Title says it all - just finished brewing and realized I don't know the ideal fermentation temp. I've read through the instructions but the only temperature references I see are for how much to cool the wort (to 80 degrees before adding cool water on a partial boil), and references to the liquid yeast temp (I used nottingham dry yeast). I have a freezer with temp controller and it's set at 67 right now. This seems to line up with a couple general cream ale searches I did, but I spent money on a freezer and controller to make sure I got temps correct, now I feel like I'm guessing. I can call AHS in the morning, but if any of you have done this recipe before or just know what the temp should be, I'd appreciate your insight.
Just brewed AHS Cream Ale - not sure what fermentation temp should be
- Thread starter walrusbt
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Nickv3444
Member
67 is a good temp, you should be able to just let it sit in the primary for a couple weeks and you should be ok. Anywhere from 60 to 72 is ideal temperature
jkatz419
Well-Known Member
Notty can be used for lager type ales, which Cream Ale is, but you need a lower temp. The ideal range for any cream ale I'd say is 65 or less. You want to limit the fruity esters as much as possible and get a very high attenuation. Did the kit come with Notty? Personally I've made very good cream ales with SafAle US-05 fermented @ 63 for 2 weeks, then cold crashed @ 50 for 1 week. If you ferment over 65 your beer won't be bad, but it won't be as "clean" as a true cream ale should be. But don't worry, at 67 you're beer will still taste great 
Notty can be used for lager type ales, which Cream Ale is, but you need a lower temp. The ideal range for any cream ale I'd say is 65 or less. You want to limit the fruity esters as much as possible and get a very high attenuation. Did the kit come with Notty? Personally I've made very good cream ales with SafAle US-05 fermented @ 63 for 2 weeks, then cold crashed @ 50 for 1 week. If you ferment over 65 your beer won't be bad, but it won't be as "clean" as a true cream ale should be. But don't worry, at 67 you're beer will still taste great
The cream ale came with a choice of a White Labs Cream Ale Blend WLP080, White Labs California Ale V WLP051, Wyeast American Ale II, or the Nottingham. When searching for something for my first brew, I came across a couple posts on cream ale where people talked about how much they liked the Nottingham, and it being a dry yeast seemed a little easier for the first brewing attempt. If I like the cream ale and do another I'll be sure to check out the SafAle US-05. I've gone ahead and lowered the temperature to 63. Did you do 2 weeks in the primary I assume then cold crash? Thanks toboth of you for your responses.
jkatz419
Well-Known Member
For an ale that's under 1.050 and light in color I'll give it 2 weeks in the primary at fermentation temp, so ~63 for a cream ale. When the FG is stable I'll lower the temp 15-20 degrese and let it sit for another week. There are many many threads where people debate/discuss the best temp and length of time for a cold crash, long story short; there's really no wrong way to do it so experiment
I've used the White Labs Cream Ale Blend but honestly the US-05 came out better for my recipe. Dry yeast is also easier/cheeper to work with as you'll need 2-3 vials of liquid or have to make a starter to get the same number of yeast cells as an 11g packet.
I've used the White Labs Cream Ale Blend but honestly the US-05 came out better for my recipe. Dry yeast is also easier/cheeper to work with as you'll need 2-3 vials of liquid or have to make a starter to get the same number of yeast cells as an 11g packet.
