[wamille]

I developed a pretty bad cold shortly after brewing yesterday.  I'm truly whooped - no energy, beat, tired.  I had finished the boil and was cooling the wort before the cold hit me hard.  My wort now sits quietly in my fridge along with my yeast starter.  I really just don't have the energy to deal with it now.  Are there any concerns if I let the wort set in the fridge for a day or two before pitching my yeast? 

[alikocho]

Yeast should be pitched into wort as soon as it is cooled in order to avoid infections and off flavours. You might get lucky, but are fairly likely to pick up an infection.

[wamille]

An infection... even if I have it sealed solidly in a plastic fermenter that I sanitized with StarSan in my refridgerator?  I can't imagine anything touching it.  I was more concerned with possible off-flavors from something else and not an infection.

[alikocho]

Starsan sanitizes rather than sterilizing, and there is a risk that the beer picked up something airborne. Pitching yeast asap allows for the yeast to outcompete other organisms before they get a chance to get going.

You might not get an infection, but there's no guarantee.

[maxieboy]

Hike that skirt up and go pitch your yeast. 

[bluesman]

As soon as you get some wind in your sail...go ahead and pitch the yeast. The longer it sits the greater the potential for an issue but you'll be okay for a short time (<24hrs) as long as it's sealed, kept cool and out of the light. The sooner you can pitch it the better off you'll be.

[denny]

Yeast should be pitched into wort as soon as it is cooled in order to avoid infections and off flavours. You might get lucky, but are fairly likely to pick up an infection.

I wouldn't go as far as "fairly likely".  With good sanitation, a day or two should be no problem at all.

[denny]

He said he has a starter in the fridge with the wort.

[Wheat_Brewer]

Yeast should be pitched into wort as soon as it is cooled in order to avoid infections and off flavours. You might get lucky, but are fairly likely to pick up an infection.

I wouldn't go as far as "fairly likely".  With good sanitation, a day or two should be no problem at all.

+1 to this.  Remember there's some "microbreweries" that have a brew house in one location, they then truck the wort to the "microbrew" location, pitch yeast and serve.  If they can truck it across the country in a semi for a couple days you can let it sit a day or so...provided there's been proper cleaning done first. 

[tschmidlin]

Remember there's some "microbreweries" that have a brew house in one location, they then truck the wort to the "microbrew" location, pitch yeast and serve.  If they can truck it across the country in a semi for a couple days you can let it sit a day or so...provided there's been proper cleaning done first. 

Seriously?  Who does this?  I've never heard of that.  I'd love to read about it if you have links . . .

[tubercle]

  Tubercle never pitches yeast until the next morning. The old well water cant get the wort down to about 72f. The wort goes into to the converted freezer, which is nothing but a horizontal fridge, and sits over night so it can come to pitching temps. Nothing but tinfoil clamped over the better bottle mouth or the lid sitting loosely on the bucket.

 Never has an infection occurred. Infections probably only happen to people that worry about them anyway which I don't. Helps keep the evil at bay.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Remember there's some "microbreweries" that have a brew house in one location, they then truck the wort to the "microbrew" location, pitch yeast and serve.  If they can truck it across the country in a semi for a couple days you can let it sit a day or so...provided there's been proper cleaning done first.  

Seriously?  Who does this?  I've never heard of that.  I'd love to read about it if you have links . . .

Granite City does.  They ferment on premises here in the Twin Cities, but from what I understand, the wort is shipped in from a central "wort production" facility.

http://www.gcfb.net/brewery.aspx

[tschmidlin]

Remember there's some "microbreweries" that have a brew house in one location, they then truck the wort to the "microbrew" location, pitch yeast and serve.  If they can truck it across the country in a semi for a couple days you can let it sit a day or so...provided there's been proper cleaning done first. 

Seriously?  Who does this?  I've never heard of that.  I'd love to read about it if you have links . . .

Granite City does.  They ferment on premises here in the Twin Cities, but from what I understand, the wort is shipped in from a central "wort production" facility.

http://www.gcfb.net/brewery.aspx

That seems especially silly, but if it works for them that's cool.  My favorite line from the link:

"During the respiratory phase of this process, these tiny monocellular organisms convert the available oxygen in the hopped wort to carbon dioxide"

[Kit B]

Yep...My neighbor is one of their yeast-pitchers...Er, I mean...brewery managers.
I believe the purpose of doing this is three-fold...
1)  Avoids permits/fees for trucking alcohol from state to state.
2)  Establishes a somewhat standard beer menu.
3)  Eliminates much of the costly equipment & processes that would be involved in running multiple breweries.

[gmac]

Just wondering, if the OP really isn't in any shape to finish the job, why couldn't he/she put the wort back on the burner and bring it back to a boil for a few minutes and then cool again, just like before.  Might lose some hop aroma but since the beers in the fridge, anything that could infect the beer shouldn't have taken off yet (or you're food would go off).  That would kill any small #'s of potential infectious bacteria and bring them back to where they were before the cold hit them.

Hope you're feeling better.  I lost a weekend to the same things a week or so ago.