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PeteOz77

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Yeah, I know i misquoted it ;)

I have been brewing beer for a extended period of 6 days now, and despite my incredible amount of experience, I still have doubts in my abilities.... LOL

Here's the question.

I brewed a Dublin stout from extract 4 days ago, along with a Munich Lager. Both of them took off within 4 hours or so, which I attributed to starting the yeast ahead of pitching it. I know they were both started warmer than is probably suggested, and they have been fermenting at around 27°C (80°F)

The stout bubbled right along for about 2 1/2 days, then settled into gurgling about once a minute, while the Lager is still bubbling about every 10 seconds.

Is this normal, or do i have a problem?

I am off to the Local Brewing Shop to pick up another extract or two and will talk to the guys there as well, but I thought you might like to give a NEWB some input.

Also, because I am in Australia, and it summer here.. and HOT I may have to brew in a fridge that has been turned up to a warmer setting than usual, as I don't think I can keep these babies as cool as they need to be right now. Would it be OK to CHILL the water that I add to the dissolved extract? I know if I can start the fermenting at a cooler temp it should stay cooler for the entire process.

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
They are probably OK and fermenting right along, but 80 degrees is a tad warm. You need to find a way to get the fermentation temp down to the low 70s at a minimum for future brews. You will notice a big difference. At that temperature, your beer may have a fruity or ethanol aroma to it.
 
Thanks EdWort for the input, it's most appreciated. the LHBS suggests sitting it in a tub of water with a couple of big ice blocks added each day, or wrapping them in a wet towel and setting up a fan.

Maybe I'll take them to work and put them in the server room!
 
I was about to say how the heck do u have 80 for your temp in December.. LOL Than I looked at your home...

80 is way to warm..try water and throw some ice in it and check every day.

Jay
 
Done!

Bathtub is 1/2 full with 3 X fermenters in it. 4 X 1.25L frozen water bottles floating in it as we speak. as soon as I get the temps down to around 70°F, I will try to stabilise it there.

How will these few days of fermenting it too warm affect the taste? EdWort reckons that temp for the full ferment will make it taste fruity... I wonder if changing the temp 1/2 way through will help diminish that effect?

Glad I asked the question here!
 
ummmm The brew has gone quiet, which means it has only brewed for 2 1/2 days. I have dropped the temp to 21°C (70°F) and it seems to be completely dead.

What's the next step? DO I add more yeast to get it going again, wait it out, or give up on it? I was really hoping to enjoy this stout, but it looks like I may have stuffed it up :(

Sorry guys, I know I am a NewB bear with me
 
At a high temperature like 80 degrees, the beer will ferment furiously fast. So, be patient- it's probably done with most of the fermentation, but the yeast will now clean up after itself, eating its own waste products and improving the taste.

High temperature fermentations usually have some off-flavors associated with them- some fruity "esters" and sometimes a band-aid like flavor. Even so, it will be better than 75% of the stuff you can buy in the store! Keeping it at 70 degrees will greatly improve it.

Edit- and yes, be patient! Leave it at least a week or 10 days before you even think about it again!
 
You may have to just chalk this one up to a learning experience. I fermented one of my first beers in the 80 degree range and it was very fruity and not very pleasant. However, a stout may be forgiving. The acridness may take over the fruitiness.

However, the Munich Lager may be toast. What kind of yeast did you use for that beer?
 
yeah, the munich Lager worries me more. if you used a real lager yeast, at 80 degrees....
 
OK, so I got impatient and decided to test the FG of the stout, figuring that if it was at or around 1.020 like the LHBS said it should finish at, then it must be done brewing. It was at 1.042, so I have it a bit of a shake and put the fermenter back in the cool water. It has perked up again, so I'll check it again in a few days. I drank the test brew from the hydrometer tube... YUMMY! This is gonna taste nice when it's finished!
 
When I have done in the past to help combat our "warm" summers is to soak the carboy in a tab of water with an old t-shirt over it that hangs into the water. I then setup a small fan to blow at the carboy and regularly (2-times a day) re-wet the t-shirt. The evaporative cooling will get the fermentation temp much lower than the ambient room temperature.
 
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