Ideal Temp For Fermenting

[gumby0000]

What is the ideal temp for fermenting??

My third brew is underway now, at the 24 hr mark now its still at 28deg...

My last brew (havnt tried it yet) was fermenting at about 24-26, this one is at 28 and the air lock is going nuts, unlike last time...

So...temp too high??

 

[Canumbler]

18-22 for ale yeasts much cooler for lagers.

So yes MUCH too hot currently.

 

[gumby0000]

Just so i know....

What will happen if it stays at this temp? or should i say why is high temp bad?

 

[gerald]

try to bring it down. there are a fair few ways to do so,

if you can, get a wet t-shirt, throw some ice cubes into it, wrap it around the fermenter and get a fan on it. continue to put ice cubes in it as frequently as possible!! there are other ways. do what you can to bring it down.


my first few beers i messed it up by pitching the yeast when the wort was too hot.

i throw a few ice cubes into some water and let them melt and put that into the fermenter now prior to pitching the yeast. my fermenter sits in my cellar which is around 21*C which is pretty good for ales so aslong as my wort is around 25*C when i pitch the yeast it comes down to 21 quite quickly.

try to cool your fermenter as quickly as possible and perhaps find a cooler place to store it from now on.

cya
gerald

 

[skb]

My last two brews I have had problems with below 20, with the yeast going to an almost stop. I have now set the ferment fridge to 20/21. (yeast Ale)

 

[frogman]

I have two fermenting fridges with four beers at different stages at any time and run them both at 19 degrees.
Producing ales and ciders. Two week fermentation minium.

May take a little longer but I and most who have tried my beers are very happy with the results.
Seems to remove the kit twang?

FROGMAN.

 

[0M39A]

Just so i know....

What will happen if it stays at this temp? or should i say why is high temp bad?

The yeast will produce fusel alcohols, which are responsible for giving you a terrible hangover, and taste bad/hot.

It will also produce loads of fruity tasting esters, which are also unpleasant.

 

[vicelore]

I did my 1st brew maybey 3 months ago and i pitched at around 30-32.

I thuaght i had recked the brew. but as it was my 1st and i wanted to taste it i went ahead and bottled.

everything went as to plan after that but took a few days to get it down to around the low 20s.

the end result is not to bad iv nearly finished off all the beer now and have my 2nd brew in the coubard atm.

i was in the same boat as you and after some looking around iv found that probaly the best way to get the inital temp down is ice/cold water after the boil.

im also looking into a immersion cooler atm.

Good luck Cheers

 

[neilb]

I brewed my first batch at 24-25C because I thought that was perfect (per the Coopers instructions). It really isn't. Beer definately had a fruity taste to it and did give some headaches.

This time I kept it at 18-20. But, as you might see in my thread, fermentation is fading out after just 3 days! Can't win.

 

[pint of lager]

Yeast is the soul of your beer.

The way to look after your yeast is to ferment at the correct temperature. This includes having the wort at the correct starting temperature.

If you are using kits from the supermarket, the kit will have an ale yeast (even if the tin is marked lager.)

Ferment ales at 18-22. Preferably at 18.

If you buy your gear at a homebrew shop and you buy a lager or pilsner, ask the seller is it a true lager yeast. If it is a true lager yeast, brew at around 10-12 degrees.

If you decide to use a different yeast, then follow the maker's suggested temperature range. Many specialty yeasts need good control to get the wanted flavour profile.

When pitching your yeast, make sure the wort is at the correct temperature. If you pitch at 30, the yeast will take off like a rocket, finish in two days, which is just when you will have managed to drag the fermenter temp back to 20.

Sanitise up some clean plastic containers, takeaway containers work well, fill them with clean water and freeze them with lids on. These iceblocks make it easy to get your wort down to the correct temperature. Defost the iceblock out of the container and drop it in the wort.

Kit twang usually comes from using stale ingredients. But many other factors can also give bad flavours. Infections, hot ferment temperatures and stale ingredients are the main culprits giving poor results.

Don't rush your brew, keep it clean and cool, leave it in primary for 12 days before thinking of bottling, check using a hydrometer that it is stable over a few days, buy your gear from a good homebrew shop, join a club and keep reading AHB.

 

[Fents]

^^^^ possibly best advice ever.