Pitching temp

[sbaclimber]

I just got back from a home brewer meet, where I learned something (among other things) new...
Some of the other home brewers pitch (regardless of top or bottom fermenting) their yeast at room temp and then gradually drop the temp until they reach optimal fermentation temp.
I have been cooling my wort to optimal fermentation temp and then pitching the yeast. Obviously pitching warmer gets the yeast going earlier though...
What do you all do?

 

[jeffpn]

I chill my wort to 68°F or so, rack from the boil pot to a carboy, and pitch the yeast. Then I agitate it. Ales, lagers, same for either. Ales stay around 68°, maybe get a tad cooler. Lagers go to 55° after pitching.

 

[oliver]

Ice bath until it hits 70ºF, then i transfer to primary and pitch.

 

[Head First]

Ales less than 10 degrees over fermentation temp.
Lagers about 65 degrees then slowly cool to fermentation temp.
I never put any yeast into any wort with a temp difference greater than 10 degrees.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I may be in the minority but I chill my wort down to 57 to 60 and pitch at that temp, all ales, I also give it plenty of oxygen and it starts burping away the next morning no problem, I have a strict process how I make my beer. and ever since I started that Ive never had an odd batch

 

[sbaclimber]

Thank you all for your input!
Interesting, that only OMB and I cool the wort all the way down to ferm. temp. before pitching.
I have pitched warmer and cooled further while the yeast was ramping up, without any significantly noticeable negative effects (obviously fermentation started faster), but it was only when I absolutely had to (for time reasons).

 

[Hogarthe]

I try to cool it as close to ferm temp as possible before pitching. For lagers I cool it as much as I can with the immersion chiller and then put it in a carboy in the fridge over night before pitching.

 

[Nosybear]

I always try to pitch at or under the fermentation temps. For lagers in particular, pitching warm and cooling leads to diacetyl production. Nothing you can't solve with a diacetyl rest but it does have an effect on flavor.