Removing an ale from the fermentation chamber

ohad · 09-07-2009, 07:49 PM

Hi,

I ferment in a fridge that can hold only one pail.
I started fermenting a bitter with Wyeast London ESB yeast (used a starter)
I think, by krausen, bubbling and smell that it's fermenting well.
I want to remove it to room temp, to make room for the next batch)
after 7 days of fermentation at 20C / 68F , do you think it could change anything if I move it to room temp (27C / 80F) ?

(I think not, but I'd like to hear opinions and experiences from you guys)

If I do remove it, should I gradually increase the temperature with the controller or just take it out of the fridge?

Pivzavod · 09-07-2009, 08:20 PM

If you had active fermentation for 7 days you can check your gravity and see where you are upto. If you are done than there are some people that say when active fermentation is done to leave beer at room temperature for yeast to clean up for itself. In your case you are going to 80F room temperature while Wyeast recommends 64-72F for your yeast strain. If you are pushing it around 80F ambient temp you might have 83F wort temperature. This is 11 degrees above recommended temperature and might have a major impact on off flavors. 5 degrees out of range for a brief period of time might be ok but 11 for a strain of yeast not known for high temperature tolerance is an accident waiting to happen.

I am fermenting a beer outside on my balcony right now where outside ambient temperature will be from 62-75 for next few days, with peaks and bottoms only happening gradually for an hour or two. I am doing a Witbier strain which is 62-75 recommended range +3 to +4 for the wort.

mc_eric · 09-07-2009, 08:35 PM

I think it depends on how close fermentation is to being finished. If it's only halfway done, you probably don't want to warm it up yet. I would think that after 7 days @ 68F, the yeast is probably done with primary fermentation. The only way to tell for sure though is to take a gravity reading. Make an educated guess as to where this ale should finish up, and if you're only a couple of points off, go ahead and warm it up (no need to gradually ramp up temp, just take it out of the fridge). The yeast shouldn't produce any off flavors after primary fermentation.