Our fridge died, yeast got hot...

[laxation]

Came home today to find the fridge/freezer had died and everything - even in the freezer - was 18+ degrees. Must have been blowing hot air from the fan or something...

Along with my 7kg brisket (rip) I also had a few wyeast and white labs yeasts in there.

No idea how long they've been hot for, except that it was enough to get a frozen slab of brisket to 14 degrees.

Some of the yeasts are from the Melb case swap, and were already a month or so past their best before.

Are they dead? Is there a way I can check to see if they're gone?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Wow. A 7kg Brisket? That would take a lot to thaw. How much yeast? I wouldn't use the yeast but I hate the idea of going to all the good efforts of all grain brewing to risk it with questionable yeast.
Are you sure its not a defrost cycle? Although i wouldnt think it would thaw a big slab of meat though.
I freaked out on my temp control fridge when it went hot in the freezer for nearly a day if I recall.
I thought it was stuffed but thankfully it was an automatic defrost cycle. It all went back to normal.

 

[laxation]

It's never had a defrost cycle that I know of... It's turned off now but can turn it on tomorrow to see.

It was my grandma's fridge so it's at least 20yo old now.

Is there a way to test the yeast with a starter or anything to see if it goes? Or is there more to it than it just activating

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Yeah activation isn't a total guarantee that its good. Its probably OK if 18c was the maximum the temp got to.
I just like the safe bet. If its out of date etc I'd just get some new yeast.

 

[laxation]

Cheers, guess I'll get rid of the old ones. I was going to use them for the case swap brew, but I def doing want to wreck that one. For the newer ones, what could go wrong?

 

[Mardoo]

If I were in your situation, first I would make up a good BBQ sauce, smoke the brisket, and eat it while having a good think

I would either chuck the yeast, or get it in the fridge - not freezer - and grow it up again. See how it goes. Taste and smell the starter wort. Is it something you want to use? If so, re-freeze it. If not, chuck it. It's likely to have some differences from the original yeast, but it's worth a try, IMHAO.

 

[laxation]

The yeast was in the fridge, not freezer, if that makes a difference.

No way I'm going to spend 20 hours smoking a brisket that might be f'd though!

 

[TSMill]

Why would the brisket be effed? Surely you would defrost it prior to cooking in any case?

I think the yeasts will be fine too...if you don't want them post to me!

 

[Mardoo]

The yeast was in the fridge, not freezer, if that makes a difference.

Try a starter on a pack and see what happens. Be sure to check the OG and FG of the starter wort, so you have an idea how the yeast did.

 

[manticle]

If brisket is shit, it will smell shit.
Make starters, stepped up properly and re-fridge your stored yeast.

 

[laxation]

Why would the brisket be effed? Surely you would defrost it prior to cooking in any case

I'd defrost it sure, but the fact it got so hot - the freezer must have been doing some weird shit.
It would take probably 36-48 hours to defrost that bit of meat if it was sitting on the bench this time of year!

It's such a big commitment to do a brisket, not about to waste 20 hours and risk getting me (and all my friends) sick from it I'm usually pretty gung-ho when it comes to food safety and that but hot air + a heap of meat is a bad time

thanks all for your advice

 

[TSMill]

Ok... post me the brisket too.

 

[laxation]

Just a follow up in case anyone comes across this in a Google search in 3 years' or something...

I tried the old Belgian yeast in a starter and over 3 days OG didn't drop at all, so I've chucked it and will get rid of the other expired ones. Lesson learned not to stockpile yeast!

Have brewed a beer with one of the other yeasts that wasn't out of date, and it seems ok so far.