Dilemma

Ok, so I have a slight hitch in my brewing plan. I have a fridge w/controller on it, that will hold 2 fermenters, and I just brewed another batch.

The fridge has 2 batches currently in it (set at 64). The 2 that are in the fridge are: a red ale (wyeast 1084 - 62-72 range) in secondary and a brown ale (saf s05 - 59-75 range) in primary. The red ale has been in secondary for one week and the brown ale has been in primary for one week.

I just brewed a wheat w/wyeast 3056 - 64-74 range.
Basement temp is 71.

Something has to be in the basement, and 2 can be in the fridge.

What is the best plan? I know all three would be ok at 71, but what would be optimal?

I don't think it matters, but they're all-grain.
Thanks

I'd pull the red ale and leave it in the basement. IT seems like the earlier part of fermentation is the most important (temperature-wise).

My ferm fridge only holds one, I make sure my beer gets fridge time for a week (longer if its a big beer that will take awhile to ferment out) before I brew another that needs to take up fridge space. Sucks because a lager would take up too much fridge time I need a bigger ferm chamber lol

jaycount said:

I'd pull the red ale and leave it in the basement. IT seems like the earlier part of fermentation is the most important (temperature-wise).

My ferm fridge only holds one, I make sure my beer gets fridge time for a week (longer if its a big beer that will take awhile to ferment out) before I brew another that needs to take up fridge space. Sucks because a lager would take up too much fridge time I need a bigger ferm chamber lol

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Thanks; that's what I was leaning towards. I was going to do a lager also, but the temp difference and time needed messed with my plan so I scrapped it. I'm brewing for our semi-annual beer tasting party in September, so I've got a schedule to keep

I'd put the wheat down there, and then swap out after fermentation has completed on the wheat with the red.

jaycount said:

I'd pull the red ale and leave it in the basement. IT seems like the earlier part of fermentation is the most important (temperature-wise).

My ferm fridge only holds one, I make sure my beer gets fridge time for a week (longer if its a big beer that will take awhile to ferment out) before I brew another that needs to take up fridge space. Sucks because a lager would take up too much fridge time I need a bigger ferm chamber lol

Click to expand...

Ditto on this same point. The earlier part of fermentation tends be the most important in terms of controlling the temperature your yeast is working in. As your primary fermentation moves along and the yeast start to move from active fermentation to cleaning up after themselves, the temperature matters a little less.

Obviously you wouldn't want to be moving them from a nice 64 degree fermentation chamber into a hot space, but if you move them out of the fridge and into the basement at 71 the ill effects would be minimal, if any at all.

I think in your situation I would move out the Red Ale and focus on the proper initial fermentation temperature for the wheat beer because a wheat yeast run amok can result in a lot of phenolics and other flavors you may not be looking for in your wheat if you let it ferment too hot.