Fermentation Temp

I have my two batches in the closet, and the temp in there is about 76f. One is an IPA (full Munton's LME kit) in the secondary for 14 days, the other a hefe (Munton's LME and DME) which I plan to leave in the primary for 10 days.

What's the optimal temp for these beers while fermenting? I'm certainly not opposed to getting a second fridge for the garage to more accurately control the temperature...

What kind of yeast did you pitch ? Most yeasts prefer temps from the mid-60's to mid-70's, but if you still have the packages, you should find some info on there.

Temp control is the single biggest thing you can do to make great beer. While the yeast can be used to 72+/-, most yeast will produce cleaner flavors at 60-63 and some ales can be done in the mid-upper 50's for a Lager like crispness. I have 2 chest freezers and a fridge that I use for fermentation, and my beers are better for it.

edit

There are many ways to control temps besides another fridge. A water bath, coolers with ice, etc. A search for fermentation temp control should give you many options.

Depending on the yeast that you used for the IPA it will probably be fine, although 76 is starting to push it a bit. At 76, with a Hefe it most likely is going to be very banana-like, more so than what you may be looing for. A lot of wheat yeasts will produce high levels of esters with higher temps.

As has been said already, do yourself a favor and get some temp. control.

If I were to get a small fridge for fermenting, what modifications would I need to do for optimal temp control?

Something like this
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/sha...2=660499215&ProductID=640&Target=products.asp

Thanks for the info, that looks great. I'll have to hit craigslist and find a fridge now.

I moved the batches to the bedroom closet, there's a vent in that closet, so it should stay cooler than the closet in my office, it faces west, so naturally it was warmer in there...