WLP810 at temps above 65F?

So - I bought a couple vials of the White Labs WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast.

The problem is fermentation temperature - I'm going to have to ferment at 75F, because that's the temp the cellar is at and I don't have an easy way to lower temperatures (yet). White Labs says the optimum temp range is 58 to 65F.

So - if I ferment the SF Lager Yeast at 75F to 80F, will the end-result be OK, or should I just go with an Ale yeast? BTW - building a system to control fermentation temperatures better is on the short list.

I plan on making two brews with the SF lager yeast - a czech-style light lager and a Marzen.

I think that's how steam beers are made. Lager yeast at ale temps. But 75 is high for ale yeasts as well. And 80 is real high... probably too high, honestly. You may get some undesirable off flavors. I think optimal temp for ale yeast is 68-70. Try the wet towel trick to cool it down a bit. Wrap a wet towel around the fermenter and place it in a plastic bin of water (your tub will work as well). Make sure part of the towel is in the water so it works like a wick and sucks the water up as it dries off the towel. This will help cool it down a bit.

You may want to make some belgian or german wheat beers like a wit or a hefeweizen. They ferment pretty good at 75.

Try putting some bottles of ice in the tub of water, should be able to get temp. down where you want it.

Swamp cooling. Try the trick of putting an old cotton tee shirt over the fermenter and then setting the whole thing in a tub of water. I was able to get 7-8 deg F below ambient with that trick.

Also there was good article in the May/June Zymurgy about fermenting outside of the recommended temperature ranges. They fermented with a lager yeast at higher temps and got some "slightly fruity, some alcohol and solvent" notes. I've tried it with a lager yeast at 70F and made great beer.

As always, RDWHAHB.

seefresh is somewhat right, there are some lager yeasts that work well at higher temperatures and ale yeasts that work best at lower temperatures...but not extremes. i believe the san francisco lager is this type of "hybrid"

that yeast would be best at 55-60 degrees. if you have to go above 65, i would suggest using an ale yeast if you have the option.

i personally like to keep my ales no higher than 70, unless the recipe truly calls for it.

i'd definitely find a way to cool your fermentation. i use the son-of-fermentation chiller. works excellent...easily 15-20 degrees F below ambient temperature.

Right. Looks like I'm building a son-of-fermentation chiller this week. Nice.

Hero Zzyzzx said:

Right. Looks like I'm building a son-of-fermentation chiller this week. Nice.

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I use one as well, I made mine large enough to hold 2 fermenters. I only have to change out a single ice pack once a day to keep it at 64F with an ambient temperature of about 75F.

I wouldn't be afraid of using it up to 65 or even 70 if I were going for a steam beer, but hotter temps are going to require a cleaner strain that works well in summer heat. Nottingham or maybe a Safale strain (34/70 or 05) perhaps?

The son-of-fermentation chiller has been built. I had to adapt it quite a bit because I fit it into an unused kitchen cabinet. Seems to be working darn well - I've got a pilsner inspired by a recipe of Papazian's in it and temps are right where they need to be for the San Francisco Lager yeast.

I'll put together some pictures soon.

This is a lager yeast and from what I read will do okay UP to 65...

I will be brewing CA Common next week using this yeast for the first time n plan on keeping ambient at about 60.

Damn. that last post was from 2007.

This could be a waking up the dead record!!!

Poobah58 said:

This could be a waking up the dead record!!!

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I'm going to go bump the first post ever made.