Nut Brown ale and high temp question

dockmasterjc · 12-29-2007, 10:47 PM

My nut brown ale from a true brew kit fermented great for 24 plus hours, I had some trouble keeping my temps above 60 in previous batches so i built an insulated box for it. Now my fermentation has ceased making bubbles through the air lock. My temp in the box was 78 degrees. Will the yeast stop working because of the high temp?

avidhomebrewer · 12-30-2007, 12:10 AM

It probably won't stop working but it may produce some undesirable off flavors.

Gammon N Beer · 12-30-2007, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dockmasterjc

My nut brown ale from a true brew kit fermented great for 24 plus hours, I had some trouble keeping my temps above 60 in previous batches so i built an insulated box for it. Now my fermentation has ceased making bubbles through the air lock. My temp in the box was 78 degrees. Will the yeast stop working because of the high temp?

I ferment in glass carboys. But do have a question. Do you ferment in a bucket? If so, it may be fermenting but the bucket may be leaking.

I have heard that is the case at times with buckets.

I am wondering if somebody bumped your bucket on the second day and the cover is simply leaking.

BrianP · 12-30-2007, 02:40 AM

Another reason could be that the fermentation was quick to complete. I've had a fermentation end it's active bubbling in 48 hours.

Just be sure to let it ferment for about a week, then check your gravities to see if it doesn't change for a few days in a row. That way you'll know it's done and safe to bottle. Better yet, let it go longer (a couple more weeks) in the fermenter for the beer to clear.

**Yooper** · 12-30-2007, 02:53 AM

At a super high temperature of 78 degrees, it'll ferment really fast. It's probably just finished. Still, let it sit so that the yeast can clean up after itself- and do your best to keep it around 65 or less!

FlyGuy · 12-30-2007, 05:16 AM

Yeah, that's a really warm temperature for fermentation, which probably caused it to ferment out quickly. Get a hydrometer reading to confirm, but it is almost certainly done fermenting.

A problem with those high temps is that you may get some hot or solvent-like flavours emerging, particularly if you didn't aerate really well or if you underpitched. You might have to let this one sit in the primary (i.e., keep the beer on the yeast) for an extra week or two, and then condition it for a long while in a secondary. I had some temperature problems a couple of years ago, and the off-flavours never disappeared, but they did diminish with a bit of conditioning.

Hope yours turns out!

**BierMuncher** · 12-30-2007, 05:19 AM

The higher the temp, the more esthers (fruity aromas/taste) you'll get.

For a nut brown...that is not entirely undesireable.

78 is on the high side though. One way to counter the effect is to serve the ale colder than normal (brown) serving temp.

Browns ought to be served around 45-50, but colder will subdue any strong esthers that want to come through because of the high ferm-temp.

dockmasterjc · 01-08-2008, 03:07 AM

thanks all