JayMckeever

Recipes 

How warm is too warm to ferment? We have HOT summers here, and the house will not go below 80 degrees. Is that too warm to brew?

Torchiest

Recipes 

Definitely! Fermentation higher than 80ºF will give you a lot of off-flavors, most noticeably and unpleasantly fusel alcohols, which have a stronger taste and stronger burn than regular alcohol. 75ºF is really about as high as you want to get for fermentation, and mid 60s is preferred.

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JayMckeever

Recipes 

looks like I am going to have to do a couple more brews then before it warms up. How about for storage. Will the bottles be in danger if it's already been brewed?

abracadabra

Recipes 

I know a chest freezer is more efficient than an upright but it seems to me like an upright would be a whole lot easier to work with.

Torchiest

Recipes 

You generally wanna keep bottles around the same temps, although 75ºF is fine. 80ºF is probably still too hot. Not really certain what the results of storage at that temp would be, but my impression is that it probably wouldn't be good.

Yeah, it does seem like that would terrorize a back pretty badly. It does seem cool and obviously better at trapping the cold air, but really, how often would you be opening it?

__________________
WORLD DOMINATION BEER
Bottled:
#35 Gold Standard Ale
#42 The Answer
Kegged:
#44 Donner & Blitzkrieg 2011
Up Next:
#46 Genocider
#47 Evil Weevil Wheat
#48 Nuclear Summer Stout

boo boo

Recipes 

Storing bottled beer at warm temps reduce the shelf life of the beer, even homebrew.

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alemonkey

Recipes 

I second the foam fermentation cooler. Mine is much uglier than what was posted, but it easily drops the temp 20 degrees below ambient temperature. It would probably go lower, but I've never tried.

JayMckeever

Recipes 

well, it looks like I am going to have to invest in a 2nd fridge at least. thanks for the info guys, you are always helpful!

DaytonaBigMac

Recipes 

Brooklyn Brew Shop's book talks about beers they brew above 80 degrees. Looks like the yeast you use is the kicker. Some like the higher temps (or, at least, don't mind them). They had success above 90 degrees, in fact. Not sure that 75 degrees is an absolute ceiling (to use an aviation term - sorry, I'm a pilot) for brewing temps. I'm guessing that the advice here is sound but, with the right brew recipe in the Florida summer (I live in Palm Coast), you can get by with a house near 80 degrees.

Plus, above 80 degrees, the house is just uncomfortable. Your legs stick to your sofa. Ugh...

jagec

Recipes 

Hope you like farmhouse ales.