Temps after fermentation

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greenhaze

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Quick question, I brewed an Irish Red Ale last Sunday night. I am going out of town in two weeks and will be gone for 2.5 weeks.
I plan on leaving the wort in the Primary till I get back. Do I have to worry about temp control after Fermentation is complete ?
Slainte
 
Afternoon greenhaze.

I would suspect that if it was left in the primary that extended time(after primary fermentation) you could/would get some off flavors from the wort? Im sure if it was put in a secondary for that time, and kept around 70 degrees, then you would be ok.

Hold off for one of the seniors to answer though bud, cause I am not 100% sure about leaving in primary for that long, and still new to the game myself. All the reading I have done says to remove from primary once complete to avoid "off flavors".

Hope this helped a little :)
 
you talking 3.5 total weeks in primary?

You'll be fine....bottle or keg when you get back...

===edit

Reread op....So your talking about 5.5 weeks....total...still should be OK.,....Bottle/keg when you get home....As long as the beer is stored at room temp 70-75 it's fine....

Personally, a few days before you go on your trip...transfer to secondary then pop it in a fridge it will be cold crashed and ready to bottle or keg when you get home.
 
Probably not over 3.5-4 weeks. But you wouldn't want it to go over 78-80F either unless its a Saison. Try to keep it within the yeasts temp range. Even though ferm is complete, there might be some cleanup operations going on with the yeast.
 
A one-month primary shouldn't alter the flavor of your finished product, but I would rack it off the yeast as soon as you were home. As far as temperature, could you just leave it in the same spot for all 4.5 weeks? If leaving town entails turning off the AC or some such, I would expect 2.5 weeks of sitting at a higher temp is not optimal. Better if you could chill it in the fridge for the out-of-town time.

Still, you will make beer, likely drinkable. :)
 
I live in So Cal near the coast so temps are around 78. I currently have it in a swamp cooler which has kept temp around 66/68 by adding frozen water bottles.
I don't have the option of putting it in a fridge but I could rack it to secondary and leave it in an interior closet. Temps inside would probably be 78/84. This is probably not ideal ?
Thanks for all the replies, this is an amazing resource.
Slainte
 
I wouldn't worry about it all. When you get home the yeast will be so compacted that when you transfer to the keg or bottle bucket there will be less sediment. It's going to be good to go.
 
I might suggest you bottle it before you leave. It will have been in primary for 2.5 weeks by the time you leave, correct? Thats long enough IMO unless it was underpitched, fermented warm, brewed at higher gravity (> 1.06), etc. It'll be all carbed up and pretty when you return.
 
I live in So Cal near the coast so temps are around 78. I currently have it in a swamp cooler which has kept temp around 66/68 by adding frozen water bottles.
I don't have the option of putting it in a fridge but I could rack it to secondary and leave it in an interior closet. Temps inside would probably be 78/84. This is probably not ideal ?
Thanks for all the replies, this is an amazing resource.
Slainte

Dude, if it's finished actively fermenting, and in a swamp cooler in a ~78 degree room, you'll be fine for the ~3 weeks you're gone. Temp control's crucial during active fermentation (and the cleanup thereafter, which is like maybe 3 days after FG is reached), but not so much after that. If it were to be a long time, like over a month, I'd personally transfer it to secondary and keep that in the swamp bucket. Your beer'll be all good. :mug:
 
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