeast ever get to work? I use us-05 quite often and typically pitch in the mid 60s.

 

[jdauria]

Definitely should not be adding the yeast at 90, could kill yeast cells if too hot, but it should start fermenting at some point. Not sure what your definition of "foaming" is, because dry yeast does not start fermenting immediately on contact. especially if you are pitching directly from the package and not hydrating it first. It usually just takes a day or two to start fermenting and forming a krausen. If my foaming you mean it's just fizzing a little as the yeast starts hydrating, that's not fermentation.

 

[DannyBoy270]

Am I being too impatient with this? Will it start to ferment in a few hours

Yes, and most likely...well if you consider 12-48hrs a few anyway

RDWHAHB!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

That happens with pretty much all of my brews, I pitch yeast, shake the bucket and put it in the ferm chamber and the yeast sits in a loose pile at the bottom third of it after it has multiplied. Usually by the morning after I have a thick krausen or one is building up and it is bubbling away. RDWHAHB.