good yeast @ 68-72F?

I'm itching to brew, but I don't have any temp control. Though my basement maintains a pretty constant temperature, it is somewhere in the vicinity of 70oF. Since New England right now is in a bit of a reprieve from the heat, with night time temps down in the 50s, I figure now is my window to get something brewing.

I'd like to brew up something along the lines of a pale ale or amber. Realistically, even with the nice temps, I will need to ferment in the 68-72F range. What yeast would you recommend at these temps? I'm game for just about anything - American, English, German - but NOT Belgian (haven't acquired a taste yet).

Thanks.

fellow new englander here. ive been using s-05 at around 68-70 with good results

Hi Jlem, when the outdoor temps are high and my cellar temps get up to 70ish, I put my fermenter in a large cooler with water and a frozen 2 liter soda bottle. This drops the temp a few degrees and all i do is swap out the bottle every day (or twice a day if I'm around). Very easy way to ferment a little cooler.

I trust the weather in New England as much as I trust our politicians (I live in the Boston area).

I made a little swamp cooler for my latest batch. A shallow plastic or metal tub with some cold water (I plan on swapping out picnic cooler ice packs), covered the carboy with an old towel (doubles as a light blocker) and then pointed a fan at it.

It's fermenting at 68F right now (if I can trust my fermometer). Room temp is 78F

Another plus of having some sort of "tub of cold water" under your carboy is that it will catch any blowoff you might get.

good idea about the swamp cooler. i can probably do that. Any yeast suggestions though for temps on the higher side? Just want to play it safe.

The problem with a 70-72 degree ambient temp is that during peak fermentation, the internal temp of the beer may be in the upper 70s. But assuming the beer doesn't get above 72, us-05 is good in that range and is perfect for a pale or amber. A hefeweizen yeast is also good around there, but you said pale or amber so that rules it out. Also, I really like Ringwood yeast at around 70. It could make a very nice, if a bit flavorful and aromatic pale or amber. It may require some rousing though, but I think it's worth it. It has great flavor.

Any of the chico strains should be pretty good at your temps (S-05, WLP001, Wyeast 1056). You might get some mild esters, but it should ferment relatively clean up to ~74F. I'd definately stay away from Nottingham at those temps. If you wanted an english yeast, WLP023 or Wyeast 1275 would probably be ok too, but once again would be a little high in esters. Keep in mind that fermentation will create heat, and the beer will be a few degrees higher than ambient temp during active fermentation.