Fermentation temps after primary is done?

[hazedandconfused]

Ive got two brews going right now, a porter and a pale ale. The porter has been going for a week now and finished primary after 4 days. I want these to have a cleaner flavor profile(less esters/more malty) so i used a big bucket full of water and frozen water bottles to keep the porter around 62°. Now that i have the pale ale that just started last night and since the porter was done with primary i pulled the porter out of the water bucket and put the pale ale in its place. My problem is that the ambient temps are about 70-72° in my house. I was just wondering if this is going to mess up the flavors i was going for on the porter? I know that the first few days are the most important for raising/lowering ester formation. I cant get another water bucket going because i share a studio w/ my girfriend and ive taken up a huge chunk of space already. Any advice or knowledge would be appreciated.

 

[JLem]

You should be just fine - the increased temp after most of the fermentation is done will actually help ensure the yeast finish and "clean up" the beer.

 

[Tinga]

primary fermentation should last about 3 - 4 weeks. after about a week it is ok to raise temps in primary up to 70's to let it clean up and get a few more points out of the way.

 

[ayoungrad]

primary fermentation should last about 3 - 4 weeks. after about a week it is ok to raise temps in primary up to 70's to let it clean up and get a few more points out of the way.

Primary fermentation does not last 3-4 weeks. Many recommend leaving the beer in the primary fermenter for 3-4 weeks but primary fermentation usually ends within 5-10 days. After primary fermentation is done (stable specific gravity) secondary fermentation (maturation) occurs. This should last 1-xxx weeks depending on the style, conditions and desired outcome.

 

[ayoungrad]

BTW, the above refers to typical ales. Primary fermentation times will vary depending on style. But if you are comparing it to the 1-2-3 rule, primary fermentation lasts a week plus or minus.

 

[hazedandconfused]

Sorry, i guess i should be more specific. The initial phase of fermentation is now over. Airlock activity has died down to about 1/min (last time i checked-2 days ago). I know a lot of people up the temps after this point in time. I just wasn't sure about these temps thats about ten degrees over what i kept the temps at initially and spring is nigh so the ambient temps might start raising a bit higher. Im sure itll turn out good no matter what happens, i just want to maximize its potential.

 

[Wingy]

Sorry for the hijack... but based on this if my FG is not where I want it (1.018 from 1.052) after 7 days in primary (kraeusen fell), moving the fermenter up to around 70-72ish from 66 (using Nottingham yeast) should help finish up without too many off flavors? Target FG is 1.010-1.014. Thanks!

 

[JLem]

Sorry for the hijack... but based on this if my FG is not where I want it (1.018 from 1.052) after 7 days in primary (kraeusen fell), moving the fermenter up to around 70-72ish from 66 (using Nottingham yeast) should help finish up without too many off flavors? Target FG is 1.010-1.014. Thanks!

It could help a little, if there are still fermentable sugars in there. But at 1.018 the beer very well could be done. Your estimated FG is just that - an estimate - and you shouldn't think you will always hit it. 1.018 is in the normal acceptable range for FG. It might still drop another point or two but I wouldnt expect it to get any lower than 1.016 at this point.