Ah Oh :-(

[BillTheSlink]

I think I may have a problem. I know everyone say's it's hard to spoil a brew, but I might have. If you'll recall I did my first batch, a Hefe Weizen, Saturday. I found out my thermometer was reading way off and it was much hotter when I pitched and aerated. I also screwed up on the "fermometer" strip in two ways. I thought they ran vertical not horizontal, so half of it is above the brew in the foam. I also, like a dumb bunny, covered the carboy with a wet towel and put the fan on it to lower the temps because they were off the chart on the strip. I forgot that the towel would artificially cool the fermometer when I looked at it. Even with the wet towel on the strip it was reading 74 degrees. Fermentation was fast and furious and now appears to be just about over. The airlock bubbles once every two-three seconds. I will probably start taking gravity readings Thursday, but do you think from what I described I really did a number on my beer? Having never had this style before, when I do try it in a few weeks what type of off flavors should I be trying to taste to see if I did it wrong, so I know if I ever want to try it again. The color is looking good though; it has gotten considerably lighter and more appealing. I am kicking around the idea of perhaps putting it in a secondary for a while, which I know isn't normal for the style. I am just having second thoughts on what a real "yeasty" feeling in the mouth would be. Anyone ever tried it? Yeast was Wyeast German Wheat #3333

BillTheSlink

 

[histo320]

Honestly, in my opinion I would not worry. On both of my fermenters I have the strip on vertically but right in the middle of the bucket.

When you ferment at a high temperature you may end up getting some off flavors but you never know, that may turn out to be a good thing. What were the appox. temps of fermentation? Ideally when I brew I want to ferment at 72F, but I have experienced as high as 76F with great results.

 

[BillTheSlink]

Honestly, in my opinion I would not worry. On both of my fermenters I have the strip on vertically but right in the middle of the bucket.

When you ferment at a high temperature you may end up getting some off flavors but you never know, that may turn out to be a good thing. What were the appox. temps of fermentation? Ideally when I brew I want to ferment at 72F, but I have experienced as high as 76F with great results.

Quite frankly it wouldn't surprise me if it was over 80 degrees the way it was churning and with the wet towel on the fermenter thermometer read 75 when I would peak at it.

 

[WBC]

You are right to be concerned. The best beer you will brew is one that ferments in the lower end of the suggested temperature range of the yeast you are using. For Norringham (R) yeast it can be 60F and if you are sanitary will be very good beer every time. Try this temperature 1 time and you will never ferment warm again because the flavor will be awesome.

 

[llazy_llama]

Bill: Even if you do get some off flavors (and I believe that you will) from the high fermentation temperatures, the beer still isn't ruined. Basically any off flavor other than oxidation, autolysis, or infection will mellow with time. I had an IPA that jumped up almost to 80 degrees during fermentation, and I didn't notice it in time. Man, you want to talk about bubblegum, this beer had it! 3 months later, it tastes just fine.

Moral of the story: don't be afraid to just archive this beer for 3-60 months and try it later. It might just turn out to be one of your best brews.

 

[BillTheSlink]

I'll do that. Just for kicks I'll taste it at week five (or whenever it's been in the bottles three weeks if I put it in secondary) and have a couple to remember it by and plan of putting them away for awhile. I did upgrade to O2 absorbing caps so they'll keep for quite a while I guess. Meanwhile I'll brew my Cincinnati Cream Ale and put her in this big blue round tub like thing I saw at the store, fill with water, and throw in those reusable polar ice packs once a day, and with my wet towel and ceiling fan I think I'll be alright. I have to go to the local brew store though. I'll have to get a new thermometer and some more of what Northern Brewer calls "Brew Haulers" if they have them. I forgot to put the thing on when I filled up with sanitizer in the kitchen and of course some sloshed out and got the carboy wet and slippery and I am trying to carry this out to my concrete patio. It was a recipe for death or disaster because I could barely lift it anyway. It's a sling like thing that gives you handles to grab. We should make a stickie that if your using glass you should have something like this. I am going to get some Star San too. There was some times I needed an instant spray and cheated a bit touching this or that (no worries though. No sign of infection and we certainly know the yeast took off like a shot and would have overwhelmed anything.

Bill

 

[ZBrewMan]

Moral of the story: don't be afraid to just archive this beer for 3-60 months and try it later.

Ya, 60 months might be the right time frame for the two batches I just fermented at around 85 degrees!

 

[Revvy]

Lemme put it into perspective for you, and save you a lot of "new bewer nerves"...Which we call noobitus.....

Beer has been made for over 5,000 years in some horrific conditions, and still it managed to survive and be popular, like in the desert....It was even made before Louis Pasteur understood germ theory....

If beer turned out bad back then more than it turned out good..then beer would have gone the way of the dodo bird, New Coke, or Pepsi Clear...

It is very very very hard to ruin your beer....it surprises us and manages to survive despite what we do to it...

I want you to read these threads and see..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/has-anyone-ever-messed-up-batch-96644/

And this thread to show you how often even a beer we thnk is ruined, ends up being the best beer you ever made, if you have patience....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

Just read those, realize how reziliant our beer really is, and relax.

 

[EvilTOJ]

I liked Pepsi Clear

 

[Revvy]

I liked Pepsi Clear

You are the second person on here who said that...you guys just didn't drink enough of it.

 

[bsruther]

Bill, is your cream ale a little kings clone?

 

[BillTheSlink]

Bill, is your cream ale a little kings clone?

To be honest, I can't answer that. I am pretty sure it would be since I know of no other "cream ale" ever made here, but my memories only date back to the late 70's and Big Bird at the time was more important than beer, but I watched a lot of TV (Only Child) and back then beer commercials were fun, so I remember a lot of them.
Bill

 

[Catch-22]

My two cents, and in this economy is only worth about pocket lint, is it will be fine. If anything, I'll send you my address and you can send it to me for some vigorous field testing.

 

[springer]

I also screwed up on the "fermometer" strip in two ways. I thought they ran vertical not horizontal, so half of it is above the brew in the foam. I also, like a dumb bunny, covered the carboy with a wet towel and put the fan on it to lower the temps because they were off the chart on the strip. I forgot that the towel would artificially cool the fermometer when I looked at it. Even with the wet towel on the strip it was reading 74 degrees. Fermentation was fast and furious and now appears to be just about over. ? Yeast was Wyeast German Wheat #3333

BillTheSlink

Relax the temp is the temp there is no such thing as artificially cooling . If the strip thermo reads 74° then that is the temp as they fairly accurate.Wet towel and fan can lower the temps by a good 5-10° from ambient. Wheat beers have vigorous fermentation even at 65° mine had major blowoff in a swamp cooler at 65° .tWyeast #3333 ideal temp is 63° -75° so you were higher just by a little inside the carboy. it will be good beer

 

[BillTheSlink]

Thanks guys,

From what I've been reading that yeast when fermented above the optium temp gives somewhat of a banana flavor, which I am sure it could be worse than banana flavored beer that's supposed to taste like bread. I'm sure it won't be a total loss and I'll learn from it. I'm going to plan the cream ale for a week from this Saturday and pick up some Star San, 12oz bottles, and Wyest for my Scottish 80 in the mean time. I'm still going with dry for my Irish Red Ale.

Bill