Fermentation temp California ale yeast

[Jloewe]

WL 001 in an imperial pb
Cup stout. Originally went with it based off of direction at the LHBS. Usually the basement where I ferment is 68 degrees but it’s jumped up to 72 this week.

I have no temp control. Am
I still good to pitch this yeast with a 72 degree ambient temp? It’s at my dads house as my apartment is too small so Manning a swamp cooler would be difficult.

while it’s not a swamp cooler exactly…. I have one of those big rope handle buckets. Thinking fill that all up partially with water (maybe starsan?)since ground temp well water is like 55 or something.

also considered pitching real low like 60 degrees and the slow rise of the wort should make for a good clean fermentation.

 

[jayfaustini]

I think pitching low is your best bet. But I don't think that going that low is necessarily needed. Bringing it down to the low end of WLP001's recommended range will probably be adequate.
It will rise to ambient and beyond rather quickly. Putting the fermenter in a keg bucket with cool water will slow things down a bit, but without maintaining the temp of the water, only for a matter of hours . It won't hurt. But after the ferment starts producing heat, I would drain it if you can't keep it cool, because unchanged water can act like a heat sink. Using the keg bucket technique without changing the water is best for situations where the ambient temperature fluctuates during the day/night.