Hey all - In the past, I was less calculated/concerned with wort temperatures for pitching yeast. It’s become more clear to me that getting wort to a target temp is very important, and since I don’t have a plate chiller/pump, that can take a while.
My question… is there anything wrong with waiting 24 hours before pitching yeast into wort? How long is too long to wait?
Cheers!
I sometimes brew late into the night and pitch the next morning. But I wouldn’t wait a full 24 hours to pitch. Keep it down to as few hours as you can manage, to minimize chances for contamination. The longer you wait, the more risk obviously. This risk can also be reduced by pitching an awful lot of yeast at the time when you do pitch.
Is contamination the only real risk factor?
If I rack the wort into a carboy right after brewing, have it plugged with a sanitized vapor lock, and drop it into my keezer, it seems like keeping the contamination out is not a huge challenge.
From what I’ve been reading lately, a high % of off flavors are produced within the first 48 hours of fermentation, and often the effect of fermenting at too high of a temperature.
Other than contamination, what risks/cons are there to waiting a day to pitch?
Yes, it’s concern over contamination, nothing else. The potential problem is, sanitizer cannot kill 100% of all bugs. It gets pretty close, but the longer you wait, the higher the risk. Can you safely wait 24 hours? Maybe. Probably. Personally I wouldn’t recommend it. You can do it, but just understand there is a small risk involved.
I almost always have to wait overnight to pitch for the same reason. Never had much of a problem. I have waited as long as 24 hours pitch a few times, never noticed any difference in my beer. With that being said, I agree that longer you wait higher the risk even if it is only a small risk.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sounds good… thanks guys! I will be sure to tell you how crow tastes when my Oktoberfest is bubbling with bacteria… hahaha
