Fermenting to hot?

Travis31 · 07-22-2010, 01:25 AM

What will it do to the brew if it ferments to hot?
Brown ale with a 1.050 OG but the temp was varying from 68-78 F
It did ferment hard for about 4 days
But with such fluctuation I wonder if i ruined my batch.
I did used milk jugs of ice etc but nothing i had would take the temp down.
I need to get an AC unit in my brew room, is my goal.
I put it in a secondary today and will give it a few more weeks.
Would adding more yeast help if the yeast i had burnt out fast?
I am thinking i will get some off flavors, not sure if adding yeast will help and well, i guess i will find out after a few more weeks.

Suthrncomfrt1884 · 07-22-2010, 02:21 AM

Don't add more yeast.

Have you checked your gravity? That's the easiest way to know if your beer is done. If the reading is the same 3 days in a row, your beer is done.

Chances are, it'd done. Fermenting at high temps makes the yeast go crazy and they do their jobs quickly. The problem is, they leave behind a lot of esters in the process. At 78F, I can imagine you'll have a little bit of off flavor, but nothing enough to ruin a beer. If you'd like, you can send the beer to me and I'll drink it for you.

As long as you boil malt extract (or mash), add hops, and add yeast....you'll eventually end up with beer. It's a very hard thing to screw up.

Six_O_Turbo · 07-22-2010, 03:46 AM

I would expect you to have some hot alcohol flavors, but maybe not too bad depending on when your higher temps were. The first three or four days of fermentation are the most important for keeping a reasonable fermentation temperature.

It doesn't appear you went too extreme on the temp, so it may not be too bad, and it will mellow with time. I agree with Suthrncomfrt1884, you didn't ruin it.

**marubozo** · 07-22-2010, 03:57 AM

Yeah, adding more yeast won't do anything for you at this point. The yeast will continue to consume all the sugars they can and that's it, so adding more after that is done is a waste and just adding more junk to your beer.

Like the others have said, if it did ferment in the 70s you'll likely have some fruity esters for sure, but if you give your beer enough time to condition properly you'll likely reduce most of those to where they will likely be noticeable, but won't ruin the beer by any stretch.

Bizoune · 07-22-2010, 12:05 PM

Your beer will be fine. You might get some fruiter esters then you had hoped for, but if your sanitation practices were in check, it will be very drinkable.

DaveMcPhee · 07-22-2010, 03:53 PM

I fermented a koelsch for 2 weeks at about 78-80F a while back. It wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't ruined. In the end it wasn't koelsch, either

**CrookedTail** · 07-22-2010, 04:10 PM

I've been brewing all summer, with my co-op being in the mid 70s to low 80s. I've been keeping my fermenters in one of those little plastic tubs filled with water, with a wet t-shirt over the fermenter. I just tapped my APA keg last weekend, and it's tasting great.

If you're that concerned over the warm temps, brew a saison. They ferment nicely in 70-80 degree heat.

**BeerJorge** · 07-22-2010, 04:17 PM

Some fruity esters and buttery flavors are actually not bad in a brown ale... if it was fluctuating like you said, you may have even hit a sweet spot... if anything let it condition and I'm sure the beer will turn out great!

sfrice80 · 07-22-2010, 04:19 PM

I had a similar issue before with 2 of my beers. Personally, my IPA turned out with a nasty bite at the end which I can almost certainly attribute to fusel alcohol production in the hot fermentation temps. It had a sort of solvent like aftertaste.

Malintent · 07-22-2010, 05:11 PM

I find a sulphor flavor comes though if I ferment too hot.