Sweaty Yeast: High fermentation temp

Kickass · 05-26-2009, 04:48 AM

I’m brewing a double chocolate stout with wyeast 1084 Irish ale yeast. My basement temp is between 67 and 68, the thermometer on my carboy is reading 78 degrees with crazy active fermentation going on.

The thermometer is a peel and stick placed on the outside of the carboy, it was reading accurate before being filled.

I made a started based on Mr. Malty’s calculations 7 days ago, let it ferment out, then placed the starter in the fridge yesterday afternoon, decanted and pitched around 4pm today. By 10pm my air lock was filled with wort and dribbling down the side of my carboy.

Fruity esters are to be expected at high fermentation temps but what should I be expecting out of a 78 degree fermentation with wyeast 1084?

By the way lowering my basement temp beyond 65-67 is not achievable.

MikeinAK · 05-26-2009, 05:30 AM

Put it in a water bath. The larger mass will help cool it down and dissipate the heat better.

Kickass · 05-26-2009, 01:11 PM

I was contemplating that but didn’t have the energy last night. This morning it’s down to 72 degrees.

Any guess as to what flavors 8 to 10 hours of 78 degree fermentation might bring out?

**Revvy** · 05-26-2009, 01:17 PM

If you do a search for temp contol or swamp coolers you will see some off the ingenious ways we've come up with...mine's not too ingenuis, it's just a rubbermade bin that can hold 2 5 gallon buckets, or any other combination...plus t-shirts to work as water wicks.

It can work in several combinations of fermenters.

I figured out with the 3 gallon square sided betterbottles I could get between 6 and 8 of those bad boys in there.

I've gotten down to about 57 in the heat of summer with that setup.

But don't count that beer out, even if it doesn't taste good after 3 weeks in the bottle, read what happened to my last year's "Spring heatwave" beer.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/never-dump-your-beer-patience-virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

Not to mention the followup to it in the thread...http://www.homebrewtalk.com/862209-post48.html

Kickass · 05-26-2009, 05:32 PM

Oh, I hadn’t counted it out. I’m actually not even worried just more curious as to what flavors wyeast 1084 gives at unusually high fermentation temps. I won’t be drinking for at least 5 months so it has time to mellow out.

HippieCrack · 05-26-2009, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kickass

Oh, I hadn’t counted it out. I’m actually not even worried just more curious as to what flavors wyeast 1084 gives at unusually high fermentation temps. I won’t be drinking for at least 5 months so it has time to mellow out.

You're probably going to end up with some banana