Ale Fermentation Temps

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ATXweirdobrew

ATXweirdobrew

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I already know that Ale yeasts ferment best at temperatures ranging from 60-76 degress F. Problem with that is I live in Texas during the hottest part of the year and I am finding myself running the AC all day long and burning up alot of electricity just to keep my fermenting ales at the 75-76 range. Any suggestions so I dont go physco when I get my next electricity bill?
 
Jeremy512 said:
I already know that Ale yeasts ferment best at temperatures ranging from 60-76 degress F. Problem with that is I live in Texas during the hottest part of the year and I am finding myself running the AC all day long and burning up alot of electricity just to keep my fermenting ales at the 75-76 range. Any suggestions so I dont go physco when I get my next electricity bill?
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In the long run you would do better buying a used freezer on craigslist and building a temperature controller. I bought a 7 cf chest freezer for $50 and built a temperature controller for around $40.
 
Yeah, get a fridge and buy a Ranco temp controller from ebay. If you are fermenting in the mid 70's your beer may have some serious issues unless you are using Belgian or Saison yeasts, BTW.
 
Will it really make a difference if it is brewed at temperatures in the lower range then in the higher range?
 
There are other cheap options for you, too. Do a search for swamp cooler and you'll find many threads. Or fill a large tub/bin with water, add frozen 1/2 gallon+ bottles to chill it. Take a look at Yooper's photos, she's got a good rig made from a cooler.

Also, for a little $$ and some work, you can make a son of fermentation chiller. Lots of threads on that.
 
Jeremy512 said:
I am finding myself running the AC all day long and burning up alot of electricity just to keep my fermenting ales at the 75-76 range. Any suggestions so I dont go physco when I get my next electricity bill?
Click to expand...

If that's ambient temp, you're actually fermenting at and over 80f, which doesn't make for very good beer. Yes there are a few exceptions.


_
 
Jeremy512 said:
Any suggestions so I dont go physco when I get my next electricity bill?
Click to expand...

When I was in Texas, I was mostly using this method:
2861595592_673b44289b.jpg

A water bath in a 10 gallon round cooler that was (and is) also my mash/lauter tun. Just throw a frozen 500ml PET soda bottle or two under the bucket twice a day.
 
My problem is because of my job I am gone for 24 hour shifts and sometimes when I get overtime or do shift trades like tomorrow and wednesday I will be gone for 48 hours straight. I also have nobody who would be here to change out the ice packs and watch the temperature for me. Even when I am not working I am gone alot so I think my best option is to get an old chest freezer and a temperature controller. I already purchased the temp controller now I just need some luck on craigslist, thanks for all the help guys.
 
I used a swamp cooler religiously with OK results. But I am in the same boat as you. I am gone (typically) 4 days a week so changing ice when gone was a PITA. My SWMBO did a fairly good job of changing frozen bottles, but typically one day she'd forget and then *BAM* 75*! Getting it back down was tough.

I built just this weekend a ferm chamber using 2" styrofoam insulation boards, an AC unit and a Johnson temp controller. No more ice baths for me! For your situation, I would definitely build the ferm chamber. Good luk.
 
Jeremy512 said:
My problem is because of my job I am gone for 24 hour shifts and sometimes when I get overtime or do shift trades like tomorrow and wednesday I will be gone for 48 hours straight. I also have nobody who would be here to change out the ice packs and watch the temperature for me. Even when I am not working I am gone alot so I think my best option is to get an old chest freezer and a temperature controller. I already purchased the temp controller now I just need some luck on craigslist, thanks for all the help guys.
Click to expand...

If you have an Android phone, download Craigslist notifier. It will notify you immediately of the great deals. If you don't, people like me will beat you to the punch every time.

There are also similar apps for the iPhone.
 
I use a small Igloo cooler filled with water and 1-2 frozen water bottles changed out as needed. It has worked amazingly well for me. My first batch I kept at a constant 62-63 degrees by changing 1-2 water bottles 2-3 times a day during the peak of fermentation. I'm fermenting a brown ale now and can keep my water temp at 68 with very little effort. I keep my AC at 72.

IMAG0289.jpg


IMAG0288.jpg
 
Thats a great system, I just cant be home to change out the ice when needed because of my job. So I am thinking the chest freezer will be great. I dont have to worry about changing out ice packs, I can start lagering, and I can have extra space for foods and such.
 
I think the difference between the cost of a chest freezer (or even a spare fridge of any type), ranco controller, and the electricity to run them will pay for itself VERY quickly compared to trying to keep your ferments in line using your AC.

And yes, there's a HUGE difference between fermenting in the low 60's and the mid-70's. You'll be amazed at the difference in the beer.
 
Ok, I have been running in the low 70's on my first batch and my wife is on my case to stop turning the air down. Brew went in on Saturday, stated bubbling in the air lock on Sunday and is still going, am I going to mess anything up by lowering the temp now by using a swamp cooler??
 
I would be interested to know as well. Since I came to this realization this morning I put my Hefe that I brewed yesterday afternoon which started fermenting overnight on ice in a cooler to about 62-65.
 
sgoehner said:
Ok, I have been running in the low 70's on my first batch and my wife is on my case to stop turning the air down. Brew went in on Saturday, stated bubbling in the air lock on Sunday and is still going, am I going to mess anything up by lowering the temp now by using a swamp cooler??
Click to expand...

Yes. Most of the fermentation-derived off-flavors happen during the growth stage while the yeast are multiplying. If you want to suppress esters and diacetyl, you need to keep the beer cool during the first couple days. Best course of action now is to hold the temp as steady as you can. The esters won't get metabolized out, but other stuff like diacetyl will.

Cooling the beer down after fermentation has begun will have the effect of reducing yeast activity. They may even shut down completely, leaving the beer underattenuated, with acetaldehyde and diacetyl. In general, for the cleanest, most complete fermentations, you want to start cool, then ramp up and never down until a couple days after terminal.
 
In a related question. How long do you need to mantain a lower temp. for fermenting? If you are going to leave it in the primary for 3 or 4 weeks can you raise the temp to 75 - 80 after say a week?
 
okie123 said:
In a related question. How long do you need to mantain a lower temp. for fermenting? If you are going to leave it in the primary for 3 or 4 weeks can you raise the temp to 75 - 80 after say a week?
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The critical phase is is during exponential growth, roughly within the first 4 days...this is when it is critical to control the temp and also the hardest as the exothermic reaction can be hard to keep from spiking if you don't have enough cooling capacity. After that you can let the temp go up. I usually incrementally start bumping the temp up to around 72 after day 3. Once it is solidly into the stationary phase (3-10 according to Chris White) it really doesn't matter too much if it goes higher. Probably good to be consistent with the temp instead of big temp swings that can stress the yeast though.
 
944play said:
Yes. Most of the fermentation-derived off-flavors happen during the growth stage while the yeast are multiplying. If you want to suppress esters and diacetyl, you need to keep the beer cool during the first couple days. Best course of action now is to hold the temp as steady as you can. The esters won't get metabolized out, but other stuff like diacetyl will.

Cooling the beer down after fermentation has begun will have the effect of reducing yeast activity. They may even shut down completely, leaving the beer underattenuated, with acetaldehyde and diacetyl. In general, for the cleanest, most complete fermentations, you want to start cool, then ramp up and never down until a couple days after terminal.
Click to expand...


Ok, so if I posted that question after already doing said action, what next, do I just let it warm up a little and hope for the best, the bubbling is definitely down to next to nothing in the airlock. Can the yeast come back it I didn't go below the recommended temp?
 

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