Fermenting done, no secondary. Lower temp?

I have 5 gallons of beer in my primary 6.5 glass carboy. I used California Ale Yeast which ive been keeping at about 68 degrees and it fermented well for 3 days, its now been 10 days since i pitched, the fermenting seems to be done. I dont have a scondary to rack to, but should i lower the temperature for the next week or two while i let the beer clear?

It won't hurt but you don't need to. My "house" beer goes two weeks in the primary with no special temperature control (other than that it is kept in a cool place - mid-60s) and then straight to bottle, and it comes out fine.

The reason is ask is becuase i have a heater to keep the temp around 68. So i guess it wont matter if i turn it off now, as long as it doesnt drop below 60?

It's good to cold condition Ale, it'll take longer to clear but if you're not pushed for time then cooler is better than hot. I need heating to keep at at 18+. As soon as my FG is hit then I remove the heating and let it sit till it clears.

cpbergie said:

The reason is ask is becuase i have a heater to keep the temp around 68. So i guess it wont matter if i turn it off now, as long as it doesnt drop below 60?

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Fwiw, my basement is about 58 F and after I bottle I just stick everything down there. Some stuff takes a little longer than others, depending on many factors. Buuut, I have noticed you just let it sit and it clears nicely. Carbonation can take a bit longer than the 'standard' week though. Depending on the style, like mentioned by SteveM, I have some that just go 2 weeks in the primary and then into bottles. I tend to rack high gravity beers or special stuff to the secondary.

Thanks for the info! my wife will be happy to have the heater back in the bedroom.