New chest freezer for fermentation!

Just picked up a freezer for fermentation. What temp are people typically fermenting at? I know every yeast is a little different but is there a general temp? My first beer will be using us-5.

Diesel48 said:

Just picked up a freezer for fermentation. What temp are people typically fermenting at? I know every yeast is a little different but is there a general temp? My first beer will be using us-5.

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I believe the fermentation range for ales are usually between 65 - 75 F. If I were you I would shoot for around 68.

Although I am curious about this myself and would like to see other inputs.

I always shoot for 68 with S05 and have had good results. I believe some like to go closer to the 65 mark or even a little lower.

I cannot wait to brew using the freezer. I think my beers are great now, and people seem to agree. However from all of the reading I have been doing if I ferment in the low 60's with most yeasts it should be even better!

if I got a dedicated freezer for fermentation the first thing I'd do is some sort of lager. right now I have one that I can use for either fermentation or serving. given that you pitch the appropriate amount of yeast, lagering using the narziss technique seems to be superior. pitch at 44 and raise to 50 over the course of 36-48 hours.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/brewing-classic-styles-narziss-fermentation-lagering-49872/

I use a chest freezer and keep the temp between 65-68. I usually have at least 2 batches fermenting at once and this temp seems to work great for me. Good Luck and happy fermenting

I like my beers clean, so start at 60-62 and keep it below 65 for at least 3 days unless I specifically want to pick up yeast flavors (esters).

tesilential said:

I like my beers clean, so start at 60-62 and keep it below 65 for at least 3 days unless I specifically want to pick up yeast flavors (esters).

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Is this your set temp or the actual beer temp?

I would set the temp a little lower than the one you're seeking. This is because the temperature of the fermenting beer in the carboy is a little higher than the temperature in your fermentation chamber and would therefore be closer to the temperature you're aiming for. I too just picked up a chest freezer for this purpose and can't wait to use it, it gets pretty hot here in the desert.

65 is my catch-all default for most ales. You will love your freezer, I can't believe how much better my beers are just from having reliable ferm temps!
Now to work on mastering water adjustments...

JesseRYC said:

I would set the temp a little lower than the one you're seeking. This is because the temperature of the fermenting beer in the carboy is a little higher than the temperature in your fermentation chamber and would therefore be closer to the temperature you're aiming for. I too just picked up a chest freezer for this purpose and can't wait to use it, it gets pretty hot here in the desert.

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I would disagree partially with this and say that if you have your temp controller probe taped against your fermentor glass/plastic and have it insulated against the ambient air with something like a double-folded over towel, then you're pretty much at the liquid temperature within a half degree or so. I know I read an extensive thread on this on HBT a while back where someone did some pretty good testing to verify this. I just haven't found it yet.

I just did a ferm chanber on a chest freezer, and everything I read suggested the ideal setup to be holding the carboy at 68 degrees, not the freezer. So, I tape the probe to the middle of the carboy, and then tape a towel over it. Obviously, there are certain styles that would benefit from deviating from this temp, not just lagers. For example, my next brew will be a belgian dubbel, and I'll be holding it at 65 degrees for 5 days, and then letting it rise to the low 70s.

Love my chest freezer.

IMO there is no single "correct" temp for fermenting. It depends upon the yeast and upon the beer style. Even within a single style you will achieve different flavour profiles with the same yeast at different temperatures.

slowbie said:

Is this your set temp or the actual beer temp?

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Actual beer temp. I let my probe hang free because it allows me to move my fermenters without detaching the probe. I've found the actual wort temp will be equal to or maybe 1 degree higher than the top temp that the freezer reaches in it's cycle range.

For example, if you want to ferment at 64* (i recommend this to start), set your TC to 59* and give it a 5* differential. The 5* differential ensures the TC doesn't turn the freezer on/off too often, shortening it's lifespan. The actual wort temp will be about 64*-65* during high krausen. The ambient temp in the freezer will swing much more quickly than the actual wort temp. If you do decide to tape the probe to the fermenter then you would set the differential to 1 or 2*.

No matter what you do, please get a fermometer if you don't already have one. You need to know exactly what the temp of the wort is for your records so you'll know whether to adjust higher, lower or the same next time.

Each yeast behaves differently at different temps, so there is no one set temperature that is best. 68* is too hot for some ale yeasts unless you want fusels (you don't).

Thanks for the great responses! Picked up ingredients tonight for the first batch.