Yeast pitching is the moment when you begin the fermentation process, although the yeast won’t become active instantly after pitching, it will soon start to work. It’s not unusual for the first signs of fermentation to kick in after a couple of hours, yet some yeast types may take up to 24 hours.
However, to have a successful fermentation you need to pitch yeast at the correct time, so how long can you wait before you pitch yeast?
It’s good practice to pitch yeast as soon as possible, but it can be delayed by 24 hours or more. If you have to delay pitching, ensure that no airborne contaminants enter the wort. Otherwise, your wort could get infected by lactobacillus or wild yeast.
Why is it suggested to pitch yeast as soon as possible?
When you pitch yeast to a wort, it will already start activating after a couple of hours and prepare for the process of fermentation. During this time it will form colonies and as they grow they can take over the environment and even attack light contaminants. Yes, yeast is capable of defeating the germs colonies as long as it’s healthy and greater in numbers, who said yeast isn’t a man’s best friend? It defends, attacks, and provides the booze.
Can I pitch yeast the next day?
I remember the sleepless nights when I waited for the wort to chill and I wanted to pitch yeast as soon as possible. Later, I figured out that it’s more of an irrational fear and now I rarely pitch yeast as soon as the wort is ready. However, I have a clear procedure on how I treat the wort before pitching which allows me to pitch even the next day.
If you follow my suggestion for securing the wort during cooling and sitting it’s possible to pitch yeast the next day. As a matter of fact, I do it almost every time because I lately don’t use a chiller and after a long day of brewing simply let the wort cool down on its own in the basement. This way you can delay pitching for 24 hours or more.
How to secure the wort for delayed pitching
1. Chill wort in a fermenter
Some homebrewers chill the beer in a brewing pot and in case they do this with a chiller and pitch straight after the wort is chilled and transferred to the fermenter, it’s a great method.
However, if you chill wort in the brewing pot with less effective yet common chilling methods which can take hours or a whole night, the wort is at increased risk of contamination.
The wort is safe from contamination during high temperatures because boiling kills any bacteria and for some time while the wort is still hot there isn’t a risk of wort becoming infected.
However, as soon as the wort is chilled below 140°F (60°C), some bacteria can survive the heat and start developing a serious problem leading to a sour, vinegary beer in later stages.
As you can guess, the brewing pot doesn’t offer a good seal and the air can freely enter in, so once the wort is chilled, it becomes endangered if it’s still in a brewing pot.
Chilling the wort in a fermenter removes this risk because you pour the hot wort straight into the fermenter, seal it and install an airlock. This way you can even safely cool the wort overnight because the steam and air will escape through the airlock and nothing can bounce in, securing the wort sterilized even when it’s chilled.
This isn’t possible with glass fermenters as they may break or questionable plastic fermenters which can either get damaged or leak toxic chemicals into the wort due to high heat exposure. Use food-grade-safe plastic fermenters that can easily sustain boiling water or stainless steel fermenters. Stainless steel is ideal because it has the best temperature tolerance and it’s easiest to chill the liquid in steel due to better thermodynamic properties.
2. Make sure the airlock is on and full of liquid
Don’t forget to place the airlock as soon as the wort starts cooling down. I mean, you could wait a bit before installing the airlock before the temperature drops by at least 20%, but it’s easier to install it straight away, and this way you won’t accidentally forget it.
In the initial cooling phase, lots of liquid in the airlock will evaporate with the heat, so it’s useful to check on it after the wort has cooled down through the hottest phase, If it’s necessary add extra liquid. Alternatively, you should just put more liquid into the airlock than usual at the beginning.
3. Keep the seal on and pitch quickly
When the wort has cooled down, it will be critical for it to remain out of air contact as It’s super vulnerable. Thus, when you are finally ready to pitch open the side of a lid, pitch the yeast, aerate it, and place it at a good place undisturbed and at the optimal temperature to ferment.
As you can see, if you never chilled the wort in a fermenter in the first place, you’d be greatly exposing the cooled wort to contamination in a brewing kettle and you’d have to transfer it to a fermenter. All of this increases the odds of wort getting contaminated.
What can go wrong if you delay the pitching?
1. Lactobacillus
The most feared microorganism responsible for the vinegary, sour taste in beer is the notorious Lactobacillus from the family of lactic bacteria.
These germs are truly awful, and we hate them from the bottom of our homebrewer’s hearts. Lactobacillus wants to take away from us everything we worked for and I think we should from now no longer speak its name. It’s disgusting and doesn’t deserve any respect.
These nasty germs are everywhere, so wash your hands, sanitize everything twice, and minimize contact with air to protect your homebrew.
2. Wild Yeast
Wild yeast can ruin our homebrew, but it’s not as bad as the previous stuff. Wild yeast is simply the yeast found in nature and it’s unpredictable so you don’t want some to end up in a wort full of tasty sugars.
Wild yeast can fly throughout the air, so take care! Outside of its negative sides which can be a cause for a ruined recipe and weird off-flavors, wild yeast can be used in cooking and brewing when you intentionally collect it for a specific recipe.
Traditional Belgian sour beers are brewed with the help of local wild yeast. Take a trip into your backyard and see if there’s some wild yeast you can use for your next batch of beer!
How long is wort good for?
Wort, the sugary liquid extracted during the brewing process, is generally good for several weeks if stored properly. The key to preserving its quality lies in preventing contamination and oxidation.
It’s essential to cool the wort quickly after boiling, transfer it to a sanitized container, seal it tightly so nothing can fall in, and store it in a cool, dark place.
While the specific shelf life can vary depending on factors like initial sanitation and the beer style being brewed, keeping these best practices in mind will help ensure your wort remains viable for a reasonable period.
How long to wait before pitching more yeast?
If you already pitched yeast but don’t the signs of fermentation, you might be thinking that the initial pitching was unsuccessful for some reason.
In such a case it’s recommended to wait at least 24 hours before pitching more yeast as yeast doesn’t have to show signs of fermentation straight after pitching.
This waiting period, known as a “lag time,” allows any residual microorganisms to establish themselves before introducing more yeast.
Although rare, with some yeast strains, you might not see visible signs of fermentation before 48 hours have passed, so don’t hurry to open a new yeast packet.
However, if you’re confident in the initial yeast pitch and sanitation, you can pitch additional yeast immediately as there’s no possible way to ruin anything.
What temp is too warm for yeast?
While the optimal fermentation temperature varies depending on the yeast strain and beer style, yeast can be harmed when exposed to temperatures above 80°F (30°C). Such high temperatures can stress the yeast cells, leading to undesirable off-flavors and aromas in your beer. To maintain yeast health and achieve the desired flavor profile, it’s crucial to monitor and control fermentation temperatures within the recommended range for your specific yeast strain and beer style. Typically, this falls between 60°F and 75°F (15-24°C) unless you are making lagers, but precise guidelines can be found in yeast manufacturer recommendations or brewing references.