80 degree bottle conditioning temperatures

[tiredofbuyingbeer]

I know there are a ton of bottle conditioning/temperature threads, but none of them quite seems to answer the question I have.

My apartment is usually in the high 70s or low 80s (typically varies between 77 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit). I brew much cooler--low 60s for ales, thanks to one of those insulated cooling bags and frozen water bottles. My question is: is it worth it for me to worry about off-flavors from bottle conditioning at 77-81? How likely am I to get off-flavors from doing this? Note that I usually ferment for a decent amount of time: 3-5 weeks for an IPA.

For perspective on the "is it worth it?" question: I'm not going to cool my apartment further. I live in an old, heavily insulated brick building without central air in the northeast, so lowering my room temperature would be impractical and expensive. I'd have to buy a pretty big cooler for 48 bottles, and then I'd have to fool around with frozen water bottles for another piece of equipment every day. Plus, I live in an apartment, and I'm not sure I want to devote more space to brewing equipment.

Am I getting off flavors now? Well, the first batch of beer I brewed was pitched at a high temperature and spent a few days at high temperatures while I was out of town. It did have off-flavors: yeasty and fusely. (EDIT: these flavors improved over time while the beer sat in an 80 degree closet and conditioned longer, and when it sat for longer in the fridge.) The second batch seems fatally oxidized. The third batch is carbing now, but it's a saison, so I'm not sure I would call high temp flavors "off" for that style. Right now, my fourth beer is fermenting, an IPA. It's the beer I'm worried about.

 

[Double_D]

I would say you kind of have an "it is what it is" situation. If you can't or won't cool your apartment to a more favorable temp, don't want to mess with another cooler, and don't want to devote more space to brewing equipment the only other thing I can think of would be to change yeast strains to something more heat tolerant.

Edit: what about putting the bottles close together and draping a towel over them, like the swamp cooler method of cooling a fermenter? You wouldn't need another cooler, maybe a laundry basket or something. It should get you down 10 degrees or so.

 

[KepowOb]

The only space I have is rather hot too, mid-80s in the summer.

For long term storage it's terrible. For bottle conditioning it's fine.

 

[ChelisHubby]

80 degrees won't hurt bottled beer while it conditions. After 6 weeks cool it if you can and if you can't don't worry. If you are storing the beer for 6 months or more then the warm temps will matter but if you are drinking fresh beer it will be fine.

 

[JimRausch]

As CH says, the 80* during bottle fermentation won't hurt because there is actually very little fermentation going on, and more importantly for off-flavors, very little new yeast growth, which is the time when most of the off-flavors get produced.
When they are carbonated, then do your best to store them at < 70* (40*-50* is best for longterm storage).

 

[EDF713]

I've bottle carbed in those temperatures many times (hard not to in Houston), you won't have any issues. I do recommend keeping them cooler once carbed if you can just because they'll keep longer. One thing I've done to help is I have a 4.5 cf mini fridge I bought off Craigslist I use with a temperature controller as a ferm chamber, then use as a beer fridge when I'm not fermenting. It's space friendly enough for my wife not to complain, but big enough for either a brew bucket or two cases of beer. May not be an option for your apartment, but worth considering.