Bottling Temps

[mrtona]

Hi

It's nearly time for me to bottle my Amber Ale brew.
I've had the brew on a heat mat and it's been going well, sitting at 25C.
To bottle, do I turn off the heat mat and let the tub cool to room temp or keep it going till I bottle?

Is then Ok to store the bottles in a cupboard that will be around the 12C temp or do I need to keep the temp up?

Thanks

 

[barls]

25 is a bit too high for fermentation. you will have a lot of fusel alcohols formed if you fermented the whole time at that temp.
aim for around 18-20 for fermentation. they will carb up at 12 it will just take a touch longer.

 

[manticle]

Turn it off and never let it get to 25 again (unless making a saison).

Somewhat yeast dependent but aim for a stable number between 17 -22 for most ales (20 or under if you can).

Fermentation generates its own heat too so when active, 25 may have really been 27 or 28.

For bottling, they are best kept at 18 for a couple of weeks if you can but they will still carb if cooler - they'll just take longer. Once carbed, keep cool/cold for long term storage.

 

[Gigantorus]

mrtona,

Yeah try and keep ales fermenting at between 18C to 22C (18C to 20C is the best). If you have access to a fridge that you can control the temperature on even better - then you can ferment at 18C for first 5 days, then 21C for next 3 day (to let the yeast finish its work), then drop it to around 1C or 2C for the remaining 5days or so to cold crash (this will see all the particles drop out of suspension as well are firm the trub cake - i.e. the sediment at the bottom) which will leave you with a really clean ale for bottling.

Then leave your bottles in a dark place above 18C for 1 to 2 weeks to condition and to let the carbonation get going.

For lagers it's ferment at around 12C to 15C 12 days, then bring up to 19C for 5 days, then drop to 1C or 2C for cold crash for 5 days. Lager yeast takes longer to do its job. Then condition the bottles above 18C for 4 weeks.

These times/temps are what I generally work to.

Cheer,s

Pete

 

[mrtona]

Thanks for the advice.
Living in Canberra I'm having trouble with my temps.
It's way too cold in the garage and the house with no one home during the day drops to about 9C.
That's why I tried the heat pad this time but as I mentioned it sits on 25C.

 

[Gigantorus]

The temperature controllers are great to help with temp adjustment. I got one of these and it is excellent. You can use heat mats with them as well. Otherwise maybe try and use a plug-in power timer and have it turn the mat off every 2 hours and on for 2 hours etc?

Cheers,

Pete

 

[mtb]

I'm in Canberra too mrtona and you can't go wrong with a temp controller. Search stc-1000 on ebay

 

[AJS2154]

Hi mrtona,

Welcome to the ongoing complexities of beer brewing. For me at least, the best fun of brewing is having an issue to solve and then working through the process to make a solution.

As the guys have said, temperature control is one the most important aspects of brewing, following closely behind cleanliness and yeast health. If you look at the unit Gigantorus is recommending, you can set one up with you heat mat for $20 odd, and you are in business.

I do have a fridge ($10 on Ebay ) that I set up which doubles as a fermenting chamber. For the princely sum of say $40 you have a fermentation chamber that can heat and cool all year round. If you don't have space for a fridge or would rather avoid the expense, get a big old cardboard box over the top of your fermenter and then put a sleeping bag over the lot to keep it warm. There is always a solution.

Irrespective, I would like to suggest you work with the seasons. In winter I make pilsners and other lagers that require cooler temperature fermentation (8-12 degrees) and in spring and autumn I make ales. Let mother nature be your friend and brew with the temperatures she supplies!

Good luck, enjoy the ride and stay patient. Anthony

 

[mrtona]

I've had a taste of the brew, (it's still in the tub) and it doesn't taste too great.
It's now 10 days after I started the brew and the last 4 days I've had it off the heat pad and it's cooled to around 12C.
The hydrometer readings are the same after 2 samples in 24 hours.
Would it be still worth bottling after the high temps or am I wasting my time?
Thanks

 

[peteru]

Bottle it.

 

[Yob]

I've had a taste of the brew, (it's still in the tub) and it doesn't taste too great.
It's now 10 days after I started the brew and the last 4 days I've had it off the heat pad and it's cooled to around 12C.
The hydrometer readings are the same after 2 samples in 24 hours.
Would it be still worth bottling after the high temps or am I wasting my time?
Thanks

bottle it... my first brew got to 35'c and I still bottled it..

*ed: all food was discarded from fridge very quickly and brought under control... much food was wasted...

wasnt my greatest start but it's a part of the journey for some of us..

 

[mrtona]

Thanks

 

[Jens-Kristian]

Once it's been carbonating in the bottles for a bit, you'll likely find that it's really not too bad.

While 25 is absolutely too high for the beer you're doing, that doesn't mean it can't be drinkable; just accept that in this case it won't be what you expected it would be.

A few years ago I was fermenting a beer in our lounge room. Brewing Thursday night, pitching yeast Friday afternoon. We were going away for the weekend and I placed it near the heater because we have vinyl on the floor there and the heater wasn't going to be on anyway. Just before we left, my wife 'switched the heater off' - or at least thought she did. We got back Sunday evening and it was warm . I don't actually know exactly what temperature it was at, but I reckon well above 25 degrees. It wasn't the beer it was supposed to be, but to be honest, once carbonated and chilled, it was surprisingly good considering the mistreatment.

Bottle your beer, leave it to carbonate, chill and have a drink. If it's your first beer, it's probably still better than my first beer which my wife made a label for, and named 'Beginner's Muck'. The label featured a bemused cat looking at a vaguely brown substance spilled on the floor. :lol:



Edit: Poor writing.