Oh darn it

Ok, so I kept reading on the site ( I have posted this elsewhere but need some advice), I kept reading that it was better to keep the fermenter cool so as not to get off flavors. My yeast temp was recommended at 65-73 and I was running around 70-71. I put it in a swamp cooler and brought it down to 65-66 and all the bubbling stopped in the airlock. What should I do now?

Warm it up again. Take a gravity measurement. Maybe swirl the fermentor to stir up a little yeast from the bottom.

do NOTHING!!! when you cool a fermenter the gas and liquid inside contracts. Airlock activity is NOT an indicator for whether or not fermentation is occuring. Take a gravity reading and leave it alone. Take another reading in a couple days and see if it's dropping or if it has reached FG. Don't start shaking it up and all that crud. If you get a stuck fermentation, those are some steps to attempt, but you are FAR FAR away from measures like that.

I feel the need to say it again:

AIRLOCK ACTIVITY IS NOT A MEASURE OF FERMENTATION.

SterlingHopper said:

Warm it up again. Take a gravity measurement. Maybe swirl the fermentor to stir up a little yeast from the bottom.

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NOT this

do NOTHING!!!

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THIS

How long has it been in the fermenter?

Grumpybumpy said:

NOT this


THIS

How long has it been in the fermenter?

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It has been in since about 11:00 central time on Saturday. I took it out of the ice bath and it is at 68 right now. I have not swirled it at this point.

as it warms up, it'll start bubbling again because the gas and liquid inside will start expanding as the temp climbs. Controlling fermentation temps is a good idea, but if you want to do it, you need a better plan right from the start feel free to ask for help and advice.

Cooler liquid can also hold more CO2. So, as the beer cooled it would have retained more of the CO2 rather than bubbling it away.

Try to keep it around 68 or a bit lower, and there's no need to swirl it. I'd wait to take a hydrometer reading until at least Thursday.

edit: I wait at least 9 days until taking my first reading, and I know some on here wait a couple weeks if not 3.

shafferpilot said:

as it warms up, it'll start bubbling again because the gas and liquid inside will start expanding as the temp climbs. Controlling fermentation temps is a good idea, but if you want to do it, you need a better plan right from the start feel free to ask for help and advice.

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I am definitely learning that and realize that I should have just left it alone.

Grumpybumpy said:

Try to keep it around 68 or a bit lower, and there's no need to swirl it. I'd wait to take a hydrometer reading until at least Thursday.

edit: I wait at least 9 days until taking my first reading, and I know some on here wait a couple weeks if not 3.

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It is right at 68 now after being out of the swamp cooler, I am going to have to work on the ice additions because the room it is in is running around 72 right now and will go up a little in the next couple of days because of the weather, even though that is the coolest room in the house. I had planned on waiting to take a reading until Monday.

ETA, I am brewing the Northern Brewer Innkeeper Extract with Grains recipe using Wyeast 1768 English Bitter yeast (which I might add smelled amazing)

What yeast are you using?

Pappers_ said:

What yeast are you using?

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Wyeast 1768 English bitter. I have one of the two NB stores about two miles away and that is what the guy I talked to told me to use.

Ok, you can ferment that at temps less than 65, in my experience. If you want English fruity esters, I'd go no higher than 68. If you'd like a cleaner profile, take it down to 62.

Unless you are a beer judge you won't be able to taste the off flavors from a few degrees temp increase.

Just remember, in the end you are still getting beer. No offense but based on the question I'm guessing you aren't a pro yet so you won't be able to notice anything.

Heck I've been doing it for 2 years and I couldn't pick out any "off flavors" because I don't brew the same recipe over and over and over.

RDWHAHB

Pappers_ said:

Ok, you can ferment that at temps less than 65, in my experience. If you want English fruity esters, I'd go no higher than 68. If you'd like a cleaner profile, take it down to 62.

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Thanks Pappers I am sort of a fan of both, so I will try to keep it between there.

dallasdb said:

Unless you are a beer judge you won't be able to taste the off flavors from a few degrees temp increase.

Just remember, in the end you are still getting beer. No offense but based on the question I'm guessing you aren't a pro yet so you won't be able to notice anything.

Heck I've been doing it for 2 years and I couldn't pick out any "off flavors" because I don't brew the same recipe over and over and over.

RDWHAHB

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Definitely not a pro yet, so I will RDWHAB since this is my first.

I dunno... I am kind of a freak about fermentation temps, but my first batches were brewed on the kitchen counter of my Miami Beach condo in the summer... I would leave the fermenter bubbling away for about a week and the temps would get into the 80s. I never noticed any off flavors and neither did any of my friends.

I need to qualify this with the fact that it was a looong time ago and we were more interested in the alcoholic effects back then than appreciating nuances, BUT it's important to note that even with those high temps, no one ever thought the brew was anything but delicious. And I used to go high on the booze content by spiking a 5 gallon batch with a couple of cups of corn sugar! If I look for my notes, I might be able to pull up what kit I was using and what flavorings..... I seem to remember using American Light and adding some Hallertau hops....maybe chocolate malt during the boil...

But the bottom line... don't go nuts about fermentation temps if the final product is drinkable!

I'm pretty confident that for most ale yeasts (Belgians excepted) that nearly everyone will be able to taste the difference between a beer fermented at 75 and another at 62. The difference may not be important to you, but there is a noticeable difference that will be plainly noticeable to most palates.

That being said, the advice above about not stressing out is good - its your first brew, you're making beer, enjoy it

Pappers_ said:

I'm pretty confident that for most ale yeasts (Belgians excepted) that nearly everyone will be able to taste the difference between a beer fermented at 75 and another at 62. The difference may not be important to you, but there is a noticeable difference that will be plainly noticeable to most palates.

That being said, the advice above about not stressing out is good - its your first brew, you're making beer, enjoy it

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My thought is that unless you brew the same recipe multiple times you wouldn't be able to tell. Reason being you don't have a baseline to reference the taste.

I'm all about brewing it, relaxing and drinking it! If you don't like it, give away some bottles or invite friends over to drink it!

dallasdb said:

My thought is that unless you brew the same recipe multiple times you wouldn't be able to tell. Reason being you don't have a baseline to reference the taste.

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I think your advice to relax and enjoy brewing is great. But advising new brewers that fermenting temps aren't important is bad advice, IMHO.

You don't need to brew a recipe multiple times to taste the hot alcohols or excessive esters often produced by fermenting ale yeasts at 75 degrees. Those flavors will be apparent to nearly anyone, and they won't be pleasant.

When the beer temp dropped more CO2 was able to remain in solution. Plus, the ferment may have been close to being done. I'd RDWHAHB on this.

I think it's ok to allow the temp to raise a bit after the initial gust of fermentation is complete.

And yeah, I am pretty sure that anyone who's experienced a warm ferment can pick out the tell tale flavors. The difference in taste since I started using a temp controller and fridge has been amazing. I wish I had understood the importance of keeping the temps down when I first started. My ales have been MUCH better since I started fermenting in the low to mid 60s.

Pappers_ said:

I'm pretty confident that for most ale yeasts (Belgians excepted) that nearly everyone will be able to taste the difference between a beer fermented at 75 and another at 62. The difference may not be important to you, but there is a noticeable difference that will be plainly noticeable to most palates.

That being said, the advice above about not stressing out is good - its your first brew, you're making beer, enjoy it

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Pappers, I did a hydro reading today and it came out at 1.011 (started at 1.030 as I topped off with water to get 5 gallons). I was thinking of waiting until Sunday and doing another reading and then waiting a few more days until I start checking daily to make sure fermentation is done. How much lower do you think the SG could go?

ETA: I am doing much better at relaxing on it just want to make sure I follow proper protocol from here on out.

that should be as low as it goes. My preference is to wait for it to clear... in other words, I ignore the calendar and let the beer tell me when it's done rather than me trying to tell the beer when I expect it to be

sgoehner said:

It is right at 68 now after being out of the swamp cooler, I am going to have to work on the ice additions because the room it is in is running around 72 right now and will go up a little in the next couple of days because of the weather, even though that is the coolest room in the house. I had planned on waiting to take a reading until Monday.

ETA, I am brewing the Northern Brewer Innkeeper Extract with Grains recipe using Wyeast 1768 English Bitter yeast (which I might add smelled amazing)

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I made a batch of this a few months ago. Fermented at about 69, and it turned out great. When you prime for bottling use the whole pack of sugar that came with the kit. I tried to carb to style and only used an ounce of priming sugar for a 5gal batch on this one and it turns out that I don't like flat beer as much as I do carbonated beer. That is the only thing that would have made this beer better.

i doubt you'll go any lower than that using extract

afraziaaaa said:

I made a batch of this a few months ago. Fermented at about 69, and it turned out great. When you prime for bottling use the whole pack of sugar that came with the kit. I tried to carb to style and only used an ounce of priming sugar for a 5gal batch on this one and it turns out that I don't like flat beer as much as I do carbonated beer. That is the only thing that would have made this beer better.

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Mine did not come with a seperate package of priming sugar, I have some however and was planning on using the amount in the directions.

ETA: How much sugar was in the priming pack. My pack came with 1 lb of corn sugar that the directions indicated was to be added along with the DME and LME

shafferpilot said:

that should be as low as it goes. My preference is to wait for it to clear... in other words, I ignore the calendar and let the beer tell me when it's done rather than me trying to tell the beer when I expect it to be

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I get that, one question though, since I am still new, how do I know when the beer is clear. When took my reading today there were a few bubbles on the surface with the a little bit of the hops floating around, but the liquid itself was clear. Are you refering to everything being settled?

yep. shine a bright flashlight through it and observe from the opposite side. It should look extremely clear all the way down to a hard packed sediment layer. If you can't see the flashlight, it aint done yet. If it's hazy or cloudy all the way through, it aint done yet; if its even slightly hazy in the bottom couple inches, it aint done yet. If just bumping it slightly causes sediment to lift and move around, it aint done yet. Get it?

shafferpilot said:

yep. shine a bright flashlight through it and observe from the opposite side. It should look extremely clear all the way down to a hard packed sediment layer. If you can't see the flashlight, it aint done yet. If it's hazy or cloudy all the way through, it aint done yet; if its even slightly hazy in the bottom couple inches, it aint done yet. If just bumping it slightly causes sediment to lift and move around, it aint done yet. Get it?

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Got it, I am using a plastic primary, if that makes a difference. I really don't plan on doing much to it for a while anyways.

Oh... well yes, it makes a different since you can't see what's happening... And THAT is why I hate using buckets....

Pappers_ said:

I think your advice to relax and enjoy brewing is great. But advising new brewers that fermenting temps aren't important is bad advice, IMHO.

You don't need to brew a recipe multiple times to taste the hot alcohols or excessive esters often produced by fermenting ale yeasts at 75 degrees. Those flavors will be apparent to nearly anyone, and they won't be pleasant.

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I didn't mean to advise him to completely ignore ferm temps, sorry if it sounded like that. I meant to advise him to relax in this situation. The OP said directions recommended 65-73 ferm range and he was worried when he was at 70-71.

I've let my ferm temp hit 78 for a few days on 1 batch and I couldn't taste any off flavors. However I typically brew brown or amber ales and IPAs so I would imagine darker and hoppier brews could hide off flavors.

Point being, relax and don't worry. If the directions give you a range and your temp is within that range you'll be fine.

Hey Shaffer,

Is it done yet? Haha

For future brews, sgoehner, take the advice above and relax...

If you can start it closer to your desired range, better...but not critical. Moving it to the cooler environment certainly APPEARED to stop your yeast activity, but you did nothing of the sort. As long as you're within the range, you're fine. The yeast know what to do.

I ferment all my ales at 62. they settle in, get comfortable, and then go crazy. Yours will be fine too.

Welcome to HBT, to brewing, to this new hobby...and congrats on the brew!

Just to chime in again, I also didn't mean to tell the OP that temps are irrelevant, just that when I first started some 20 years ago, I too was worried about the high temps and relatively quick fermentation times I was getting but then always very surprised at how good the result tasted. Especially my first batch which I remember being completely positive would be a total disaster!

It's important to keep in mind that most beginning brewers are coming off big commercial bland beers. The explosion of microbrews today makes this statement a little less accurate, but I still feel that it bears mentioning since so many still come to homebrew from the Bud/Corona/Heiny experience.

Like anything else, brewing at home can be made as complicated as we want but I think it's important to let beginners know that they can relax and enjoy the process at a relatively simple kit level and still get results that are far better tasting than the 12 pack of Bud Light at the grocery store.

But yeah, eventually, you'll want to get those temps under control! in fact, that's the first step you take when you want to get to the next level!