Heat Belt

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lookey

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Eltham, Vic
Hi All

First time poster here. I only wish it was under better circumstances. I really just wanted to vent after i made a huge stuff up on my latest brew.

I noticed on the temp on the latest batch was getting a little low so i decided to turn the heat belt on for 30 minutes just to raise it a little.

Well, i forgot about it. About 24 hours later I went to check on my brew. As i touched and felt the warmth of the fermenter the memory came flooding back.

The temp got up to 36degrees :blink:

I took a sample of the beer and it has fermented (gravity 1012) and actually tastes ok. I think the bulk of the fermentation had been done and fermentation was starting to slow. In hindsight, this is most likely the reason the temp was dropping. It was a low gravity pale ale (1046).

Anyway, I think I dump this one as I dont really want to waste time bottling it.

Has anyone else ever made this mistake?
 
Why would you dump it if it tastes ok?
 
Raising the temperature at the end of fermentation won't have done too much harm, if any.

Why dump it? You say it tastes OK, so why not stick with it, as Glen W says.
 
Why would you dump it if it tastes ok?

I am worried that the off flavours will continue to develop further and then get worse in the bottle. I have had brews that fermented a little too high when I first started. For example, in summer I had trouble keeping the temps down and would do an entire fermentation at say 24-26 degrees. They tasted ok at bottling time but by the time I drank the beer the flavours had changed.

Admittedly, this situation is a little different. The majority of the primary phase of fermentation was done at optimal temp (16-18 degrees) but then got smashed at the end with extremely high temps.

I guess I dont want to go through the effort of bottling and then be disappointed by the end result.
 
I am worried that the off flavours will continue to develop further and then get worse in the bottle. I have had brews that fermented a little too high when I first started. For example, in summer I had trouble keeping the temps down and would do an entire fermentation at say 24-26 degrees. They tasted ok at bottling time but by the time I drank the beer the flavours had changed.

Admittedly, this situation is a little different. The majority of the primary phase of fermentation was done at optimal temp (16-18 degrees) but then got smashed at the end with extremely high temps.

I guess I dont want to go through the effort of bottling and then be disappointed by the end result.


High temps at the beginning make alot more difference than high temps at the end. Just call it an extreme D-rest and don't worry yourself (although try not to do it again) :icon_cheers:

You will find alot of off flavours disipate with time aswell, not become more prevalent. If it tastes ok now, chances are it'll taste ok (or better) later.
 
I am worried that the off flavours will continue to develop

What off flavours? You said it tasted ok.

High temps at the beginning make alot more difference than high temps at the end. Just call it an extreme D-rest and don't worry yourself (although try not to do it again) :icon_cheers:

Exactly.

In fact, a lot of brewers, particularly with certain yeast strains, deliberately warm up their beer when fermentation is nearly done. (That's the D rest Glen is alluding to, D being for Diacetyl).

Dont worry about it, put in a bottle and drink the thing.
 
Hi All

First time poster here. I only wish it was under better circumstances. I really just wanted to vent after i made a huge stuff up on my latest brew.

I noticed on the temp on the latest batch was getting a little low so i decided to turn the heat belt on for 30 minutes just to raise it a little.

Well, i forgot about it. About 24 hours later I went to check on my brew. As i touched and felt the warmth of the fermenter the memory came flooding back.

The temp got up to 36degrees :blink:

I took a sample of the beer and it has fermented (gravity 1012) and actually tastes ok. I think the bulk of the fermentation had been done and fermentation was starting to slow. In hindsight, this is most likely the reason the temp was dropping. It was a low gravity pale ale (1046).

Anyway, I think I dump this one as I dont really want to waste time bottling it.

Has anyone else ever made this mistake?


Made a brew that remained much too sweet for my palate. Didn't 'chuck' it, rather gave blending a try. eg. Beer blending may interest you: eg.

"Long Trail Brewing" company section of BYO article
http://www.byo.com/component/resource/arti...s-from-the-pros

"...We also sometimes blend beers to temper some of the extreme characteristics in a beer, like bitterness or alcohol levels..."
 
I guess I dont want to go through the effort of bottling and then be disappointed by the end result.
I think you'll find that, unless you're pretty easily pleased, beers without disappointment are a long way off yet.

Tipping out a beer that tastes fine will anger the beer gods.
 
Beer should be fine, especially if it taste ok, Once it's bottled and conditioned maybe drink it quick to be on the safe side, as it may not store well long. Also sounds like you might be looking at getting into kegging, that way you wont have to worry about bottling.
 
yeah i have decided to ride this one out and see how it goes. Primary fermentation was near complete so hopefully this minimizes the damage.

I will let you all know in about 6 - 8 weeks

Thanks for the advice
 
Beer should be fine, especially if it taste ok, Once it's bottled and conditioned maybe drink it quick to be on the safe side, as it may not store well long. Also sounds like you might be looking at getting into kegging, that way you wont have to worry about bottling.

Don't worry. Drinking my brews quickly has never been an issue.

I have plans in place for kegging. I am in the process of renovating my patio area. It will be inclosed with PVC blinds over the next few weeks and then I will be putting in a wood burner and some radiant heating so I can use it all year round. After that the kegerator will be going in. Cant wait.
 
I am not sure if it's just me but the only lasting effect that raising the temp that high has done is making a flat beer and so even when carbed you can tell that it's not carbed to the level it should be... it's like it's flat and fizzy at the same time. Beer was still ok though =) Only issues to flavour were from it dropping down to 12deg in the fermenter with 05 and having to try and raise it over hours with the electric blanket. Have just set up a dual stc 1000 fridge to counter that though.
 
hi all

Just thought I would give you an update on this. I bottled this brew nearly two weeks ago after 3 weeks in the Primary FV. I dry hopped it for a week before bottling.

At bottling time the beer smelt nice enough and tasted ok but there was a certain harsh aftertaste about it. Still drinkable but to be honest i didn't have high hopes of getting a nice beer from this one.

I decided to give one bottle a try the other night. I realize it was still a bit young but curiosity got the better of me.

Well, it is delicious. The beer has turned out very clear and crisp with a nice hop taste and aroma. I look forward to see how it improves after a few more weeks in the bottle.

Thanks to all who persuaded me not to dump this one.

:beer:
 
There's a cetain logic to the saying:"Act in haste, repent at leisure".

Glad you hung on to it, and that it's turned out OK.
 
Made a brew that remained much too sweet for my palate. Didn't 'chuck' it, rather gave blending a try. eg. Beer blending may interest you: eg.

"Long Trail Brewing" company section of BYO article
http://www.byo.com/component/resource/arti...s-from-the-pros

"...We also sometimes blend beers to temper some of the extreme characteristics in a beer, like bitterness or alcohol levels..."

I have been to the Long Trail Brewery in Vermont, USA and can vouch that whatever they say is the truth, based on how frigin' AMAZING their beers are. Delicious.
They have a beaut brewery and huge moose head on the wall. Real redneck territory. Really good beers.
 

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