"Oops" fermentation woes

hey guys,
my second batch of beer was the "Cincinnati pale ale" recipe from 'How to Brew'. I had maintained a temperature of 70 degrees for about two and a half weeks, then the other day, i forgot to check. The weather has been pretty warm, and now the fermometer up to 76.
my question is: even though it had been in primary fermentation at the right temperature, will the time spent at 76 create any off flavors?
and two: if this is true, will longer bottle condition fix that?

thanks,
jderm

No.

Temp control is really only crucial in the initial hours of fermentation, like the first 72. If you have a 72 hour initial lag time before it started that would be 6 days, so the first week is important. After that there is no or little yeast production occurring so they won't be putting out any heat generated waste products any more.

I typically only control my temps for about a week via swamp cooling, then don't care. For example, right now I have an IPA sitting around in the ambient temp of 93 degrees and I'm not too worried.

+1 to what Revvy and bobineblitz said.

what the book doesn't tell you is that temp control is only important during primary fermentation which is typically over in a week for most beers in ideal circumstances. so by 2.5 weeks you should be well past the danger zone. extended time in the fermenter will help reduce off flavors (2-3 weeks typically). bottle conditioning will also help reduce some flavors and help harsh flavors to meld into a more pleasing taste.

Excellent, this is just what I needed to know. I have my first batch sitting in my Igloo Cube cooler at 68 degrees F and wanted to brew a porter in a week or two. Sounds like by then I will be fine taking my first beer out of the temperature controlled cooler so I can use it for the initial fermentation of my next batch. Sounds like it will be fine finishing up it's month in primary at the average 75 degrees it stays in our house.

BlackBearForge said:

Excellent, this is just what I needed to know. I have my first batch sitting in my Igloo Cube cooler at 68 degrees F and wanted to brew a porter in a week or two. Sounds like by then I will be fine taking my first beer out of the temperature controlled cooler so I can use it for the initial fermentation of my next batch. Sounds like it will be fine finishing up it's month in primary at the average 75 degrees it stays in our house.

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yep i agree with everything you said. good call on leaving it in the primary for a month. i know that's not easy with your first batch.

I'd go so far as to say you did a good thing by raising the temp to 76 after fermentation. Higher temps will cause the yeast to metabolize faster, so once the main fermentation is over, raising the temp up will speed up the "clean up" processes. This is essentially the idea behind a diacetyl rest.