Fermentation Temperature

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Breck09

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So I am planning on fermenting my ale that I am brewing this weekend in the rarely used bathroom in my finished basement. I thought for sure that the temperature would be in the low to mid 60s. I bought a thermometer today and placed it in the area where my bucket would be and it is reading 69. Is that going to be too warm given that fermenting beer can be warmer then the room temperature? I am using Nottingham dry yeast which gives a range up to 70 I do believe.
 
Agreed.

Underneath my steps is about 65 and fluctuates 2 degrees on either side. Swamp cooler it is for me!
 
What exactly is a swamp cooler?

Okay I looked up some places about swamp coolers and they seem pretty easy to do. Only problem that may arise is I am going for 10-12 hours a day and wondering if termperature fluctuations during that time can be a problem?
 
What exactly is a swamp cooler?

A swamp cooler is basically just a bucket of water that's large enough to set your fermenting bucket/carboy in. Then you place chunks of ice in the water to keep it cool and therefore keep your beer cooler. Some go a step further and also drape a towel or t-shirt around the fermenter soaking up the cold water and then have a fan blowing on it to pull the heat away and keep it even cooler.

It might look kind of ghetto, but it works :D
 
You can get a large plastic tub with rope handles from Wal-Mart for $5.

My wife is going to kill me with all this "extra" stuff I need. So would I just try to keep the water in the swamp cooler around say 65 or so to insure my beer is fermenting at a good temp?
 
My wife is going to kill me with all this "extra" stuff I need. So would I just try to keep the water in the swamp cooler around say 65 or so to insure my beer is fermenting at a good temp?

That depends on a lot of things, like how high the water is on your fermenter, etc. But generally speaking, yes. You want to keep the water a good few degrees cooler than you want the actual fermentation to be since fermentation is exothermic and gives off more heat.
 
Thanks all. I may have to go the swamp cooler route. Checking some different places in my house to see if I can find a spot a little cooler then my original spot. Problem is I have two little curious 4 year olds that like to get into everything.
 
Unless you have a space in the house that keeps a regular ambient temp of 65 or lower you might as well look at doing the swamp cooler. Even if you find a relatively cool corner of the house at say, 70 this time of year your beer is probably going to ferment at 75+ which isn't ideal for most styles. So even if you can't find a cool corner of the house a cheap $5-$10 bucket, some free water and some ice for the first 5-7 days or so will likely yield the best results.
 
Is this only needed for the first week of fermentation?

Yeah I think I am going to have to make one. Can't seem to find a spot cool enough. Guess I need to start saving some plastc bottles to make into ice bottles and try and perfect my temperature control method so I don't get too cold or let it get to warm while I am at work or asleep.
 
Is this only needed for the first week of fermentation?

Well, it's most crucial in the first week or so because that's when the active fermentation happens. And that's when off-flavors are largely produced. So if you can keep fermentation temps in check during the first week or so you've done your job and have minimized the possibility of a lot of esters and off flavors.
 
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