wgonfan

Recipes 

I was wondering how long into the fermentation process is tempature control important. After active fermentation has stopped can I relax a little until bottling? I'm asking because its much more convenient and will save a little $$ if I can move my fermenter into a slightly warmer area. In the fermenter I have a pale ale with wyeast british ale 1098 yeast (64-72degrees). I have kept the ambient temp in my fermentation cooler at 60 & my fermenter has been around 65/66 for 5 days. It appears from my gravity (OG1.051, CG1.015) reading & airlock activity that the fermentation is done. I want to move the fermenter into my house for another 14 days, the ambient temp in the house will varie between 68-75. If I move it in now do I risk off flavors or anything.

MalFet

Recipes 

That's fine. You want to avoid sudden swings, but after the first couple of days your exact temps aren't as big of a deal.

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whirlybirds

Recipes 

I've hit 80 for 12 hours or more a few times on some of my batches and it didn't do much to the flavor. But it was after most of the fermentation was finished. I sure it won't hurt much to bring it in the house. Just keep an eye on it as much as possible and make sure your temps don't get too out of wack.

helibrewer

Recipes 

A little warmer at that point is fine, it will help keep the yeast active for clean-up purposes...your flavors are pretty much developed by now.

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tmanzee

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relax regardless all my best beers come when im in la la land

TopherM

Recipes 

Temp control is only critical during the most active part of fermentation. Newbies would know this as the "bubbling" period..

Every beer is different, but as a general rule my beers stay in the fermentation chamber for 48-72 hours, then go in an interior closet at about 70-72F if I need the space. If I don't need the space, they stay in the chamber, because a slow cool fermentation and conditioning is ALWAYS going to be cleaner than a warmer one.

Good luck!

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JJL

Recipes 

Temp is theoreticaly important throughout the whole fermentation. But, from a practical stand point, Topher is correct. Depending on the beer, the first 2-5 days are the most critical in impacting the flavor of the beer. Beyond that you're just trying not to stress the yeast too much, and trying to get the beer to attenuate properly.

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