fermentation temp

[brewwitch]

Now it is my understanding that for most ales the ideal fermentation temp is about 68F. (Saisons are higher, I think)

Well how do you guys keep your brew at the right Temp? I mean do you use refrigerators, have cellars, use some sort of thermostat thing...

I ask because live in a condo. So, no extra fridge, and no cellar. During the summer I generally do not use AC though I have used it this summer because I started an interest in brewing. Nonetheless, the temp is not that cold. I have tried to keep it around 75 or so.

so.. what do all you brew gods do?

[beerking]

Well, truth be told, 68 is too warm for most ales. Good temp for many Belgians and for Bavarian Heffeweizen, but too warm for most else.
For a British style ale, or an American ale, you are really looking for ~56F, maybe as high as 60.

I find anything above 55 very hard to maintain. My chest freezer has a hard time getting that high (I have a temp controller on it). I can do some Belgians in the summer, as my basement is 68-70, and in the winter it works well for most ales.
I can set my chest freezer (aka fermenter) to any lager temp I want.

[belsonc]

I'm in a 1 bedroom apartment - and no matter how much I'd love to keep my A/C running all the time, financially, it's just not an option. I keep my fermenter under my stairs, in the "basement", where the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else in the building. I'd say if you're going to stay with this for any amount of time, or if you can scrounge up an extra 10-15 dollars, buy yourself a thermometer that will record high/low temperatures for the day. You'll get a better grasp of how the temperature fluctuates over the course of the day, along with finding a good location to leave the fermenter.


Since I'm hooked, though, my next project is Red-Headed Stepchild of Fermentation Chiller. Basically, it's going to be a "chill box" that will hold a constant temperature - if I had the room to buy myself an extra fridge, that would be easier, but it's not an option right now. From everything I've heard, though, the "right" temperature makes all the difference in the world.


From one apartment dweller to another, I'd say do the best you can right now. Get a thermometer, find a good place for the fermenter, and go from there. :)

[hooky]

I use a rubbermaid container filled about half with water. I put my bucket in there and regulate the temp of the water with 2L and 1L bottles of water that I've frozen. If I'm careful, I can keep it around 64 +/- a degree or two.

[beerking]

I use a rubbermaid container filled about half with water. I put my bucket in there and regulate the temp of the water with 2L and 1L bottles of water that I've frozen. If I'm careful, I can keep it around 64 +/- a degree or two.

Add some ice to the water, and put a t-shirt over the carboy. Let the bottom of the shirt sit in the water. The shirt will wick water up around the carboy, and the evaporation will cool the carboy even more.
Even better if you can have a fan blowing over the shirt.

[brewwitch]

I just saw a You tube video in which this guy made a frdige of sorts.

He used a styrofoam box big enough to fit two carboys. In that he made a platform of oak Under the platform you can place two 2L soda bottles filled with frozen h20. He also added a small fan and a thermostat.

and viola a refridgerator. I'm going to give it a go! I mean how bloody hard could it be?

[belsonc]

Not hard at all - and even easier if you google "Son of Fermentation Chiller" ;)


Question, though - would you mind posting the link to the youtube video?

[branlovesbeer]

I just did some extensive research on google about the Son of Fermentation Chiller. That thing is awesome! I think I am going to try and build one.

[brewwitch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXGUrmvedIo&feature=related

Inexpensive fermentation chiller or something like that...

[belsonc]

Thanks Brewwitch - and in case anyone's interested, it looks like that guy did his own take on the 38DD Mother of Fermentation Chiller...



I kid you not. Look it up - that's the real name. :)

[TeufelBrew]

Thanks Brewwitch - and in case anyone's interested, it looks like that guy did his own take on the 38DD Mother of Fermentation Chiller...

I kid you not. Look it up - that's the real name. :)

I am finishing my own amalgam of Son and Mother of Fermentation chiller. No more room left in garage after cars, motorcycle and bicycles, so I chose to do the chiller. Here are the sites for both and you can choose what works best for you.
Son - http://home.elp.rr.com/brewbeer/chiller/chiller.PDF

Mother - http://suburb.semo.net/jet1024/FermChill.htm

SWMBO seems dismayed I would choose to spend my weekends making a, and I quote, "box". She sure likes the results after brew day, so I'll let time convince her this is wothwhile.

[Mill Rat]

Fermentation temperature control will make the difference between a good beer and a great beer, but as long as you're not getting your ale yeast over 80 F, you're not going to make mediocre beer. Beer has been made for thousands of years without fermentation control any better that "don't brew in summer" for all but the last hundred or so. That said, the fermenter in a bucket of water with a t-shirt works pretty well. RDWAHAHB.

[dparsons]

Well, truth be told, 68 is too warm for most ales. Good temp for many Belgians and for Bavarian Heffeweizen, but too warm for most else. For a British style ale, or an American ale, you are really looking for ~56F, maybe as high as 60.

That is basically lagering temp. All the comments on Ale yeasts indicate mid to upper 60s. Is Wyeast lying to us?

[Carl Spakler]

That is basically lagering temp. All the comments on Ale yeasts indicate mid to upper 60s. Is Wyeast lying to us?

I brewed my scotch ale at ~55* (based on a suggestion from here I think) last fall, it came out fantastic! Took longer, but it was worth it.

[beerking]

That is basically lagering temp. All the comments on Ale yeasts indicate mid to upper 60s. Is Wyeast lying to us?

I try and stick to the bottom of the recommended temp for ale yeasts, unless I am going for a Belgian.

[markaberrant]

The yeast manufacturers "info" is intended for folks that aren't bothering to pitch the right amount of yeast (ie; just tossing in a smack pack). The temps they recommend will help get this inadequate amount of yeast going quickly to prevent infection, but do not leave you with the best results.

If you want to get the real scoop on proper fermentation temps for each strain, do your own tests, or better yet, ask other experienced brewers what has worked for them.

I personally think Beerking is aiming a little too low by suggesting most english and american strains be fermented at 55F. It's not a bad temp, but fermentation will be slow, and results will be very lager-like (super clean). I like to pitch my british/american yeasts around 60F, then let temp rise to 62-65F for fermentation, and when fermentation begins to subside, I move them up to 68-72F to ensure full attenuation. Now that I think about it, this is pretty much the same schedule I use for Belgian yeasts (unless I'm using certain Saison strains). 55F is a great temp for Scottish, Alt and Kolsch yeasts (aka "hybrid yeasts"). 45F is about right for most lager strains. Just remember that the cooler you ferment, the more healthy yeast you need to pitch.

In my opinion, pitching the right amount of HEALTHY yeast and fermenting each yeast strain at the proper temp are the most important factors in repeatedly brewing good beer (aside from sanitation of course).

[Mill Rat]

It would be difficult for a homewbrewer to truly overpitch yeast, unless they're on at least the third batch pitched onto a yeast cake that hasn't been "pruned."

[Mad Scientist]

...pruned?

[TeufelBrew]

...pruned?

I can see posibilities of what's going on in your mind Mad.:eek: Skip on over to Nevermind and run with it!!!!:p

[Mad Scientist]

Actually, my mind was not in the gutter, but now it is.....

[Mill Rat]

OK, by pruned I meant "removal of excess growth," so pruning a yeast cake would be removing a portion of the yeast cake by some sanitized scoop or by dumping some out through the sanitized neck of the fermenter. Once you've brewed the second batch, you want to prune the yeast cake so you have some yeast respiration (growth) before going into fermentation. The other concern is that as the yeast cake accumulates, you have less room in your fermenter for the wort/beer!

[Mad Scientist]

OK, I figured....