Brewing in high temperatures

[Scobieb]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if I should be worried today, Melbourne is predicted to reach 28c and Im 9 days into brewing a pacific ale clone. I used Safale 05 for yeast and I've noticed the airlock has stopped bubbling already.

The fermenter is currently sitting in a wardrobe but our apartment does tend to get quite hot in the late afternoon as the sun hits our windows. I have made sure the blind was closed today so I'm hoping it keeps relatively cool.

Going forward past this batch into the summer, Im thinking I'll freeze a couple of 2 litre plastic milk cartons and wrapping them in a towel around the fermenter to keep it cool, and then rotate every day.

Thoughts on the current brew and my future idea?

 

[markjd]

9 days in and I'd think the fermentation is pretty much close to done. I think the first 3 or 4 days may be the more critical phase for keeping your temperature in correct range for the yeast.

 

[wbosher]

Depends on what the temp was while it was fermenting, that is the important time.

If the temp gets a little high once fermentation has completed, it won't have as much of an effect on the brew...that not to say it will have no effect though, just not as much.

Provided the temp wasn't too high during the first week, it should be ok.

 

[Scobieb]

Temperature was pretty constant in the first week and this brew started bubbling through the airlock with 4 hours of it hitting the fermenter so my thinking is the fermentation is over basically.

Does temperature have any effect once the beer is conditioning in the bottles?

 

[slcmorro]

I've got a fermenting fridge with an STC and heat pad which I use all the time, but when I'm brewing more than one beer at a time, I use a hallway cupboard. I'm in Ballarat, so our temps have been pretty cold. When I want to ferment around 14c, I rotate a frozen 2L juice bottle in and out of the cupboard with another. When I want to ferment 18c ish, I use a heat belt dangling from the top of the cupboard which heats the ambient air slowly and therefore heats the fermenter. Hope that helps.

 

[wbosher]

Too low, wont carb up. Too high, don't really know.

I've had bottles sitting at around 30C in the garage for a couple of weeks, and it still tasted good to me. Probably not ideal though.

 

[Glengine]

Last summer I had bottles of ginger beer sitting in the cupboard in the garage as I ran out of space in the brewing fridge. By the time I got to them they were definitely not as nice as the ones kept at ~12C, but they were still definitely drinkable. I've never let my fermenter get warmer than ferment temp after it had finished though, but if it isn't too much hassle, it would be safer to try and keep it as close to your ferment temp as possible.

Also, someone more experienced may be able to confirm, but can increasing the temperature reactivate yeast after it's finished fermenting at a lower temperature or will yeast eventually chew through all fermentables regardless of temperature?

 

[wbosher]

Also, someone more experienced may be able to confirm, but can increasing the temperature reactivate yeast after it's finished fermenting at a lower temperature or will yeast eventually chew through all fermentables regardless of temperature?

Not sure if this is what you're asking but if you ferment at a lower temperature, but still within the range for that yeast, it will chew through all the fermentables...or at least most of them, Depends on the attenuation of that particular yeast strain. Lower temps will just take longer.

 

[mje1980]

Get some belle saison dry yeast. Try to keep around 22-25 the first few days, then let it get to around, or even a touch over 30 toward the end of fermentation. Simple grist/recipe and some sugaz.

 

[RobboMC]

"Does temperature have any effect once the beer is conditioning in the bottles?"

In the first few days while you are producing carbonation it will have an affect.
When I started I followed the instructions to put the beer somewhere warm, so I put it in my hottest room in the house. "Somewhere warm" is meant for cold and wintery conditions. The instructions should say "Keep the bottles at 18-24 deg C for 2 weeks"

As for the coming heat wave, a 2 kg block or two of ice on top will keep things cool, and a wet towel as well. But for your brewing future this is where most brewers decide to get some sort of old fridge. You could pick up a 240 litre running fridge for around $200 on eBay. I only run mine when brewing to keep the electricity bill down, you really can't brew in 30 deg heat without a running fridge.

 

[wbosher]

"
As for the coming heat wave, a 2 kg block or two of ice on top will keep things cool, and a wet towel as well. But for your brewing future this is where most brewers decide to get some sort of old fridge. You could pick up a 240 litre running fridge for around $200 on eBay. I only run mine when brewing to keep the electricity bill down, you really can't brew in 30 deg heat without a running fridge.

Couldn't agree more about the fridge. I brewed for one summer using the swamp cooler method, worked well but a major PITA. I picked up an old fridge for $30 and an STC, never looked back.

 

[smokenmirraz]

OP lives in an apartment so I assume most full size fridges will be too large. I use a small Dome wine fridge that is very quiet and probably best used as a fermentation temperature controlled device when the weather is not 30C plus.

 

[damoninja]

I'm going to be in a similar dilemma soon enough. I'm in a townhouse which keeps reasonably cool in summer as the West side is 100% shaded.

Those 35+ days are still going to drive the temps through the roof, so I'm considering a cheapy/free fridge to convert into a cooler/heater with one of those thermostat/heater boxes designed for this purpose (can't remember what they're called). A mate of mine reckons he's seem em for $70 and you just run it inline with the 240v that the fridge runs on, the unit sits inside the fridge itself (somehow).

Trick is space... What would be absolutely perfect is if I could get a fridge that is weatherproof and I could stick it outside away from the sun... or maybe I could come up with some kind of plastic enclosure to keep the weather out....
I've already got a weather sealed powerpoint outside

Fiercely brainstorming

 

[djar007]

Free Fridge!! Works well, just needs new shelves.,
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/clifton-hill/fridges-freezers/free-fridge-works-well-just-needs-new-shelves-/1029257016

 

[wbosher]

... or maybe I could come up with some kind of plastic enclosure to keep the weather out....

A few bits of timber and some corrugated iron.

 

[Phoney]

Sydney is set to hit 38C tomorrow & I'm 2 days into a brew. The fermentation freezer in my garage is going to be working like a trojan.

 

[damoninja]

A few bits of timber and some corrugated iron.

Now that the september winds (110km/h last week) are gone I might be right until the dusty november winds kick in!

I was thinking of getting some sheets of galv and bending and enclosing the exposed back side of the fridge, riveting / screwing it in place and putting some sealant around the gaps.

Time to be googling weather proofing a fridge

 

[Dan Pratt]

Serioulsy - get a fridge!

I went about cooling the fermenter in all which ways to get temps right, then I got a bar fridge for nuts and hooked up a STC.

Fermentation temps have been controlled ever since and the upside is you dont have to worry about it, peace of mind.