I live in a south-facing apartment condo where the temperature usually gets to 24ºC (75ºF) during the day. I don't have any way of cooling my apartment off other than opening a window or my patio door when I get home from work. I just bottled my first batch, which was a Brew House Pilsner, and currently have a Brew House IPA sitting in the primary. Are my beers always going to taste off because of the higher temperatures in my place? Are there any tricks to cool down a fermenter when the ambient temps are too high?
Is my apartment too hot to brew a good beer?
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temple240
Well-Known Member
Search for "swamp cooler" they work very well.
aiptasia
Well-Known Member
+1 to the swamp cooler, or just get used to fruity estery beers.
Can also fill tub with water and plop the carboy in there. You can fill up water bottles with water, freeze them, and drop them in there (rotate the melted ones out) to get the exact temp you want. Kinda wastes water but works really well.
KeystoneHomebrew
Well-Known Member
I would say just brew lots of Belgian Beers! 
If you ferment in glass, you can put the carboy in a shallow receptacle (I used to use one of those large tin buckets you see packed with beer and ice at a party). Then wrap a towel around it, with the bottom of said towel touching the bottom of the receptacle. Fill it about half way with water, then put a small fan blowing onto the carboy. Good for dropping the temp a few degrees every time.
If you ferment in glass, you can put the carboy in a shallow receptacle (I used to use one of those large tin buckets you see packed with beer and ice at a party). Then wrap a towel around it, with the bottom of said towel touching the bottom of the receptacle. Fill it about half way with water, then put a small fan blowing onto the carboy. Good for dropping the temp a few degrees every time.
Do you know what yeast came with the pilsner?
Simple and cheap: Put your carboy in a big plastic tub and fill the tub with water. You can drape a towel over the carboy and evaporation will help to cool it. You can also add some ice to the water.
Not as simple but still fairly cheap: Son of a Fermentation Chiller
A little more complicated and pretty expensive: Fermentation Fridge
Simple and cheap: Put your carboy in a big plastic tub and fill the tub with water. You can drape a towel over the carboy and evaporation will help to cool it. You can also add some ice to the water.
Not as simple but still fairly cheap: Son of a Fermentation Chiller
A little more complicated and pretty expensive: Fermentation Fridge
Captain Damage
Well-Known Member
I put my fermenters in a large tupperware pan and add ice for the first couple of days. You can use a bin, bucket, anything that your fermenter will fit in with enough space to fit a few pounds of ice. I don't target an exact temperature, just keep it in the low-to-mid 60Fs The most critical time is the first two or three days, after that I let it finish out and rest at ambient temperature.
I'll second the suggestion to take temp readings.
My place is running at 70 degree's according to thermostat but putting a glass of water at different locations has shown that my crappy windows allow a floor temp of 62-68 degree's. Some area's even lower, as in 58.
That's with an outside temp of approx 30 degree's. Oddly enough it doesn't seem to get lower with 8 degree outside temps.
My place is running at 70 degree's according to thermostat but putting a glass of water at different locations has shown that my crappy windows allow a floor temp of 62-68 degree's. Some area's even lower, as in 58.
That's with an outside temp of approx 30 degree's. Oddly enough it doesn't seem to get lower with 8 degree outside temps.
I'd have to forego showering for a few days lol
This is a great idea...I'll have to try this for my next batch!
It was coopers dry yeast....whatever came with the kit. For the IPA, I got the white labs WLP008 East Coast Ale yeast which has an optimum temp of 68-73F
You could also try wrapping a wet towel around the carboy (if that is what you are using) and position a fan to blow air and cause evaporation, this could get your temp down ~10 degrees F, just rewet when necessary. That was my method in the warmer months, although these days I'm not having issues in the warm house department.
I just empty it, take it out, and refill it.
Or, if I'm particularly lazy, I don't even take the carboy out and put it behind the curtain.
That's right, I shower with my carboy sometimes.
It gets to 75F in Calgary this time of year? What kind of temp do you have on the thermostat? I'd think if you put the brew on the side of the dwelling the furthest away from the South side as you could, and turned the thermostat down to 60F during the day it would stay well below 75. Just wondering.
No it doesn't get anywhere near 75F outside...but my building is quite warm and there is no A/C to cool it down. If I put the fermenter on the north side of my apartment, it borders the hallway, which is even warmer :S
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