Fermentation temp too warm?

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JonGardner

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I brewed my second batch last Saturday, a gingersnap saison from a pre-made recipe kit. It used a dry yeast, but I don’t remember which. The instructions did not indicate a preferred temp for fermentation. I had read that saisons can be happy fermenting at higher temps, so that is what I chose to do. It has been at 76 degrees ever since Saturday. Visible, active fermentation took off about 2 hours after pitching, lasted for about two days, then stopped, which seems as it should be. However, in the back of my head I keep wondering if I made the right choice about the temperature. Anybody want to offer an opinion?
 
A lot of Saison yeasts do well at higher temps, it's a unique characteristic of those yeasts. I did one that climbed up between 76-80 one time and it was nice.

Nothing to do now but wait..., and enjoy the ride.
 
I always tend to second-guess myself…
Well stop that. You'll worry yourself and others to death.

Besides, what do you think you could do to fix anything that is already wrong?

Too much sudden cooling dropping the temps might just cause the yeast to quit for a while till they readjust to the new norm.

See what the result is after it's finished and bottled or kegged. Then if you find something you dislike about it that might be from the high fermentation temps, then you can make plans to address that in future brews.
 
No upper temp limits for Saison strains north of the Tropic of Cancer.
Just joking. Not really.

I brew all my Saisons (dry yeast) at the peak of summer heatwavwes, up to 38C / 95F.
Have no idea how it works in the Tropics at 50C/122F. Probably even better.
What I get from the hot fermentations is more pronounced phenols and esters, which in my book is a welcome thing. Dry Saison yeasts are not as aromatic as liquid, so the hot fermentation kinda compensates for that.
Hot fermentations do produce some fusel alcohols, but a long primary of 4 weeks and a long (4-8 weeks) maturation in bottles take care of that, turning fusels into even more aromatic esters. With other yeasts that might not work but the Saison strains are sturdy warm-loving creatures.
 
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If you can, find out the exact type of yeast used. Then do some research on the characteristics of that specific type. Saison yeasts are interesting for their flavors and their temperature range. I'd be curious to know what yeast was included with the kit. Was it dry or liquid?
 
You should be good. I've not tried a dry Saison yeast yet, but may have to now.

Here's a link to an older thread on HBT discussing BE-134. You'll notice some people ferment cool and some warm, and some start cool and rise to a warmer temp. Whichever way you go, you'll likely get some interesting flavors.

Safale BE 134 review

Enjoy
 

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