Talkin' Temperature?

[backyard_ brewer]

Ok, so there appears to be some conjecture on the ideal pitching and fermenting temp??

So far, in the world wide web of information I have read that the ideal temp for pitching yeast and fermentation in an ale kit is somewhere between 15 Deg and 25 deg C and even a few degrees higher is tolerable for ales ?

Obviously there are plenty of variable factors such as yeast type etc. but wanted to throw it to the board to get some consensus.

I am currently brewing a Galaxy Pale Ale Fresh Wort kit and the pitching temp was about 24 deg and fermenting temp averaging about 25-26 deg.....it snuck up to 30 for a few hours.

Am a bit worried I might have stuffed it up! :unsure:

Thoughts??

 

[bum]

Consensus will be "too hot".

And it is.

Make sure the next one is cooler than that and you ignore whoever told you over 25C is fine (unless you're brewing certain saisons).

 

[pressure_tested]

I brew my ales at 18 degrees generally. If you care more then you would look into the recipe and yeast used to work out the right temp.

Fluctuating/high fermentation temperatures will make your beer taste like homebrew.
When you taste it you will say something like "It's not bad" or "pretty good for homebrew"
If you can keep it the right temp with a decent yeast then you will be saying "this isn't homebrew" and you will quaff it all night.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

I had to read your question twice because your post is asking about " ideal pitching and fermenting temp".
What I think you are asking is ideal fermenting temp?
Yes fermenting temp for kit (as you ask) ale yeast will be 15 to 22 degrees (more like 18-22 for me).
Pitching temp, well, I often pitch at 26 degrees and cool the wort after pitching and aerating to 18 degrees. As long as your yeast is near the same temp as the wort, yeast will be fine.
I wouldnt pitch much higher than 26 though, just because the yeast may take off before the wort is at 18 degrees.

This is what I do in summer. I don't recommend doing this all the time but it works for me. Ideally you want to pitch at ferment temp, say 18 degrees.

 

[pressure_tested]

Hey Gav, Sometimes I do that too but I don't know if I'm doing any harm. Is your theory that it will get to the right temp before it becomes active?

 

[backyard_ brewer]

Maybe this batch will fall into the "not too bad" category. Looks like its the wet T-shirt next time (and no... not the competition)

Thanks again fellas, great to have your help. Much appreciated!

 

[backyard_ brewer]

I brew my ales at 18 degrees generally. If you care more then you would look into the recipe and yeast used to work out the right temp.

Fluctuating/high fermentation temperatures will make your beer taste like homebrew.
When you taste it you will say something like "It's not bad" or "pretty good for homebrew"
If you can keep it the right temp with a decent yeast then you will be saying "this isn't homebrew" and you will quaff it all night.

So is there a table/chart or something that can be used to work out the temp ?

 

[squirt in the turns]

So is there a table/chart or something that can be used to work out the temp ?

The manufacturer's instructions. Any yeast for which you cannot easily obtain that information (e.g. bakers yeast ) is probably not worth using. An ideal range is normally stated, within which the higher and lower ends will produce slightly different results. A general rule is higher temperatures will produce more fruity esters while a lower temperature will produce a cleaner flavour profile.

 

[yum beer]

Seems as you appear capable of using the interwebs to find out stuff, search the website of the yeast manufacturer....they have all the info you need.

If using kit yeast, change that practice and buy some good yeast......US-05 is a good ale yeast and works nicely from 18-22, cleaner at the low end.
Lager yeast 8-12. Whole new ball game. I have found that the kit yeast will work at 15c and gives a good result.

Best advice....temp control. Keep reading and learning and your beer will get better and better.

 

[pressure_tested]

When you choose your yeast you can look it up online.
If you used US-05 fermentis, which is what I would have used for Galaxy Pale Ale, you can look at this pdf
http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFA_US05.pdf
It says:
fermentation temperature 12-25°C (53.6-77°F) ideally 15-22°C (59-71.6°F)

That is why I shoot for half way at around 18 degrees. For an IPA maybe you want to ferment a bit warmer to add some low level phenols/fruityness?.

 

[syke]

I think you will find your beer with a distinct fruity flavour, you might really like it and want to replicate this unique flavour you could be creating! :beer:

 

[MrTwalky]

I looked back through my notes from when I first started - most of my pitching temps were 25-36deg. No wonder it tasted bad haha. 18 is a great temp for ales.