goplayoutside
Well-Known Member
Hey Beer People--
My ferments are coming in a little high, have had no issues w/ bottle bombs but would like the beers a bit drier. The stick-on thermometer on my plastic bucket fermenter tends to read around 60-62F, but fluctuates due to changes in ambient temp from the climate. I So I am very pleased to have picked up a used adjustable aquarium heater that will keep water in my basement utility sink at 68-70F, which I was planning to use as a water bath to try to get stronger ferments (I am also trying some other things like switching to DME that I expect will ferment dry, and adding my extract late in the boil to combat caramelization of the beer in a partial boil, mashing is not an option).
Here are my two questions (I am basically trying to figure out what temp to set my water bath at):
-How warm should I ferment my ales if I am hoping to get complete fermentations?
-When people or books say "I fermented at 62-64F" or whatever temp, are they talking about the temp of the room (for me, the water bath) or the internal temp of the fermentation? I will do some experimenting and adjust my thermostat to hit whichever target, but I need to know what to aim at.
Thanks!
My ferments are coming in a little high, have had no issues w/ bottle bombs but would like the beers a bit drier. The stick-on thermometer on my plastic bucket fermenter tends to read around 60-62F, but fluctuates due to changes in ambient temp from the climate. I So I am very pleased to have picked up a used adjustable aquarium heater that will keep water in my basement utility sink at 68-70F, which I was planning to use as a water bath to try to get stronger ferments (I am also trying some other things like switching to DME that I expect will ferment dry, and adding my extract late in the boil to combat caramelization of the beer in a partial boil, mashing is not an option).
Here are my two questions (I am basically trying to figure out what temp to set my water bath at):
-How warm should I ferment my ales if I am hoping to get complete fermentations?
-When people or books say "I fermented at 62-64F" or whatever temp, are they talking about the temp of the room (for me, the water bath) or the internal temp of the fermentation? I will do some experimenting and adjust my thermostat to hit whichever target, but I need to know what to aim at.
Thanks!