Accidentally frozen beer while crash chilling

[Adrian Tayler]

Has anyone accidentally frozen thier brew while crash chilling?.. it probably woudnt really bother me but I was planning to bottle this batch rather than keg so I am concerned that the yeast may be f*&ked....  any advice or tips out there?

 

Cheers.

[Reviled]

Yeast will almost def be fu*ked, you could try to put some fresh yeast in at bottling time, like chuck a packet of yeast into a clean fermenter then rack the beer on top of it, mix it in, wait a wee while, then bottle??

Or, just keg it :oP lol

http://www.forum.realbeer.co.nz/profiles/blogs/still-a-rank-amateur...

[Richard Jack]

How frozen? I've had a couple of little patches of frozen around the top and so on, carbonated fine.

Edit to add that I've just frozen jars of yeast in the fridge before (not for beer) and had them work ok after 6 months, albeit with a slow takeoff. I know it goes againt the prevailing thought, but it seems yeast are harder to kill than people give them credit for.

[MrC]

I accidentally froze a pale ale a few months back. I kegged most of it but due to the volume I bottled 3 x 750ml also. The beer was fine and carbed up nicely in the bottles. Mine was frozen for approx 48 hours. Hope that helps.

[MrC]

Also, from what I could tell, the whole thing was frozen solid and took 2 days to thaw.

[Andrew]

Yeast is pretty hardy, remember you buy it dehydrated to all hell and within a couple of minutes of rehydration its alive and kickin. You could add more yeast if you wanted but I reckon it'll be fine if you thaw it out and bottle it up. If anything it might just need an extra few days to condition.

[Adrian Tayler]

Thanks Guys, It is more of a slurry than frozen solid and it has only been about 2 days so from your comments I am picking it might just be okay ??

[Andrew]

If its only a slurry I reckon it will still be good. Only one way to know for sure. Proof is in the pudding as they say.

[Reviled]

Hmm, interesting comments... Everything I have read suggests that by the liquid freezing around the yeast it expands and punctures the cell wall, killing or at least injuring the yeast??

You may find there will be cells that survive, but if they do surely its gonna take them a helluva long time to carbonate?? But going by what people have said it sounds like it will be fine?

My 2 cents

[MrC]

Could it be that as the water freezes, the ice that forms floats to the surface leaving the yeast cake alone at the bottom for the most part.

And don't forget survival of the fittest. You may actually be improving the overall health of the yeast by chilling it right down and culling the weak.

Plausable theories?

[Richard Jack]

I think that you're right on both counts. Yeah, it probably kills some cells, but some will survive (I've frozen sourdough starters for months as well). It doesn't take much yeast to carbonate a beer... it'll probably just take a few extra days. I mean, we can happily drop most of the yeast out with finings, and put beer into bottles appearing to be completely clear and it'll still carbonate...

[Adrian Tayler]

Proof is in the pudding for sure... I just filled a pump bottle and primed with a carb drop and put in a warm spot... I will see what happens before I proceed... I will let you guys know.. thanks for the posts... worse case, I will just keg and inhale..

[Mike Neilson]

You havnt brewed enough beer untill you have frozen at least one of them!! Or added a Litre of starsan to it and drunk it!! Or smashed 2, 23L glass carboys on one brew!! Hahahaha brewing is fun times!!