Damn Weather!

[kapone]

So last weekend I threw down a quick Coopers Pale Ale so I'll have something on tap for my son's birthday at the end of the month (I'll be kegging). Originally I was going to culture some yeast from a few bottles, but I didn't measure out the amount of dex (not realising the impact it would have), so it didn't work out.

Anyway, I went and did my brew the other day, and pitched in the Coopers kit yeast at 21 degrees, then banged it outside in a wet towel. Over the course of the day I was happy that my temps were under control.

However, stupid me didn't keep an eye on the weather forecast, and after getting home from a 30 degree day, I found my brew bubbling away furiously having hit 27 degrees. I instantly threw it in the beer fridge and within a few hours had the temp back down to 18 degrees. Since then I've maintained the temperature between 18 and 20 degrees, by 1) keeping an eye on the weather forecasts and 2) setting up a timer switch to the fridge and adjusting as necessary.

This episode has me convinced that I need to get a Fridgemate ASAP, something I've had on the cards for a while.

But can someone tell me what I can expect of this beer? Is one day of high temps enough to turn the whole thing fruitier than Molly Meldrum at Mardi Gras? Or will it only have a subtle impact?

I never had high expectations for this beer (given I didn't add anything or use a decent yeast), but I'm hoping for something that the VB and Carlton Draught drinkers would happily knock back without telling me how crap homebrew is (I have some good previous brews bottled, but to be honest, I don't want to waste it on them).

 

[Milky11111]

Firstly I'm not very experienced so don't quote me on anything it's my 2c; I don't think one day of high temps will be catastrophic, especially if you just used a kit yeast (you said you didn't use a decent yeast so I'm just assuming you used a kit one), most kits use an ale yeast that brews around 25*C fine anyway. Worst thing that could happen is some clarity and head retention problems, hopefully the taste won't be overly affected.

 

[bignath]

I disagree somewhat that the only thing affected will be head retention and clarity. Not sure how clarity is affected.....

Anyway, regarding your question, it depends on lots of things, one of them being when in the fermentation process the hot day was. Off flavours from yeasts are created in the first few active days of fermentation, so to me it sounds like you could be in trouble.

The coopers kit yeasts to me, often come out on the fruity side, so i reckon this will make it worse.
They are a small pack of yeast (7g) whereas the "quality" dried yeasts for a comparison come in 11.5g, so straight away most of the time using a kit yeast you're underpitching by a fair way. Yes they will ferment a batch of beer, but i reckon that the underpitching stresses the yeast somewhat and this probably causes a few off flavours anyway...

The other thing i find a little concerning is the thought that an ale yeast will ferment at 25 deg "fine". I don't know of any yeast (specialty styles exempt) that will ferment fine at 25 degress. Yes, an ale yeast will be better suited to warmer ferments than lager yeasts but 25 degrees is way higher than most would like.

Typically, ferment most ale yeasts at around 18 degrees, and most lagers around 12. There will be variations of opinion to this, but it is generally regarded as fairly accurate info for you....

Best of luck mate, hope it comes out ok.

bignath

 

[REDSTRIPEMAGIC]

i thought that there will be no problem at all. it takes 4 days ofr it to ferment on clost to 30C and 6 days if it is on 21C

 

[bignath]

i thought that there will be no problem at all. it takes 4 days ofr it to ferment on clost to 30C and 6 days if it is on 21C

**** me, this is exactly why new brewers (not necessarily OP) get off to such a bad start with shit advice like this....

it will most likely take 4 days to ferment at 30 degrees, but try drinking the resulting shit beer that this will produce.

i don't know where to start to pick apart this terrible advice.....Normally i'm very mild mannered, and try to be helpful, but i can't believe someone would post this to "help" someone else....

EDIT: at 30 degrees, you might aswell be using bloody bakers yeast to brew with...

 

[homebrewkid]

dont stress about it before i knew better i used to brew kits at 27 degrees in a thermostatically controlled cupboard for a week then bottle it.
it was never that bad, every drinker i know loved it, although not sure the effect kegging it will have...........?
maybe drop some out the tap now and try it
maybe its just me but ive never had dramas with the coopers kit yeast like some people on here seem to have

cheers

 

[Bubba]

Hey, don't stress. The first few days are the most critical in terms of temp effect, and one day won't kill your brew. You might get a few more Esters and a bit of fruit, but some people actually like it as long as your brew is under good temp control for the majority of it's time. 27 for 1 day won't kill it, but it will have some effect and you may find it to your liking. Keep it under good temps, keep it slow and you may be surprised...Coopers yeats are pretty robust and have a high temp range. 18 is ideal though.

 

[J Grimmer]

Hi Kapone,
i would put it down to learning about temp control, don't sweat it too much some fruityness can be nice in beers, i think that the key is consistantcy in brew temp, give the beer a taste once you have finished a ferment and you can also dry hop your beer for a week or so to add a little more depth of flavour. i used to brew in my garage and the temp would increase during the day until night fall and i would hit a temp range of 18-28 over a day, the beer was never the best but certainly better than some of the beers we can buy, i now have the ability to brew consitantly at about 22 and the beers are far better for the consistancy.

good luck
Jan

 

[Nick JD]

Fermenting temperature is directly related to yeast strain.

For some yeasts, 30C is perfect.

For some others, 10C.

I think this is a case where the Coopers kit yeast might have saved your beer. Those kit yeasts are designed to cope with a pretty big temperature range and still produce something drinkable. I used a pack in a little AG beer once and it was fantastic - it's the can of goop (with fake hops) and the heap of sugar that detract the most with K&K's flavour.

People always bag out the kit yeasts - I'd be looking at the other two ingredients.

If you had have used the CPA bottle yeast at 27C, you'd be almost making a Hefeweizen. My ambient starters for the CPA yeast done in summer taste like banana juice - but the yeast is super viable and big.

Search through the liquid yeast range of some of the site sponsors. You'll find there are a few yeasts that can make supurb beer in nutso hot weather. Either control your temperature, or select the correct yeast.

 

[eddy401]

i had a worse version of this - was stinking hot up here earlier in the year and of course the aircon broke - so ended up brewing my beer at around 28 or 30 degrees for the whole fermentation....its super fruity and almost like a wheat beer (it was a coopers lager can), not good at all but still alcoholic so im slowly getting through it!

 

[REDSTRIPEMAGIC]

**** me, this is exactly why new brewers (not necessarily OP) get off to such a bad start with shit advice like this....

it will most likely take 4 days to ferment at 30 degrees, but try drinking the resulting shit beer that this will produce.

i don't know where to start to pick apart this terrible advice.....Normally i'm very mild mannered, and try to be helpful, but i can't believe someone would post this to "help" someone else....

EDIT: at 30 degrees, you might aswell be using bloody bakers yeast to brew with...

mate your getting upset for nothing. I did a stout about a month and a half ago and it was 27C to 30C because it was very warm weather and the stout turned out great so my answer to the op is dont worry about nothing continue what you are doing it will turn out good. but my answer is right at 21C a coopers will take about6 days to ferment and at 30C it will take four. Coopers gives this in their little recipe they give with the can.

 

[bignath]

but my answer is right at 21C a coopers will take about6 days to ferment and at 30C it will take four. Coopers gives this in their little recipe they give with the can.

Yeah i know mate, i'm not disputing the times that a fermentation would finish with those temps, i just thought it wasn't necessarily good advice to advertise that fact as someone who has zero experience may decide that they will brew at a very high temp to cut a few days of off the ferment time without realising it will produce some flavours they won't want in the beer.

And as far as ANY instructions that coopers give for homebrewing, i would be very suspicious. We all know the stories of them recommending to ferment at around 24 degrees, and we also all know that this is hotter than ideal for most ferments.
Being originally from Adelaide, i am a huge fan of Coopers beers, but i'm not a fan of their homebrewing instructions or recipes.

Point taken about getting up on my high horse, and i will consequently start climbing down from it. I just didn't want to see a complete novice brewer think that they will brew all of their beers at too high temps and then wonder why it doesn't taste so good.

Cheers,

Nath :icon_cheers:

 

[Nick JD]

I don't mind the esters that 30C fermentation produces ... but the fusel alcohols (butanol, pentanol - all the "bigger than eth" anols) really **** your liver up. Not in a bad way, just in a, "Where's the nurofen?" way.

Ferment warm, but while you are at the supermarket buying kits of goop - also get painkillers.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

+1

Two batches fermented too high - tastes like someone has put some cheap and nasty scotch into my beer.

I'm pretty close to pouring them both out.

Goomba