Fermenting: Must be done in the dark?

[jeremydgreat]

Are all types of beers, lambics, meads, etc best brewed in the dark? Do they HAVE to be brewed in the dark?

My first batch of beer ended up really bad (classic red ale) with lots of off tastes. I started my second batch of beer last week and it's fermenting away. Then I read many posts by people on this forum who have said they keep their carboys in closets and basements, and it hit me- my carboy has been sitting on my kitchen counter in broad daylight. Is this enough to ruin a batch? If so, do you think my latest batch, having sat in the light for a week, is salvageable?

Thanks all! (This is my first post!)

 

[northernlad]

Light reacts with hops to create a skunky flavor. No Light and consistent in-range temps are your friend.

 

[Flomaster]

use a cardboard box if you must, but keep sunlight away as much as possible. thats what I've gathered the few weeks I've been reading up on brewing.

-=Jason=-

 

[bovineblitz]

Throw a t-shirt over it, and consider a swamp cooler if your temperature is high... that involves using a t-shirt anyways.

 

[jeremydgreat]

I have a towel around it now, keeping it dark.

Do you think my latest batch, having sat in the light for a week, is salvageable?

 

[bovineblitz]

I have a towel around it now, keeping it dark.

Do you think my latest batch, having sat in the light for a week, is salvageable?

Depends... what kind of beer is it, and what kind of light was hitting it, and how directly was that light hitting it?

 

[jeremydgreat]

Depends... what kind of beer is it, and what kind of light was hitting it, and how directly was that light hitting it?

Basic Hefeweizen using LME. The light was ambient light from my apartment- not crazy bright and rays not directly hitting the carboy- but it certainly wasn't dark in my apartment.

 

[bovineblitz]

Basic Hefeweizen using LME. The light was ambient light from my apartment- not crazy bright and rays not directly hitting the carboy- but it certainly wasn't dark in my apartment.

It'll probably be fine, def bottle it. Incandescent light isn't an issue, and fluorescent light is only an issue given a lot of time. Sunlight is the real killer, but if it's not direct you'll likely be okay. It helps a bit that a hefeweizen doesn't have a ton of hops.

Worse comes to worse, you have the hefeweizen version of a heineken