The best choice of two evils?

[menoetes]

Hey Brewheads,

Desperate times call for desperate measures. SWMBO needs my brewfridge empty by this weekend in preperation for xmas; it's going to be a regular fridge for the duration of the silly season.

So now I have a decision to make; the two fermenters in there should finished fermenting by then but I'm not going to get much of a chance to cold-crash them as I usual would before then. So here's my choice...

Do I just bottle them on saturday without the customary week of settling/mellowing then cold-crashing

or

Do I sit the fermenters out of the fridge at ambient temp (currently around 28 - 35'c at my place here in brisbane) for a week or so to settle/mellow before bottling?

I'm concerned that the higher temps outside the fridge might have the yeast giving of bad flavours even though it's finished but I don't know for certain. I'd appreciate any advice.

Cheers,
Meno

 

[Yob]

Wooo, second fridge for Xmas,

If finished, bottle, take the hit on getting a bit more sediment, I'd not leave em out at those temps

 

[contrarian]

Time to hit free cycle for another fridge!

Once most of the fermentation has finished a couple of days at ambient shouldn't ruin a beer if you're worried about it not being finished. If it's finished just bottle it.

 

[Florian]

You could ry to find a cooler spot inside the house, like under the stairs or the laundry or where ever the fermenter is not in the way.

 

[Camo6]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up a minute. Who told her your precision temperature controlled fermentation chamber could be used to keep food cool?!

 

[buckerooni]

some kind of ghetto evap cooling setup with some wet materials and a fan?

 

[Cervantes]

Can't you buy SWMBO a fridge for Xmas?

 

[Yob]

Can't you acquire a new more understanding swmbo for Xmas?

 

[manticle]

If they are finished and conditioned, bottle, carbonate then chill all the bottles upright.

 

[Blind Dog]

Just agree to empty your brew fridge as soon as she empties her wardrobe.

Slightly more helpfully, don't bottle unless it's finished fermenting or you'll risk getting bottle bombs, a very grumpy SWMBO and a sad Menoetes. If you must bottle early, at least try to take the remaining gravity points still left into account when calculating the sugar to add to reduce the risk.

 

[JFergz]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up a minute. Who told her your precision temperature controlled fermentation chamber could be used to keep food cool?!

Hahaha gold! But sometimes we don't have a choice... Lol

 

[menoetes]

All good advice... well most of it anyway

I'll just bottle as late as possible I think. I couldn't be bothered setting up a ghetto cooling method right now and don't have the time to anyway.

Cheers gents

 

[Grott]

If you need a couple of days for fermentation to finish but need to have them out of the fridge, place fermenter in a garbage bag and tie the top, place this in a second bag and but in half a bag of ice and tie the top. This is quick, simple and will get you out of trouble.
Cheers

 

[TheWiggman]

If fermentation is mostly finished wouldn't it be better to have the brew sitting at ~30°C for a few days than bottle early? I'd be concerned about diacetyl and all info I've read suggests that higher temps late in the ferment will have little/no impact on flavour.