How hot is too hot?

Ward Chillington

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So I made a bone headed thing last night while checking on my bottles in the conditioner. The temperature probe slipped out of the chamber making the Inkbird think that it was 67°F inside the chamber which was set for 70°F resulting in the heat source to stay on way too long. Glancing at the chamber this morning when I was taking some cleaned bottles to the basement, the Inkbird was showing 67° on both the air temp and the chamber.....Oh crap!

So here I am ...day 3 in conditioning and the chamber reached 90° F....did I kill my yeast and halt my carbonation? I was using Safale 05.
 
So I made a bone headed thing last night while checking on my bottles in the conditioner. The temperature probe slipped out of the chamber making the Inkbird think that it was 67°F inside the chamber which was set for 70°F resulting in the heat source to stay on way too long. Glancing at the chamber this morning when I was taking some cleaned bottles to the basement, the Inkbird was showing 67° on both the air temp and the chamber.....Oh crap!

So here I am ...day 3 in conditioning and the chamber reached 90° F....did I kill my yeast and halt my carbonation? I was using Safale 05.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjADegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw1E7mZ9Bu1Vsn9wlI87xQS4
Fermentis says 82 for optimum max. Bet it will be ok. Give em a few days and shake a bottle gently to check for carbing.
RDWHAHB but some concern is in order. Time will tell.
 
US-05 is pretty hardy. I doubt that 90 F has killed them. I bottle/keg condition at room temperatures which are sometimes over 80 with no ill effects. And most bread yeast does just fine up to about 105.

I doubt you will notice any issues.
 
I'll second what bubbawade said.
adding that most likely you may taste some fusel alcohols (slight solvent taste) and esters due to warm temps... but since it is after fermentation and happened in the conditioning phase... you probably won't taste anything, not enough activity to really get their cells too active/happy.
 
You say "while checking on my bottles in the conditioner." Does that mean they have been conditioning for a while already? I don't think 90 is high enough to sterilize the yeast. My experience with bottle conditioning says time usually makes up for low yeast count...the little buggers just work longer.

Even if not, the extra heat increase may have just sped up the conditioning a touch. My gut says you may get flat beer as a worst case scenario. I'd just reduce the temp back to 70 and carry on. Opening them all to add sugar or yeast or generally mess with them would probably end up worse than just leaving them as they are and maybe giving them some extra time to condition.
 
As others have said, very little chance that you killed your yeast....90°F isn't really all that warm for yeast. I have definitely had bottles "conditioning" at room temp, while it was that high. As ^Tony^ points out though, it isn't that great for CO2 absorption....
 
dding that most likely you may taste some fusel alcohols (slight solvent taste)

YES! I was afraid of that and there is a slight solventy taste in the 2 I have sampled so far. IF I am washing food down with it, I can hardly taste it

You say "while checking on my bottles in the conditioner." Does that mean they have been conditioning for a while already

Tony, they were in the chamber for about 3 days edit..and I should add that there IS carbonation albeit not where I want it yet.....I need to heed...RDWHAHB
 
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As the others have said, just let them go. It may take a week or so longer than normal but they should be fine!
 

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