Cool Fermentation, Then Hot Fermenter?

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hardpack

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So I'm thinking about starting a second batch, but the weather is starting to heat up again. I live in an apartment in the city, and even with the A/C on it's still pretty hot.

I can probably crank the A/C for a day or two (or three), perhaps during the initial fermenting, for the 24-72 hours until the bubbling stops... But it's just not as reasonable to keep it cool for the week or two afterwards, since I'm going away for a handful of days.

Does my fermenter have to stay in sub-70 F (actually, sub-80 F) weather the entire time? Or is it most important to keep the temperatures down during the bubbling time?

I don't want to *not* brew. I'd rather give it a shot, but I want to know what I'm risking. How banana will my banana beer be?

Thanks,

P
 
Sorry to redirect, But Blender i see on that modify link, you would be able to lager with it. It says
"As to primary fermentation, I shoot for 42 degrees for the lagers that I generally brew. Again, it does take a few days to get the entire thermal mass to the right temp, but once there, it’s easy to hold. Using only 3 – 2 liter bottles I was able to hold 42-44 degrees by changing the bottles out every other day."

I really do not get that, shouldn't your wort be cooler
I always thought that you should have the temperatures already low for the first couple of days. If not it will produce esters. To me this makes no sense if it takes a few days to cool down to lagering temperatures, is'int this impractical? Please shine some light on this for me!
 
Sorry to redirect, But Blender i see on that modify link, you would be able to lager with it. It says
"As to primary fermentation, I shoot for 42 degrees for the lagers that I generally brew. Again, it does take a few days to get the entire thermal mass to the right temp, but once there, it’s easy to hold. Using only 3 – 2 liter bottles I was able to hold 42-44 degrees by changing the bottles out every other day."

I really do not get that, shouldn't your wort be cooler
I always thought that you should have the temperatures already low for the first couple of days. If not it will produce esters. To me this makes no sense if it takes a few days to cool down to lagering temperatures, is'int this impractical? Please shine some light on this for me!

I really can't help much since I have not brewed lagers. I don't know if I would rely on this method for lagers but it will work fine for ale temps.
 
I believe most experienced brewers go with a modified chest freezer for lagering. I do not believe a conventional fridge can get below 40-35 degree reliably. You use a Johnson Temperature controller to regulate the temperature. However if you live is a small place, a freezer or fridge may not be suitable.

I've been using the cooler method for Ale's and it works great. My ambient temp is 85 degree and my chest cooler is 60-62 degree. I can get it even lower, but it comes down to how much ice I wanted to add.

One other method is to get a LOVE temp controller ($45.99+shipping). Put a water pump into a 60 or 75 qt ($28.99 to 69.99) cooler, and plug it to the controller. Then attach the water pump ($19.99) to a copper coil emersed in another cooler fill with ice (you can probably use your wort chiller). Set the temp controller to what ever temp you want and the pump will do the rest. Again however, you do need to keep that ice bath cold. I saw this method on another site. Very easy and does not need electrical modification.

The most bang for your buck seems to be the cooler method. Unless you want to build a son-of-a-fermentator. Otherwise, brew ales during the summer and lagers during the winter.
 

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