Effect of temperature on fermentation rate

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

As heat is produced by the chemical reactions during fermentation, cooling the fermentation down a few degrees should speed up the rate of fermentation, any thoughts?

 

[hunter_le five]

Why would cooling the fermentation down speed anything up?

 

[AerationStation]

If you're taking about La chatlier's (sp) principle that wouldn't apply to fermentation. Fermentation is a biologically regulated process so you can't really view yeast ferm rate as a single chemo reaction with forward and reverse rates.

 

[raouliii]

Fermentation isn't a chemical reaction. It's an organic process wherein yeast convert sugars into CO2, alcohol and by-products. Yeast tend to prefer a range of temperatures within which they will perform this conversion readily. Increasing the temperature or allowing it to increase, will speed up the process, with an increase in many unwanted by-products. Continuing to increase the temperature outside of the preferred range will eventually kill the yeast. Reducing the temperature will slow down the process, with a decrease in many unwanted by-products. Continuing to decrease the temperature outside of the preferred range will eventually make the yeast go dormant.

 

[Clankenbrew]

Good timing for this.... Im doing 10gallons of a chocolate nut brown that I pitch yeast into on saturday around 2pm. It was rocking and rolling the next morning and continued thru Monday. I checked it today and its stopped dead.
The temp rose to 72 while I was at work. I have it in a fridge thats unplugged. I turn it on every now and again to keep it at 66ish.
Im guessing there may be a leak which is why its not glugging at all. Its a big batch and I pitched 2 packs of us04. Any thoughts... First time fermenting in this container. It now has a blowoff tube into a gallon with sanitizer.
Theres about 6-8" of headspace which was filled with kraussen but it has since dropped. 3days... That seems quick, I'm planning to take my first FG saturday. OG was 1.062.


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[bobtheUKbrewer2]

thanks all - so fermenting at 10 -12 C may give a nice beer...

 

[GuldTuborg]

thanks all - so fermenting at 10 -12 C may give a nice beer...

Maybe. It depends on yeast selection and what you want out of your yeast. Some strains may not ferment at all at 10C. Stick within the manufacturer's suggested range.

Also, I may be misreading you, but there's one other thing to clear up. We should all be clear that a faster fermentation isn't necessarily a better one. Yes, a long, drawn out one is often indicative of problems elsewhere, but minimizing the time between pitching and the end of fermentation isn't something to chase for its own sake. At some point, you're going to negatively affect the quality of your end product.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

many thanks to all !

 

[Gameface]

Maybe. It depends on yeast selection and what you want out of your yeast. Some strains may not ferment at all at 10C. Stick within the manufacturer's suggested range.

Also, I may be misreading you, but there's one other thing to clear up. We should all be clear that a faster fermentation isn't necessarily a better one. Yes, a long, drawn out one is often indicative of problems elsewhere, but minimizing the time between pitching and the end of fermentation isn't something to chase for its own sake. At some point, you're going to negatively affect the quality of your end product.

Unless I have cause to do otherwise I usually stick to the low end of the manufacturer's recommended range. In fact, I've done pretty well a degree or two below the recommended range with several yeasts.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

my best lager ever was brewed in the garage in winter - took 3 weeks to ferment out and when I came to bottle there was a 2 mm sheet of ice across the surface....