Confused on Fermentation Temperature

[zachary80]

I'm having trouble figuring out what is the ideal temperature for fermenting. In my house it is 55 in the basement, about 62 on the ground floor, and 66-67 in my space on the second floor. Now I get confused because from what I understand, the fermentation can add up to 10 degrees but I have no way of measuring.

For example, I have the Northern Brewer peace coffee stout porter in primary right now. I chose the Safale S-04 yeast, and it gives a temperature range of 64-75F. So is that the temperature of the room? Where do I keep my fermenter? Does it change for primary/secondary?

Thanks

 

[bob1852]

yes. the temp is for the fermenting beer. So if it says 64-75 - you don't want your ambient temp to be higher that ~68 or so (there's lots of debate over how much the exothermic reaction of the beer adds to temp - but consensus is 5-10 degrees).

 

[MuddyMo]

Safale S-04 yeast gives a temperature range of 64-75F. So is that the temperature of the room?

No. That is referring to the temperature of the fermenting beer in your primary. During active fermentation this temperature is usually 3 to 6 deg higher than the ambient room temp. As a general rule, fermenting at the lower range seems to get the best results. But your basement is probably not the best option.

 

[MuddyMo]

As for the temp for the secondary stage, research this forum for threads that debate the need for a secondary. You might conclude that extra step is not needed.

 

[SumnerH]

I'm having trouble figuring out what is the ideal temperature for fermenting. In my house it is 55 in the basement, about 62 on the ground floor, and 66-67 in my space on the second floor. Now I get confused because from what I understand, the fermentation can add up to 10 degrees but I have no way of measuring.

For example, I have the Northern Brewer peace coffee stout porter in primary right now. I chose the Safale S-04 yeast, and it gives a temperature range of 64-75F. So is that the temperature of the room? Where do I keep my fermenter? Does it change for primary/secondary?

Thanks

Ideally, get a thermometer to measure fermenting temps.

An ambient temperature of 62 is going to be pretty good for a wide variety of ales, though for some (e.g. hefes or Belgians) you might want to step it up and for others (alts/kolsches/etc) going lower would be nice.

That's a really nice spread of temperatures to have, if they're pretty steady.

 

[Homercidal]

I'd keep it simple and place in the 62 degree area. I think it will be fine right there. Or maybe get a plastic tub from Walmart and place the fermenter in there with some water and an aquarium heater.

But for the yeast you list, I think the 62 would be fine.

The amount of heat produced by yeast is relative to their amount of activity. A lower temp fermentation will produce less heat simply because the yeast are working slower. So while a fermentation at, say 75 might produce a fast ferment with a 6 degree differential, a fermentation at 62 might only produce a 3 degree differential that takes longer.

EDIT: I meant the swamp heater idea for the 55F room...

 

[flabyboy]

you could buy one of those stick on thermometers that they use for aquariums. Put it on your primary and that way you will have a better idea of your fermentation temp. I would stick to your 62 degree ground floor (burr).

 

[eppo]

i used the temperature stickers and it works fine. if your going to put it on the ground floor, you might want to pick up a brew belt. see if you can keep the temp around 65-68, near the end of fermentation jack it up a few degree's to 70 to make sure the yeast finish up.

 

[zachary80]

Alright I have another question. I understand that yeast should finish high.
For my current beer, a Belgian IPA Tripel using 3522 Belgian Ardennes (65-76° F), I am doing a 3-4 week primary and a one month secondary. For the first week the temperature was between 69 to 71 according to the fermometer.
Do I gradually raise the temperature for the next week or so that it seems somewhat active? What temps should I keep for secondary?

edit: Kit instructions say a range of 65 to 85. 65-76 is according to the Wyeast page