Fermentation Temperature (Heat Wave)?

[Groo]

Completed my first partial mash last night and somehow managed to hit all the numbers right on and I have a ton of action in the airlock as of right now.

The problem is today is hot as hell, the place where I ferment probably got into the 80's by around Noon. My fermenter bucket is sort of hidden away and it felt cool to the touch but I tossed it into a water bath with a temperature of around 60 degrees. I'm shooting for a ferment in the mid/high 60's.

Will subjecting it to 5 hours of pretty high temps before cooling it a bit have some negative effects on the beer? Was it bad to cool it into the 60's after letting it get so high? How much does the temperature of the fermenter affect the beer when it's done fermenting but still in the bucket?

It looks like tomorrow is going to be a lot cooler.

 

[tunoffun]

I'm taking you don't know the actual temp of the beer, but rather the environment, correct?

5 gallons of liquid is alot of mass... mass that doesn't want to change temperature very rapidly. I'd be surprised if it ever reached a temp worth worrying about.

 

[Groo]

Yeah the air in the house got into the 80's. I have no idea on the beer just that the fermenter felt pretty cool.

Is it a good idea to leave it in the water until the heat wave is over? It sort of sucks because I have this big tub with a bucket in it sitting in my family room. Maybe I can disguise it before my wife gets home!

 

[rtt121]

If you dont like the tub an option for you is a wet t shirt over the carboy with a fan blowing on it. The evaporation cools the beer down pretty good when you are only a few degrees off.