Warm or cold pitch?

[berryman]

I usually try to get down to or a little below my fermenting temp before pitching. Yesterday afternoon I got tired of waiting for my slow chiller and pitched us-05 at 70 degs. but had the fermenting chamber pre-cooled to 58 so figure it would drop down before the yeast started and it did, this morning fermenter was at 63 and airlock bubbling. I think less lag time but would have to be carful and know your system and the yeast that you are using. Thoughts?

[Beer-lord]

For most of my ales, I chill to 66-67 and pitch at that temp and keep it that way until a few days before cold crash and I raise it a few degrees right before crashing. I use mostly liquid yeast. But 05 at 70-72 is perfectly fine but I have rarely used it below 65. I've often read about peach flavors at lower than 65 but can't say I've noticed that.

[mashani]

FWIW:

So lately I have been doing a "very warm pitch" with dry yeast (I've never tried this with liquid yeast) because slow chilling in the M&B, even at 20+ hours especially in the summer sometimes it comes out 85-90 degrees or so for a larger batch. I for a while would let it chill down to 72 or whatever and then pitch, but over the summer I decided to experiment to ward off my house brett, because if I wait a few hours to pitch it's going to get a good head start. And leaving it in the M&B to get from that 90 to 70 would mean another 8-12 hours - the mash & boil insulation works all too well at lower temps. I could do that, but blah.

So as long as my wort is at or below whatever "rehydration" temperature the yeast says is ok, I've been pitching. So once it's ~85 or whatever the highest rehydration temp suggested is, I'm just pitching. I then just basically swamp cool my fermenters at that point, or if only using one, stick it in my mini fridge with the temp controller. By the time the yeast actually starts active fermentation my temps are always down to ambient. But the growth rate is likely higher and I've really not had a full on Brett C infection this summer which is unheard of in my parts.

I have had 0 that is ZERO off flavors or weirdness doing this. (the only beer I made that had off flavor this year was with S05 (diacyl) - was actually pitched at a low temp, not a warm pitch. All of the beers I've warm pitched S05 in have not had this problem).

So I think now as long as you get your fermentation temperature to the right zone before the yeast goes nuts and becomes exothermic, pitching temp is overrated, except for cases where it would stunt yeast growth. At least with dry yeast. But I don't see why liquid yeast would matter, as long as it's a safe temp for it to survive, and you get the temps down fast enough. It would likely just be if you spun up an uber starter that would kick off active fermentation in a few hours that you would run into bad times I think.

I've been meaning to document this for you all, but I keep thinking "self... this is gonna blow up in your face one day... so wait..." but it hasn't blown up in my face, I've done it with clean yeasts, estery yeasts, phenolic yeasts, and none of them did anything abnormal or gave me unexpected flavors or off flavors. So I think it's perfectly fine as long as you know you can get it down to proper temps when the active fermentation kicks in and it goes more exothermic.

Not sure about lager yeasts, I haven't gone there yet. In the winter maybe I try that, it would be pitching at more like 74-75 right out of the mash & boil in the winter, and getting it to 57 before it starts exothermic active fermentation, which would not be a problem to do. But I can't say if this would give good results or not yet. My bet is that it will though. (I only use lager yeasts that work well a 56-57 as that's what I can easily maintain in the winter).

Anyways, your 70 degree pitch is way lower then what I've been doing so it has to be fine.

[John Sand]

I have pitched a little warm or cool and let the ferm fridge correct without incident. My chamber gets it within range in a few hours.
I have had peach flavor from 05 cool. I keep it above 64.

[berryman]

So far this experiment has been almost right on. I use 05 a lot and try to keep in the 63-65 range if looking for a clean beer, but have been a little lower but never noticed peach. It is at 65 degs. and working hard with ambient @ 58. I have seen 04 and 05 have up to a 10 deg. differential if let it go.

[BlackDuck]

I use dry yeast most of the time. 05 is my go to yeast. I usually pitch between 68 and 70, then try to hold fermentation temps around 65. Which is on the lower end of Fermentis’ published fermentation temps. I’ve never gotten peach from that yeast. I think it’s a great yeast and very easy to use. Usually pitch 2 packs for a 5 gallon batch.


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[berryman]

I’ve never gotten peach from that yeast. I think it’s a great yeast and very easy to use. Usually pitch 2 packs for a 5 gallon batch.
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Yup BD 100% agree, but this is the first time I pitched at 70 but got it down to fermenting temp fast and like mash said about like rehydrating at a warmer temp. Almost no lag time, but think have to be careful so it doesn't go crazy on you.

[bpgreen]

I've beern doing things pretty much the way mashani had been doing but I usually wait until it gets down to 80 or lower. I've had good results doing this, also.

[mashani]

I have had peach flavor from 05 cool. I keep it above 64.

Is this peach flavor a "good" peach flavor - IE like actual peach / peach juice - or a "bad" flavor like artificial flavored peach stuff?

I could actually see having some peach flavor added by the yeast be a good thing in some styles like fruit forward APA/IPAs as long as it's a "good" peach.

[FrozenInTime]

The Mosaic IPA in the carboy right now was done with US05, chilled to 60/pitched. Wort rose to room temp for this time of year, 70 degrees and is just fine. Last batch (now history) was the same temp and no problems at 70 degrees. This round did go crazy, been a while since I had one clog the bubbler and blow off the lid. I would not worry about 70~72 or so, US05 is pretty forgiving.

[John Sand]

I have had peach flavor from 05 cool. I keep it above 64.

Is this peach flavor a "good" peach flavor - IE like actual peach / peach juice - or a "bad" flavor like artificial flavored peach stuff?

I could actually see having some peach flavor added by the yeast be a good thing in some styles like fruit forward APA/IPAs as long as it's a "good" peach.

The one batch I recall right now wasn't terrible, fellow brewers suggested I could use it as a fruit beer, maybe even adding spice.
I think it was an APA. In the end I couldn't get past the peach and dumped it.

[Kealia]

I generally pitch AT my fermentation temp, but in the summer when the ground water isn't cold enough to get down to pitching temps, I get close, pitch and let the fermentation chamber get the wort down the rest of the way. I don't think I've ever pitched higher than 75 and I tend to use US-05 for most beers, if I don't have a liquid option.

[MadBrewer]

I usually try to get down to or a little below my fermenting temp before pitching. Yesterday afternoon I got tired of waiting for my slow chiller and pitched us-05 at 70 degs. but had the fermenting chamber pre-cooled to 58 so figure it would drop down before the yeast started and it did, this morning fermenter was at 63 and airlock bubbling. I think less lag time but would have to be carful and know your system and the yeast that you are using. Thoughts?

I typically try to pitch right around my fermentation temps, but pitching US-05 at 70* is not out of the range what so ever. Slowly cooling down to lower temps is probably never going to hurt anything, I have done it myself plenty of times. I think the only concern would come in with extreme temp changes over very short times. I have used US-05 all over the place, almost lager temps to high 60's. I think it's most fitting right around 66* for me for middle of the road Ales.

[mashani]

I think the only concern would come in with extreme temp changes over very short times. I have used US-05 all over the place, almost lager temps to high 60's. I think it's most fitting right around 66* for me for middle of the road Ales.

FWIW, I have gone from pitching ~85 to cooling down to ~68-70 over about a 4 hour timeframe with a handful of different yeasts over the summer without issues.

[bpgreen]

I used to always pitch at or below fermentation temperature, but then I read that pitching a little warm lets the yeast get kick started and is ok as long as you get down to your fermentation temperature within a day or so.