How to Control Fermentation Temp

I just did an all grain African Amber today and pitched 1 package of Safale English Ale S-04 yeast about 5 hours ago. (with no rehydration) Fermentation has kicked of with a running start and going strong, but the temp is around 81 degrees. The house is 69 and I'm not sure if the temp in the carboy will go higher or remain.
Should I take steps to cool it down closer to 70 or leave it?
Thanks
Steve

According to the manufacturer, ideal fermentation temps go as high as 75 for S-04, so you should be okay. However, if it's 69 in your house, it will take a while for the wort to drop. I always try to get the wort to 75 or below when I run the immersion chiller.

At that high of a temperature you're likely to get a fair amount of fruity esters. If it were my beer I would cool it down.

Thank you for the quick replies. I don't think I want the fruity esters either. The house temp should drop to 67 tonight so I will see what the temp is tomorrow morning and if still high I will move it to the garage untill it drops to around 70 or 75. I'ts 55 or 60 out there in the garage.
Thanks again.
Steve

81 is far too high. Fusel alcohols will be produced in massive amounts, along with tons of fruity esters.

I'd cool it down. One way is to partially submerge the carboy in cool water (65 to 70 degrees) and wrap it with a wet towel. I fill a large plastic bin with water and place the carboy inside of the bin ... although a bathtub or any other large container will work. Blowing air on it with a small fan will help also.

I'm doing this now with my beers and they are fermenting nicely at 68 degrees.

Oh, yeah 81 is really high, somehow I got 75 in my mind, from the second post. Most of the fusels and esters will be produced in the first part of fermentation, and your fermentation is producing heat so it may not cool down in a 67-70* room... I would try a tub of cool water or something that can actually reduce the temp by 10* fairly soon.

UPDATE: Temp was down to 75 this morning so I moved it out to where it is 60 deg ambient temp. Weather report shows it dropping down into the 50's today so I think I will be able to get the fermentation down to 69 or 70 without to much problem.

I've been struggling with the same issue here in TX with outside temps in the 80's-90's. House stays around 74, but my IPA hit 81 during the first 3 days before finally getting back down to 73-75. I pitched at 73, ferm creates so much damn heat. I hope the almost 3oz of dry hops can cut down some of those fusels and esters i tasted last SG reading. I think I'll be trying the water + fan trick on the next batch. I have a large Rubbermaid rope handle bucket that would do nicely. I may just resign to buying a temp controller and doing lagers all summer though. Has anyone had much success doing the water immersion in areas with higher ambient temps?
I really hate to think my ale days are numbered due to the spring/summer heat, as they are my fav.

Craigslist upright 21 cf freezer and a love controller was one of the best upgrades I ever did. Total cost was under 200 and what a difference in taste. The freezer can hold 4 carboys, so with ten gallon batches, I have a nice rotation. The top part of the freezer I can hold 4-6 degrees warmer when I use a wood divider, same temp with a wire.

Yeah, I just started gathering the components to make a ferm chanber. Bought a mini fridge yesterday at a garage sale, and am looking for temp controllers now. I'm generally holding at 72 for many of my fermentations, and want to get that down to 65.

I would definitely cool it down unless you want a beer loaded with esters and fusel oils. 81 is waaaaaaay too high. Set yourself up a swamp cooler and get the temp down below 70*, ideally 68*. The first 48 hours of fermentation are critical: yeast stress during this time will generally result in undesirable flavors. Manufacturer recommendations are based on ideal lab conditions, not flavor.

The ferm temp is now down to 68. I hope I'm not to late. It's been going for 15 or 16 hours now.

The best and cheapest way to cool a carboy is to put it in your bath tub to ferment (also makes for easy clean up if it gets really active) and drape the carboy with towels that have been soaked with water. If simple static evaporation doesn't cool them enough, you can place a fan that moves air across the carboy. Evaporation is a cooling process.

Or, talk the wife into building a brew shed with an insulated, heated and cooled fermentation closet either a converted chest freezer or upright freezer or refrigerator.

What ever you choose to do, make sure you control temperature in the fermenter, not the room or fermentation chamber.

BTW, 81 is too high and maybe, the fusel alcohols produced cannot be cleaned up later in fermentation, not to mention the banana and bubble gum esters.

I did a little experiment in my basement. I filled my carboy with water and set it on the concrete and would monitor the temp for a couple of days. With a glass car boy sitting directly on the basement concrete it stayed right at 62-64, if i elevated the carboy on something/not touching the concrete it would stay right at 68. when my beer was in its primary fermenting sitting directly on the concrete the temp went up to 74. I put a wet towel around it and it dropped back down to the mid 60s. so this tells me that a beer in its primary fermentation produces quite a bit of heat and has to be regulated. One idea i would suggest is buying a big plastic container that your carboy/bucket can sit in and fill it up with some water and maybe even placing in some frozen water bottles to keep the water chill. Once your primary fermentation is over the beer should keep at whatever your room temperature is. my 2 cents