Is My Brew Ruined?

[Suds_Moustache]

OK, so this arvo I put down my 2nd brew and just as I had finished topping up with cold water we had a family emergency and had to leave the house pretty much straight away (everything turned out ok btw )
So not knowing how long I'd be gone for at that stage I checked the temp and it was around 32 degrees. No choice but to dump the yeast in and chuck the fermenter into the kitchen sink with some ice packs.
This was around 3 or maybe 3.30pm. When I got home around 5.30pm the bubbling in the airlock hadn't started. The temp was around 30 degrees. I went up and bought a bag of ice and dumped the fermenter in the laundry sink with the ice.
It is now 8.15pm Still no bubbling temp is around 28.

What are the chances I killed the yeast? Can I just put more yeast in if it doesn't start by morning, or is it too late? How long before the bubbling starts? It should be going by morning, right?

 

[FreemanDC]

i would give it a 60% chance you may have damaged, if not killed. however if it does survive it may well produce some funky flavours, give it till 2moro midday if nothing by then i would consider chucking another yeast in aslong as temps is around 20 -25 at the most.
keep it around 18 for the life of the ferm.

 

[Suds_Moustache]

Just read another thread on here and I realised that it probably answered some of my questions.
So ok I won't look at the airlock preferring to rely on a "head" foaming and condensation.
(Butters please don't choke a kitten or a chicken for that matter!)

Also I read it can take a while to start (been a while since I used to brew so couldn't remember)...

I will wait patiently...*waits patiently*

Still I hope I haven't "killed" the yeast but I guess only time will tell.

Sorry just freaking out!!

 

[Gavo]

Even pitching at high temps there will be some lag time for the fermentation to start. 32 degrees is high however I have seen and felt yeast get higher. Was just an experiment. Never rely on the airlock as a sign of fermentation as they are of the devil. Rather, look for other signs, condensation in the fermenter, krausen forming, bubbles in the wort. Get the temp down to around 18 and check it tomorrow for fermentation. It may take 24 - 48 hours to start off.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[Gavo]

(Butters please don't choke a kitten or a chicken for that matter!)

I was wondering if you had a kitten or a chicken. :lol: h34r:

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[manticle]

I've thrown yeast in at temps above 30 and the brews have come out fine. I'm not sure how much I trust the stick-on thermometer though.

Give it a couple of days and look for signs of fermentation. If nothing eventuates you can always throw in another yeast.

I'm an amateur kk/beginner extract kind of guy so my advice should be at the bottom of the list.

 

[Adamt]

Yeast, especially kit yeasts, can take up to 48 hours to get going... don't panic until at least tomorrow evening.

The temperature is high, but it won't kill it.

 

[Suds_Moustache]

Update: I noticed a bubble in the airlock, infrequent by a sign of activity. There is also condensation so I am hoping it hasn't been ruined.
OG is off the charts at 1.043 (at a guess) - my hydro only goes up to 1.040.

Fingers crossed...

Temp is down to 24 so looking good.

 

[Adamt]

Condensation is a good sign, RDWHAHB! (Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew)

 

[buttersd70]

(Butters please don't choke a kitten or a chicken for that matter!)

tha'st a funny beggar. :lol:
As Che's lovechild ( ) said, condensation's't a guid sign.

 

[smollocks]

I went up and bought a bag of ice and dumped the fermenter in the laundry sink with the ice.
It is now 8.15pm Still no bubbling temp is around 28.

I've only done the one brew, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think you get a bit of temperature layering within the fermenter when it's hot and you sit it in a bucket of ice. I had a similar experience, where my adhesive thermometer indicated a constant 26C even after sitting in ice for over an hour. As soon as I gave it a bit of a stir, it dropped to 23C within a minute. I pitched the yeast at that point and after 24 hours it's a constant 20C.

The fact that the adhesive thermometer is above the ice level also adds a bit of lag, so don't believe everything it tells you.

 

[Suds_Moustache]

Good point smollocks. The temp has dropped significantly now (around 20-22 degrees) so I am pretty happy with the progress.
Not sure about stirring though; I don't take the lid off once the final ingredients have been added. I was told that would aerate the beer, possibly spoiling it. That's what I can' work out about moving from one fermenter to another (a technique used to discard excess sediment if I understand it correctly). Wouldn't this potentially expose the beer to contamination and or unnecessary aeration? I presume the technique is to pour one fermenter into the other?

Unless what you're talking about smollocks in terms of stirring is just picking the fermenter up and swishing it around, in which case I guess there's no problem.

 

[Pennywise]

OG is off the charts at 1.043 (at a guess) - my hydro only goes up to 1.040.

I would consider buying another hydrometer, one that goes a fair way higher than 1040. I didn't think any of them stopped there.

 

[Adamt]

Aeration is good for your beer within 12 (ish) hours of pitching the yeast and before, as it helps the yeast through its adaptation/reproduction phase. After fermentation has started and post-fermentation you do not want to introduce any oxygen.

Racking is the term we use for moving from fermenter to fermenter. Basically you attach sanitised, food grade hose to the full fermenter's tap, and place the other end of the tube in the bottom of the empty, sanitised fermenter. I let the tube follow the curvature of the outside of the fermenter to minimise splashing when transferring. Once the new fermenter is filling up you should keep the tube exit below the liquid surface. There will be minimal splashing and exposure to oxygen but this won't be enough to spoil the beer.

 

[smollocks]

Unless what you're talking about smollocks in terms of stirring is just picking the fermenter up and swishing it around, in which case I guess there's no problem.

As Adamt indicated, I was referring to stirring the wort before the yeast is added - particularly when you have your fermenter sitting in ice trying to get a low enough temperature to pitch the yeast.

The back of my ESB kit specifically says DO NOT STIR (in big capitals) after pitching the yeast.