Frozen yeast. Frozen beer.

[Braufather]

i had my inkbird set at 2c to cold crash half of a split brew in my larder fridge and also had a smack pack liquid yeast in there. Just gone to retrieve the yeast this morning and both the yeast and the beer are frozen solid.

I have no idea how this happened which is a question in itself but more urgently

1) I take it the yeast is ruined. It was a wyeast English ale yeast but for a 4 per cent session American type pale recipe using mostly pilsner but with some Munich, crystal ,rye and oats to give it body.

I have a pack of dry yeast I could use but thats American ale as opposed to British ale. Do I go ahead with that or postpone brew and get the specified yeast?

2) my beer. Will it be ok? It had fully fermented and was just cold crashing, it’s a punk ipa clone. Can I just defrost it and rack it? What side effects should I be aware of? I keg so carbonation shouldn’t be an issue.

Not a great start to a brew day! I was up early in an effort to get it all done before the football started. I never knew a fridge could get that cold.

 

[The Baron]

Don't know about the yeast but the beer will be ok just make sure you fully defrost it or you may end up victim of freeze distillation (this will concentrate the alcohol strength in the beer).

 

[foxbat]

Freezing yeast is supposed to be bad because the ice crystals burst the cell walls. I bet if you made a starter it would ferment but I still wouldn't brew with it over concerns about the health of the cells.

 

[MarkBowie]

It depends on the other contents of the smack pack, if the sugar content is high enough it protects the yeast from rupturing. It’s not going to cause any damage if you defrost it and see what happens in a starter. If it goes then great, if not you haven’t lost anything. The beer will be ok though, will just take longer to carbonate for same reason.

 

[Braufather]

Haven’t got anything to make a starter to hand. I’ve decided to put it on hold until I get some. I guess when I try it next week if the smack pack expands there is at least enough there to make a starter. Will have some British dry as a back up!

At least the frozen beer should be ok then.

 

[BeerCat]

Unfortunately i often freeze my starters. I just defrost them and add more spraymalt. Seems to be very resilient. Frozen some beers as well but never solid. Normally a slab of ice on the top. I have bottled like that and also left it to thaw. Still carbed just higher ABV.

 

[Llamaman]

Eisbeer!
Embrace the happy accident :)

 

[Braufather]

I am going to have a look into icebeer then.

 

[Llamaman]

Schneider Aventinus Eisbock. Amazing stuff.

 

[MmmBeer]

I don't know if it's relevant, but I regularly used to freeze half packets of dried yeast, when I was making 10 litre brews, with no ill effects.

I do agree with Foxbat that making a starter would be a sensible precaution, that way you will know whether it's viable or not before pitching, but I suspect it will be fine.