Temp dropped to 3.3C at the start of fermentation....

[cat007]

Hey all

I brewed a Pilsner on Sunday and put it in one of my temp controlled fridges set at 12C.

Unfortunately I didn't make sure the temp probe was stuck to the side of the fermenter when I shut the fridge door. Without me realising it had fallen onto the ground outside the fridge.

I checked on it just now and the temp was at 3.3 (temp controller had no idea when to turn off the fridge so it just kept cooling).

I've put a heat pad under it and remedied the temp probe.

Will the yeast just be sleeping and will require a fair while to wake up.

Or is it pretty much buggered?

Cheers
Hunt

 

[philmud]

How long was it at that temperature for? I'd be inclined to wait and see if the yeast starts up, I'd maybe agitate the fermenter to re suspend your starter yeast.

 

[cat007]

I put it in the fridge about 30 hours ago. So however long it took to get to that temp - possibly at around 4C for at least 18 hours or more.....

 

[timmi9191]

Have done exactly the same.. Warm it back up to fermentation temp and all will be good.. Yeast will just had a little nap

 

[cat007]

Thanks

Did you have to agitate it a little?

 

[donmateo]

I did something similar a couple of brews ago, except it went a little further. I was trying to crash chill (from about 18->9degC) two fermenters in two seperate chest freezers right next to each other, and i accidently mixed up the probes.
The next day I came back home and with both controllers set on 9degC, one was about 16, the other was -3. The -3 one was about 50 % frozen.
I changed the probes around, and came back the next day, the one which was 16 was now 9degC, the one which was half frozen, was now about 25% frozen. I pitched the 9degC one, and pitched about 25% of the yeast I had allocated for the frozen one. The next day, when it had risen to about 6 degC, I pitched the rest.
The one which got frozen finished fermenting about 9 days before the other one - which took pretty close to 4 weeks. (OG ~1.070), and also attenuated more, by about 2 points, going to about 1.014 whereas the other went to 1.016.
The only way I can tell the difference between the two of them, is that the frozen one ended up not carbonating in the bottle at all - but I'm assuming that this was because it sat for 9 days waiting for the other to finish, and most of the yeast dropped out... Anyhow, they both tasted fine, but I thought it was strange how the yeast behaved in the frozen one.

 

[timmi9191]

No agitation

 

[contrarian]

I froze a fermenter a few days after pitching once. Just brought it up to temp slowly and have it a few swirls and it turned out fine.

 

[manticle]

What yeast? I tend to pitch lagers around 4 and let sneak slowly up to 7.

Might be a good thing.

 

[cat007]

Using saflager S-23 yeast