Pacman yeast problem!

Ok, so I brewed an AG Rogue Dead Guy Ale clone with Pacman yeast that is supposed to ferment at 60 degress F. Well, thinking my fridge would be suitable for this temp at its lowest setting, I was wrong. I stuck my wort into the fridge overnight only to realize that the temperature has reached 50 degrees! And it is way to hot where I live (Las Vegas) to let it ferment at room temp, which is about 80 degress. I can not find a middle ground to ferment at around 60 degrees. My question is, since there is no middle ground, is it better to let my beer ferment at the lower temp (50 degrees) or the higher temp (80 degrees) while preventing off flavors. Or am I screwed either way? I have heard that Pacman yeast can ferment down to 42 degrees F. Is that true? Any help would be appreciated. thanks!

Um, I would not ferment it at 50F or 80F for that matter. Get yourself a big Rubbermaid tub and some cold water and some bottles of frozen water. Put your carboy in there, cover it up with some towels and depending how hot your ambient temp is, it will usually settle around 60-65F (which is fine). After it is done fermenting, you can move it to a warmer place to let the yeast clean up.

Though, I bet your beer will be fine if you started fermenting it at 50 and were to raise the temp up. You don't want crazy fluctuations in temp. Pacman is my favorite yeast for american styles and I use it a lot. Good luck.

I believe you can buy temp control devices for less than $50 that will shut off the fridge when it drops below a certain temp.

damdaman said:

I believe you can buy temp control devices for less than $50 that will shut off the fridge when it drops below a certain temp.

Click to expand...

Yeah, get a controller and get those temps stable! I have a love controller, works great.