Very cold wort after pitching. Anything to do?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Buck89, Jan 2, 2018.

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  1. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,782) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I brewed a big imperial stout yesterday (6 gallons, OG 1.110) and everything went reasonably well. I pitched a huge starter (600 B cells) of Denny's Favorite (1450) at 62 degrees and placed in my ferm chamber as usual with settings at 62 degrees. I went down this morning to hit it with some additional O2 and surprisingly the wort/beer was very cold at 37 degrees. For whatever reason my Ranco controller was malfunctioning and was powering the chest freezer despite the cold temp. I brought the carboy into my basement and have managed to warm it throughout the day with some heating pads to the low 50s. I'm using the Ranco temp probe in a thermowell which is still working normally. It should be 60 by the end of the night. My question is: would you just let it ride and see how it attenuates, or is there anything different to do at this point? My hope is that the yeast will just start slowly but should otherwise act normally. Any advice is appreciated. Also, has anyone had this happen with a Ranco? I bought it pre-wired as a dual temp controller. Thanks. Any advice is appreciated!
     
    #1 Buck89, Jan 2, 2018
  2. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    My biggest concern is that the yeast flocculated. Since they haven't started fermenting yet, you might do well to stir when it warms to bring yeast back in suspension. If you don't have some spare dry yeast handy already, it may be wise to pick up a couple packs of Nottingham as a precaution (never a bad idea to have some dry yeast on hand for emergencies). If you see no activity within 36 hours of reaching the 60s, rehydrate and pitch the Notty.
     
    #2 pweis909, Jan 2, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
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  3. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,775) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Most likely when it gets back into range the yeast'll wake back up. It wouldn't hurt to shake or stir (with well-sanitized spoon or some such) to get them back into suspension. I've had similar - though in my case it was the heater in my apartment crapping out about 10 minutes after I left for a very cold winter evening. When I got back and turned it back on, the beer was bubbling nicely the next morning with no problems.
     
    #3 JrGtr, Jan 2, 2018
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  4. Bryan12345

    Bryan12345 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Texas

    Yep. Yeast can rebound from the cold. Heat? Not so much. :slight_smile:
     
    #4 Bryan12345, Jan 2, 2018
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  5. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,782) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    An update: small krausen formed last night when it warmed to about 58 (32 hrs after pitching) and this morning it's at 65 with a full krausen. Appreciate the comments!
     
    #5 Buck89, Jan 2, 2018
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