fermentation question

[Sneakytiki]

I am new to brewing as this is my first batch. I am brewing an American Ale. I boiled the wort on friday, cooled it down, and pitched 2 packets of dry yeast at around 76 degrees. The OG was 1.058.

I began seeing airlock activity after about 8 hours, and saturday morning it was bubbles pretty frequently. It was late sunday when I noticed that I pretty much stopped bubbling completely. We have experienced a heat wave over the last few days, 90-100 degrees. I managed to keep the temp of the brew at around 76 in a closet of my apartment, but I am not sure how hot it might have gotten while I was at work and such during the day.

I am worried that maybe the hot temperatures have killed my yeast because there was only a day and a half to two days of visible activity. Is there reason to worry? Should I repitch some yeast?

Thanks.

 

[Yooper]

Oh, it slows down when it's about done, so you don't have to worry about the yeast dying. At high temperatures, fermentation can go fast. The yeast isn't dead- no need to repitch more yeast. Of course, you can always check with a hydrometer to see if the fermentation is really finished.

I'd be concerned about the temperature only because of the off-flavors that will develop from such a hot fermentation. If the ambient temperature is 76, it could be as much as 82 or more INside the fermenter. I use a big igloo cooler, and put my fermenter in that along with some water and some frozen water bottles to keep the temperature of the fermenter under 70 degrees. Do you have a stick on thermometer to check the temperature of the wort? That's the easiest way to monitor the temps.

And, welcome to the forum!

 

[Sneakytiki]

Yes, It is a stick on thermo. It only goes up to 76 degrees though and it has pretty consistantly been right around there. I was thinking of moving it to my roommate's air conditioned room, but he only has it on at night so I figured the fluctuation of temperature from day to night might be worse for the beer than a constant 76. Maybe I should give that a try?

 

[Yooper]

Well, if you put a blanket around it, (or use the cooler method I described), it helps insulate it from temperature swings. You're right- temperature swings aren't good, but high temperatures can really cause some nasty flavors like fusel alcohols and fruity flavors called esters. Fusel alcohols are the "hot" alcohol taste and they taste bad, plus cause some nasty hangovers.

I ferment all my ales in the low to mid 60s if possible, with good results. Of course, I live in a cold climate!

 

[Sneakytiki]

Yeah I thought CT was a coldish climate... didn't account for this sudden heat wave though haha

I'll try the AC room and wrap up the fermentor in a towel. In the meantime I'll look for a good storage cooler as you said. I have a kegerator, but I can't control the temperature in it and it would be way too cold, would be better for a lager.

Thanks a lot!

 

[malkore]

keep in mind you really don't need two sachets of yeast nowadays. they do a good job of drying it and keeping it viable, as long as its within the expiration.

i think you had an extremely fast primary due to yeast quantity and temperatures...but it STILL has to be in the primary for at least a week. you'll probably have a fairly fruity beer on your hands.

A swamp cooler setup works well for warmer months, especially if you can rig a small fan to blow on it, or a central a/c vent that's on or close to the floor.

 

[Sneakytiki]

I just rigged up a system with a cooler that doesn't fit the entire fermentation bucket. I have it sitting in it with a few ice packs and frozen water bottles. To prevent the cold air from getting out (since it can't close) I draped a towel over the top to insulate it a bit. Over night when its cooler anyway I'll refreeze the water for the next day (supposed to be a high of 100 tomorrow).

We'll see how well it works I guess

 

[eddie]

Do you have a hydrometer? It's an invaluable tool and is inexpensive and easy to use. Using it, you can determine your original gravity and final gravity which will allow you to determine if your beer is done fermenting or not. It'll also help you determine your alcohol content.

70's is pretty hot for a porter ferment but I wouldn't worry about it. It should still be quite tasty. You might want to look into some kind of temperature control for your future brews. It doesn't need to be anything overly fancy and complicated but you defiantly want to try and keep those temperatures down.

 

[Sneakytiki]

Yeah I have a hydrometer, I was just nervous to pop it open if i didn't have too yet, prevent any contamination.

It should be cooler soon, its a freak heat wave. They even closed most of the schools and put out a weather alert because of the damaged ozone or something like that...

In the meantime I will definitely look into some kind of cooling system, wether it be a big cooler or I'll just stop by home depot and build a box out of home insolation. Damn I wish I had air conditioning right now

 

[Blender]

Look for an Igloo Ice Cube 60 QT. or larger. Buckets and carboys fit into them nicely and they have a handle and wheels. You can even rig it up so the lid will close over the airlock.