California Lager Yeast - 75-78 deg F

[BarleyThief37]

Hello,

I'm aiming for a hoppy/steam beer - pitched onto a yeast cake of 2112 (Cali-common lager/steam beer yeast) last night. Wort was around 72 degrees.
Checked it this morning and the fermentation was raging! The thermometer was reading around 78 degrees. For reference the basement is 68-70 this time of year...

Has anybody fermented this yeast within this temp range? What kind of flavor ramifications can I expect? Thanks in advance!

- BarleyThief

 

[Dcpcooks]

You will likely see fruity esters and some hot fusel alcohol. Your hot for that strain. Since your still at the beginning of fermentation you can still take some action. I'd suggest you look at swamp coolers. Basically it's a container large enough to hold your bucket or carboy. Add cool water and wrap the fermentor with a towel or old shirt. The evaporation will help dissipate heat and lower your ferm temps.

Most off flavors from high temps are created in the first three days of fermentation. So that's the window of time you need to keep temps down.