I am waiting on my first extract kit to come in the mail. I know to sterilize everything but I am concerned about the temperature during fermentation. I do not have any means of cooling to slow the growth of bacteria. I've got over 150 dollars invested and I don't want to screw up. Will there be any concerns with my batch fermenting at room temperature?
Fermentation Tempature
- Thread starter BenVanned
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Nothing that should concern a new brewer. in short, yes, fermentation temperature makes a difference. But I'd suggest getting a few batches under your belt before obsessing about such things. I've been brewing for years, and still ferment at ambient temps on almost all my batches.
Ogri
Well-Known Member
Just throwing my $0.02 worth in but if you can rig up a swamp cooler to regulate your fermentation temps for the first three or four days, or however long your initial period of really active fermentation lasts, it's only going to help increase your chances of getting great tasting beer
What do you reckon the ambient temps of the place you'll be keeping your fermentation vessel will be? If your fermentation environment gets hot in the daytime and cold at night that could be quite a swing in ambient temps and the yeast prefer to have a reasonably stable temp range to effectively work and thrive in. Most on here tend to advise on trying to maintain the temperature of the fermentation vessel, checked using a stick on thermometer, at somewhere close to the bottom of the temp. range of the yeast you're using in order to decrease chances of getting "off" flavours.
If you can find a plastic case or box that you can sit your F.V. in, fill up with water to a little below the level your beer reaches in the F.V. and rotate bottles of frozen water you'll be able to keep a relatively constant temperature without too much trouble.
Again, this is just one factor that might help your first batch reach expectations and hopes
What do you reckon the ambient temps of the place you'll be keeping your fermentation vessel will be? If your fermentation environment gets hot in the daytime and cold at night that could be quite a swing in ambient temps and the yeast prefer to have a reasonably stable temp range to effectively work and thrive in. Most on here tend to advise on trying to maintain the temperature of the fermentation vessel, checked using a stick on thermometer, at somewhere close to the bottom of the temp. range of the yeast you're using in order to decrease chances of getting "off" flavours.
If you can find a plastic case or box that you can sit your F.V. in, fill up with water to a little below the level your beer reaches in the F.V. and rotate bottles of frozen water you'll be able to keep a relatively constant temperature without too much trouble.
Again, this is just one factor that might help your first batch reach expectations and hopes
Pommy
Well-Known Member
what is the ambient temp? shouldnt cause any issues, certainly less than taking shortcuts in your process. Take your time and follow the process then RDWHAHB
Let's get the point of fermentation temperature clear: it's to control the behavior and flavor products of the yeast you pitch. We assume that the wort and fermenter are to be sanitary and the only bugs of any significant number in them are the ones we want.
HTH!
A lot would depend on what you mean by "room temperature".
Having a consistant temperature is important.
I set my fermenter in a bathtub of water, I drape a wet bath towel over it and let the towel lay in the water, I then use a fan to blow air across it. All that in a bathroom that is on the interior of the house and kept dark. Keeps it at 68F no problem
I set my fermenter in a bathtub of water, I drape a wet bath towel over it and let the towel lay in the water, I then use a fan to blow air across it. All that in a bathroom that is on the interior of the house and kept dark. Keeps it at 68F no problem
If you have cleaned and sanitized your fermenter you need not worry about bacteria. When you pitch the proper amount of yeast, it will propagate so quickly that it will overwhelm any bacteria and soon be producing enough alcohol to kill any remaining bacteria.
This! I think some of the above responses might have been commenting on the usual temperature control issue, which is keeping the ambient temps under 70/upper 60s.
If your concern is bacteria/etc. growing in your beer, you can relax. As noted above, as long as you follow proper sanitation, the yeast will outcompete any bacteria and the alcohol will be a natural sanitizer. In addition, beer has a ph that lots of bacteria don't like and the fermenter quickly becomes an oxygen-free environment. All of that is unfriendly to bacteria. Cheers!
OP
OP
BenVanned
Well-Known Member
Excellent. I do live in the south and this time of the year we get some pretty drastic day and night temperature changes. Looks like ill be keeping the windows closed at night and regulating the temperature in the apartment. Im about to go post another thread. You guys should visit it.
Hang Glider
Beer Drinker
I, too, live in the south, and I will tell you that temperature control made the biggest difference in the quality of my beers. Nothing ambient for me. I CONTROL my temps. My fermenters sit in a water bath and the water is kept at 63F.
So, for your first batch or three, no headaches, but do consider a method for real control in your near future. Active fermentation will be anywhere from 5-10F higher than your "ambient" temperature unless you have the thermal mass (water bath) to mitigate it. Air mass systems should strive for a 58F "ambient" to effectively keep the beer between 63 & 68F (for most ale yeasts).
good luck!
