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**RM-MN** · 11-09-2012, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourhuckleberry

Thanks for the insights.

So it sounds like I want to keep the temperature at a consistent 68 F for the whole fermentation (3 weeks) until I am ready to crash cool and drop the yeast out.

Alright so my understanding is if I was reading 64 F just outside my carboy during Krausen than the brew itself was warmer on the inside probably close to the 68 F it is meant to be fermenting at.

Now that it has been a few days and the fermentation has slowed (see this picture from yesterday) is it still going to be a warmer temperature in the centre of the carboy than I am reading just outside? Should I still be aiming for 64F outside the carboy?

The carboy was sitting on a heating pad which I kept turned off as it would raise the temp to 70 which is much too high for this beer. I have just now added more insulation between the pad and the carboy hopefully keeping it on low I will hit my temp (which should be 64 F?) without need of a regulator this time around.

Should I be be gently shaking my carboy to wake the yeasts up as well as raising the temp? I am on day 5 of my fermentation.

I have pretty basic equipment:

10 gallon aluminum pot, electric stove, grain bag for BIAB, 5 Gallon Marmite canner for Mashtun heated in oven, floating therm, 6 gal glass carboy. Looking to do 1-2 gallon batches.

Keeping the temperature at 68 for all 3 weeks isn't necessary not even beneficial. You want to keep the temperature low for the initial fast part of the ferment because that is where your off flavors develop but keeping it too cool will cause the yeast to slow down and they may not finish the job. I like to keep my ambient temperature between 62 and 65 (the yeast will heat up the fermenter a bit during this) until the majority of the sugars are gone and then after perhaps a week or a little less I let it warm to the low 70's to encourage the yeast to finish the ferment and do the cleanup. By this time the flavor is pretty much set and I don't have to worry about off flavors any more.

WhiteDog87 · 11-09-2012, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RM-MN

I like to keep my ambient temperature between 62 and 65 (the yeast will heat up the fermenter a bit during this) until the majority of the sugars are gone and then after perhaps a week or a little less I let it warm to the low 70's to encourage the yeast to finish the ferment and do the cleanup. By this time the flavor is pretty much set and I don't have to worry about off flavors any more.

1up!

Raise it a couple of degrees at the end to clean up Diacetyl etc. especially in a nice light, clean Kolsch

Unibrow · 11-09-2012, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RM-MN

Keeping the temperature at 68 for all 3 weeks isn't necessary not even beneficial. You want to keep the temperature low for the initial fast part of the ferment because that is where your off flavors develop but keeping it too cool will cause the yeast to slow down and they may not finish the job. I like to keep my ambient temperature between 62 and 65 (the yeast will heat up the fermenter a bit during this) until the majority of the sugars are gone and then after perhaps a week or a little less I let it warm to the low 70's to encourage the yeast to finish the ferment and do the cleanup. By this time the flavor is pretty much set and I don't have to worry about off flavors any more.

This is my process for almost every recipe with ale yeast. I always start in the low 60's and ramp up to low 70's after 4-7 days

Jayhem · 11-09-2012, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unibrow

This is my process for almost every recipe with ale yeast. I always start in the low 60's and ramp up to low 70's after 4-7 days

I will 3rd this. I find that if I keep the ambient temp around 61F for the first 2-3 days and then slowly adjust my temp controller up 2 degrees per day until it's up to 70F in the fermenter by day 7. My beer seems to taste the best if the active fermentation happens right around 65F (beer temp).

slamram99 · 11-09-2012, 05:59 PM

I suggest that you put your fermenting vessel in a water bath and buy an aquarium heater i think the one i got was around $20 it has a temperature regulator built into it. there are different wattages, obviously the higher the wattage the more warming power you have. you can insulate your whole setup with a blanket or something.

yourhuckleberry · 11-09-2012, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayhem

I will 3rd this. I find that if I keep the ambient temp around 61F for the first 2-3 days and then slowly adjust my temp controller up 2 degrees per day until it's up to 70F in the fermenter by day 7. My beer seems to taste the best if the active fermentation happens right around 65F (beer temp).

Well since the ambient temperature has remained between 59F and 60F since Krausen.

I think I will follow Charlie Papizian's advice for now and "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew"

I'll look into ramping up the temp with the heating pad tomorrow when I hit day 6.

Thank you all for all the help so far.

Gartywood · 11-09-2012, 11:46 PM

A lot of people on this forum will assert that you cannot make good beer without temperature control. That's simply not true. Yes you will want to pay attention to style (don't brew a farmhouse that wants to ferment at 80 degrees when your basement is 50). I brew a lot of great batches with ambient temps between 55 and 80 in my basement. I've actually spent a lot of time worrying that batches are not going to come out well during the extreme temperature times because of the advice on this forum. In my experience Great beer is possible with proper procedure and planning without temp control (if you can't keep it in the 80s or above 50 I might be worried). Don't create problems that don't exist.

**itsme6582** · 11-12-2012, 08:21 PM

This thread is way off target. Ferm temp control and no starter. First batch and your being told to give it a diacetyl rest. Just be patient. Give it a good 3 weeks before you do anything. Don't shake the carboy. If you can't wait, go buy a new fermentor and make another batch to keep yourself occupied.

duboman · 11-12-2012, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gartywood

A lot of people on this forum will assert that you cannot make good beer without temperature control. That's simply not true. Yes you will want to pay attention to style (don't brew a farmhouse that wants to ferment at 80 degrees when your basement is 50). I brew a lot of great batches with ambient temps between 55 and 80 in my basement. I've actually spent a lot of time worrying that batches are not going to come out well during the extreme temperature times because of the advice on this forum. In my experience Great beer is possible with proper procedure and planning without temp control (if you can't keep it in the 80s or above 50 I might be worried). Don't create problems that don't exist.

While I will not discount what you are saying as to some degree it can be true, it really is not best practice. Even if you are selecting styles and yeast to brew within the constraints of your ambient temperature the yeast, fermentation and final product will be improved with temperature control from the initial growth phase to packaging.

The fact of the matter is this thread is in the beginner's forum. New brewers have no concept of temperature control, much less selecting styles to brew determined by the constraints of the yeast selected. Hence the reason why so many posts in this area pertain to off flavors, stuck fermentation, beers that taste like s&$%&t, etc. Honestly, most are trying to brew ales and IPAs and can't understand why their beer turned out the way it did when they fermented it at 75-80 degrees.

Personally I think it best to try and guide new brewers to use best practice and educate them so as they become more experienced they can adapt their process to what works best for their system and the types of beer they choose to brew

Toadsticker · 11-13-2012, 01:53 AM

^ +1 If needed, do the research. Find out where you're yeast strain does best, then do your best to allow it to happen. The yeast will do better, and you'll be happier with the results.