Temp control rocks, until.....

....your probe gets knocked off the carboy and your perfect 67 degree ferment skyrockets to 96 degrees thanks to a rogue fermwrap.

I was fermenting a Janet's Brown, brew day went great, and I would say it had 5 good days at 67. I went into the garage to add my dry hop, and to my horror, saw the probe laying on the floor. First time I had this problem, and will be sure to double up on the tape for my next batch. I thought about feeding it to the worms, but said screw it, and threw in 2oz of Centennial anyway.

It's a big beer, and I make it a little bit more roasty than Tasty does, so I am banking on the huge hop aroma and roasted flavor to mask any problems. Any similar experiences? If so, how did things turn out?

Joe

Joe, you just invented the Belgian version of a Brown. You, sir, are an innovator!

could be the heat melted the tape. try using a thermowell, you could build one yourself or buy one.

Given what I've read on this forum, it may have taken care of most of the flavor creation in the first 5 days. I'd let it go on and see how it comes out.

I regularly ferment above 80 F here in HI without too much in the way of ill-effects. It really depends on the yeast, though. What are you using? I know I would have let it go and see how it turns out...

Im interested in the yeast and final verdict as well. I cant bring myself to ever dump a batch right away, well maybe if it was blatantly infected (never had one yet, knock on wood). I have had a couple batches that for whatever reason were not too my liking at all and I was not sure what went wrong, but turned out to be pretty decent drinkers after some decent aging. I actually have one that I will be trying again today that I pulled off tap and let sit for about 5-6 months to see what it would turn into. A very wise brewer once told me never dump a batch if you've got the room to sit on it and can do without the keg or bottles, it just might surprise you.

Hey think of it this way, the absolute worst case would be a fantastic beer by accident that you can never recreate.

JewBrew said:

could be the heat melted the tape. try using a thermowell, you could build one yourself or buy one.

Click to expand...

A+ for the More Beer version. Most accurate way to finding the temp of the fermenting wort.

A couple things. First, I always use Safale US-05. I had done liquid yeast with starters in the past, but since most of what I make would classify as American Ales, I have not had the need to seek out something beyond the dry yeast. I properly rehydrate, and use a measured amount in grams, according to the Mr. Malty pitching rate calculator.

The thermowell is a nice little doo-dad, but I have a couple problems with it. Granted, my little accident pretty much argues against this point, but a (well) secured and insulated probe against the side of your carboy is supposed to give the exact same reading as the thermowell. Never did the experiment myself, but have heard from good enough resources to take it at face value.

Second, I am not sure if a thermowell will allow for blowoff tube, which I absolutely can not do without.

I think I will update in a few weeks to let everyone know how it turns out.

Joe

Results are conclusive.....don't ferment at 96.

Just curious...why are you dry hopping 6 days into fermentation?

jfowler1 said:

Results are conclusive.....don't ferment at 96.

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That bad?

So, totally undrinkable? Unpleasant? Just not quite what you had in mind? Where did it end up?

It's been what, 3.5 months?

JewBrew said:

could be the heat melted the tape. try using a thermowell, you could build one yourself or buy one.

Click to expand...

My problem with thermowells is that they get the beer too cold. I was fermenting a beer I wanted at 64*, and when it was down to that I pitched, but I guess the fridge walls or something were still really cold from being on for 6 hours and when I checked on it the next morning, the temp was down to 59*. I've since moved it to the outside of the buckets/carboys taped to the side with a bit of insulation and haven't had a problem.

Of course, that could have been a one-off fluke problem, but I think that it takes the fridge too long to cool the beer down to the pre-set temp, so that even when it cuts out, the fridge is already way colder than you wanted and continues to chill the beer.

Not undrinkable, but certainly unremarkable. I know what it should have and could have tasted like, so I am just not excited as I pour one out. Not a batch I will be showing off to friends any time soon.

As for the 5th day dry hop.....

Not quite sure if you find it too soon or too late, so I will explain both. Prior to five days, I find the fermentation way too vigorous for dry hopping. All of the aroma you are trying to capture is being driven off with the CO2 leaving the carboy. After a week, I find fermentation too stagnant to scrub and extract the oils from the hops, and I found the aroma and flavor to be a little too raw and grassy. I think 4-6 days is the dry hop sweet spot.

Also for clarification, I "free hop" ( I weigh the pellets and toss them into the primary with no hop sack) and ferment using a two week primary. I then bottle condition.

Joe