Did I ruin my beer?

[SteveHeff]

I made a Blonde ale. Pretty simple recipe. I ended up using Danstar Nottingham for my yeast. Here is what happened:

After pitching my yeast at 74 degrees, I placed my fermenting bucket in my basement. I've had great results with other yeasts in my basement (as recently as November). The problem is, after 3 days, I was only getting a very slow release from the airlock. I know that this is not always the best way to judge the activity. I thought about using my hydrometer, but I'd rather wait another week to see what happens.

So I pulled the bucket from my basement (59 degrees) to my kitchen (71) and the activity picked up. After 24 hours of being upstairs, SWMBO told me to bring it back to the basement. I figured it would be fine since the activity picked up. After 2 more days in the basement, nada. Not even a whiff of positive pressure in the bucket. I pulled it from the basement and placed it back in the kitchen. I even looked inside and saw virtually nothing on top. Very little yeast, no krausen...just flecks of yeast separation. None of my other beers have ever looked this way 6-7 days into fermenting.

Here's the big question. Even if I repitch (if I have to), will the temperature variances cause off flavors to arise? I figure it's beer. How bad could this possibly be?

 

[RUNningonbrew]

Before you do anything take a gravity reading to see where you're at

 

[day_trippr]

Three days of Notty pitched at 74°F? It was probably done, and the "activity" you saw when you warmed up the beer in the kitchen was dissolved CO2 coming out of solution.

Take a gravity reading...

Cheers!

 

[whiskeyjack]

You may want to get a brewbelt/fermwrap with a temp controller. Either Johnsin A419 or build your own here's a link

 

[SteveHeff]

So I checked my gravity yesterday morning and it was 1.012. Checked again this afternoon and it's down to 1.010. I think I'm going to leave it in the primary a few more days at room temperature. This yeast just does not like the cooler temps of my basement very much.

 

[RUNningonbrew]

1.01 is pretty low, would almost consider it finished, what yeast is it?

 

[SteveHeff]

1.01 is pretty low, would almost consider it finished, what yeast is it?

Nottingham. It's not actively bubbling anymore, so that's a good sign. I'll check FG tomorrow evening. I'm hoping it stays put at .010.

 

[RUNningonbrew]

Good plan