No airlock activity question from a noob

Yeah, even 77F is high for most strains. Better than 82F though!

Well, if you can keep the wort sanitary, you have lots of time. That's kind of a big if, though. Personally, if it were taking longer than, say, an hour, I'd start to get concerned. Not to mention frustrated with how long a not very interesting part of the process is taking.

I'm in PA. Not as hot as Georgia, but it still gets pretty hot, even 100F+ at times. In the summer, I can get from boiling down to lager pitching temps (<50F) in under 20 minutes.

 

Looking at a pack of US-05....temperature range of 53.6° - 77°F
The Fermentis pdf for US-05 references 77°F to 84°F, which is for rehydrating.

 

Hmmm. I'm assuming Fermentis is expecting the user to let the temperature come down after rehydration. US-05 is a little more tolerant (from an off flavor perspective) than a lot of strains, but I personally wouldn't push it to 77F. (And that's 77F fermentation/wort temp, not ambient.)

 

Maybe not after, but perhaps during. It doesn't indicate a specific temperature at end of hydration, it does give a time of 45 minutes from start to finish (15 min rest, the 30 min stirring, then pitch).
They don't directly specify a ceiling for sho' nuff pitching temp.

To add to the mix, the pack data seems to contradict the pdf:
Pack - temperature range of 53.6° - 77°F
PDF - "FERMENTATION: ideally at 18-28°C (64-82°F)"

I sprinkle and shoot for midway of ~ 65°

 

Good grief. I'm glad Fermentis makes yeast, and not beer. I wonder how many degrees they would tack onto that for "not ideal, but okay."

 

Pitch @ flameout?



EDIT: failed to mention in a post # 22 that the ideal range on the pack is 59.7° - 71.6°

 

I think you might be surprised by how long it takes the wort temp to drop in the freezer. Of course, it also depends on how cold the freezer is. But putting the fermenter in the freezer is similar to sitting it in an ice water bath: it's not very efficient, because neither the wort being cooled nor the cooling medium (in this case air) is moving in relation to the other. But give it a shot and see how long it takes and decide if it's for you.

 

Good to be in a proactive mode for your next batch.
The suggestion below is what I'd do. It eliminates the step of closing, plopping and removing. All you have to do is change your water supply from the running tap to the pump that's already in the bucket of iced water; a simple disconnect-reconnect.

 

I brew late at night cause of my daughter and routinely finish cooling to about 80 around 1:30 am. I then stick on my ferm freezer with probe set to 60. I pitch the next day after aerating. This works for me. In the winter I can obviously pitch same night.

 

To be clear my freezer is not 60 ambient. It’s actually much colder until beer reaches pitching temp. I have a small ceramic heater in there to prevent it from getting too cold.

 

FWIW.....How to brew by John Palmer is a fountain of information. Chapter 7 of the online version (older than the print version) is about cooling the wort and goes over several reasons why, and a few ways how.

 

US-05 (dry Chico) is probably one of the most forgiving yeast around...but stand by for a peach bomb at those temps

 

Np I actually have both my freezer and ceramic heater plugged into a similiar temp controller.

 

Nope....like most home brewers I am perpetually and wholly uninquisitive about all things beer.