I finally got my first batch boiled and in the fermenter (plastic bucket) tonight. It's a True Brew American Wheat beer kit. My only problem was that I really underestimated how hard the wort was to cool and it ended up taking probably at least an hour if not more and I pitched the yeast at around 90 F (probably a little high I know). I also rehydrated the yeast a bit earlier than I should have and didnt end up pitching it until maybe more than a half hour after rehydrating. Would either of these likely cause issues or should it still be ok? Also in the future, could I keep my wort covered while cooling? It seems like this would take a bit longer but lessen chance of infection.
First brew in fermenter
- Thread starter CCMuggs13
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Pitching at that high of a temp is a bad idea. Is the wort cooled down to an accetable range now? If not, get that puppy in a swamp cooler or ice bath stat.
The pitching 1/2 hour after rehydration is fine that shouldn't be cause for concern but the high temp of the wort is. And before I used a CFC, i'd leave the lid partially on to help the heat dissipate a bit while it was soaking in an ice bath. Just make sure u close any windows and shut off any fans so to prevent any dust or wild yeast/bacteria from getting in while u chill.
The pitching 1/2 hour after rehydration is fine that shouldn't be cause for concern but the high temp of the wort is. And before I used a CFC, i'd leave the lid partially on to help the heat dissipate a bit while it was soaking in an ice bath. Just make sure u close any windows and shut off any fans so to prevent any dust or wild yeast/bacteria from getting in while u chill.
It is in a swamp cooler now with frozen water bottles and wet towel with fan. The temperature is not registering on the fermometer yet (it maxes at 78F) but its definitely lower than 90, my guess would be low 80's but that's a bit of a stab in the dark
Try to get that down as soon as u can. The 24-36 hours after pitching are most critical with regards to temperature and off flavors.
Yeah, do your best to keep cooling it down. A lot of people on here pitch while it's around 80F before throwing it in a ferm chamber, and 90F won't do the yeast any harm... but you want to cool quickly at this point, over 78F is still too warm.
The hour to get it down to 90F is fine. More and more people seem to be going with "no chill" these days, meaning they end the boil, then cover the kettle and let it sit overnight to cool off on it's own, before pitching yeast. Some people swear by it, while others hate the idea of it... I'm relatively new myself, so I prefer to play it safe and use an immersion chiller.
Just for fun, what type of yeast was included in the kit?
The hour to get it down to 90F is fine. More and more people seem to be going with "no chill" these days, meaning they end the boil, then cover the kettle and let it sit overnight to cool off on it's own, before pitching yeast. Some people swear by it, while others hate the idea of it... I'm relatively new myself, so I prefer to play it safe and use an immersion chiller.
Just for fun, what type of yeast was included in the kit?
KepowOb said:
To be honest I have no idea haha. This is my first one so I'm trying to get the whole procedure down with a kit first so I didn't have to worry about ingredients. I'm going to start looking into ingredients more for my next one.
I got the temp down to like 72 now though so I'm off to bed and just hoping for some airlock bubbles tomorrow. We'll see. Thanks guys
I've been doing BIAB, no-chill with last few batches. Or overnight chill, really. Takes about 18 hours to get down near pitch temps.
Usually I end my brew day around 11pm, so the hot kettle gets left outside to cool overnight. I hose down the sides of kettle and the ground around it a couple of times with cold water as I'm closing stuff up for the night. Figur a little evaporative cooling cant hurt. I have the lid clamped on so critters can get in but that's all I do.
Winters aren't very cold here, so it's perfect for overnight cooling. Hot summers mean I get as close as possible to pitching before the day gets hot then pop the kettle into a swamp cooler ( or transfer to sanitized fermenter, then swamp cooler) in low 70sF basement to get to final temps.
No problems so far. Maybe 10-15 no-chill batches.
Usually I end my brew day around 11pm, so the hot kettle gets left outside to cool overnight. I hose down the sides of kettle and the ground around it a couple of times with cold water as I'm closing stuff up for the night. Figur a little evaporative cooling cant hurt. I have the lid clamped on so critters can get in but that's all I do.
Winters aren't very cold here, so it's perfect for overnight cooling. Hot summers mean I get as close as possible to pitching before the day gets hot then pop the kettle into a swamp cooler ( or transfer to sanitized fermenter, then swamp cooler) in low 70sF basement to get to final temps.
No problems so far. Maybe 10-15 no-chill batches.
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