Fermenting temp at my house.

[tomlivings]

I am quite a new home-brewer. I have done 2 successful 10 gallon all-grain batches, planning my 3rd to brew on Monday.
Its summer, its Chicago, its hot. My beer is going to ferment at around 74-80F as thats the temp my house is, depending on the AC. It will bottle condition at the same.
The recipes Im looking at call for 60-68F for primary fermentation. Is this a big deal? Should I just go ahead and use one of these recipes and then ferment at whatever temp my house happens to be?
Or should I switch out the yeast for something that likes the warmth?

Thanks in advance,
a bit confused.
Tom.

 

[JakeTheHopDog]

Those temps are way to high. Do a search for "swamp cooler". Basically a tub of water, ice bottles, a wet towel or tee-shirt, and maybe a fan.

 

[redalert]

Brew Saison. According to Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales, Saison Dupont is fermented at 85 to 95 F, secondaried at 70F, and bottled conditioned at 75F. 85 - 95 F! Most homebrewers don't even have the stones to ferment at that temperature.

 

[tomlivings]

Brew Saison. According to Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales, Saison Dupont is fermented at 85 to 95 F, secondaried at 70F, and bottled conditioned at 75F. 85 - 95 F! Most homebrewers don't even have the stones to ferment at that temperature.

Bingo! Get lemons, make lemonade. Get hot seasons, make saisons!

EDIT: I had a poke around and found this recipe: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/hoppy-french-saison.html
Making it on Monday!

 

[maida7]

Brew Saison. According to Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales, Saison Dupont is fermented at 85 to 95 F, secondaried at 70F, and bottled conditioned at 75F. 85 - 95 F! Most homebrewers don't even have the stones to ferment at that temperature.

Not exactly. Even with a Saison you need to control the temps and keep it cool (mid 60's) for the first 24-48 hours of fermentation. Otherwise you will end up with harsh alcohols and some over the top esters.

Get a fridge (free or cheap used) and set it up with a temp controller.

 

[tomlivings]

Not exactly. Even with a Saison you need to control the temps and keep it cool (mid 60's) for the first 24-48 hours of fermentation. Otherwise you will end up with harsh alcohols and some over the top esters.

Get a fridge (free or cheap used) and set it up with a temp controller.

Well I guess I can manage an ice bath for the first 24hrs. Thanks for the pointer.

 

[462studio]

I just turn my AC on and keep the house around 70F for the first two to three days, and then after that, I move it (the fermenter) to a dark corner of my basement where it stays relatively cool.

I think just sitting on the concrete floor probably keeps it cool enough, not necessarily just the ambient air temperature alone.

Shrug. A small refrigerator or a chest freezer with a temperature controller really is probably the best bet if you want to be brewing with yeast that suggest a ~65-~75 temperature range however. I have a fermentation chest freezer in my future.

 

[Dawggy_Stile]

I need to ferment in the bedroom where the AC keeps the temps around 65.
The IPA I'm doing has been bubbling for the last 4 days,
I've yet to catch myself snuggling up to it through the night, but anything is possible.

 

[462studio]

I need to ferment in the bedroom where the AC keeps the temps around 65.
The IPA I'm doing has been bubbling for the last 4 days,
I've yet to catch myself snuggling up to it through the night, but anything is possible.

You're going to need a bigger stopper.

 

[blizz81]

I finally broke down and bought a chest freezer off Craiglist re: being able to brew all year round. Our dubbel got up to 80* in the coldest part of the house sitting on concrete, which for the style isn't necessarily bad, but I wouldn't want much else fermenting that high. Ice bath sounded like too much tedium for my tastes - I'm lazy

 

[tomlivings]

I finally broke down and bought a chest freezer off Craiglist re: being able to brew all year round. Our dubbel got up to 80* in the coldest part of the house sitting on concrete, which for the style isn't necessarily bad, but I wouldn't want much else fermenting that high. Ice bath sounded like too much tedium for my tastes - I'm lazy

Yes, I think that will happen eventually (some kind of modded fridge) but I need to work on the wife first. Till then I need to adapt to the temps available. From what I can gather this 3711 yeast is best if kept at 65-68 for 24 hrs then let it naturally come up to the the ambient temp in my house, which is between 74 and 80F.
If I am going to experience trouble with this setup, I'd like to know. If not, I'll let you all know how it pans out.
Tom.

 

[ArizonaDB]

I'm using the swamp cooler method on my amber ale with US-05 yeast. It's not the first time I've tried it, but it's the first time I've been really diligent with it. I've been able to keep the temp at between 66-68*F in an environment that fluctuates between 70 and 82 (in the AZ mountains it's 80 during the day and 40 at night! No AC).

I have the fermentor in a small plastic bin of water. The water level is just below the beer level. For the first 48 hrs I swapped out 4 small frozen bottles of water, once in the morning, once at about 2 and once before bed. Then the next 48 hours I did it just once in the morning and once at night. I am on the 5th day now and the airlock is starting to settle down, so I will probably continue to keep the temp at about 68 or 70 until the 10 day mark at which point I will do some dry hopping and stop worrying about the temps so much. It's a lot of work, but it's the only way for me to be able to control the ferm temps during hot summer weather. Good luck controlling yours, it's always a tight rope in the summer.

 

[maida7]

I'm using the swamp cooler method on my amber ale with US-05 yeast. It's not the first time I've tried it, but it's the first time I've been really diligent with it. I've been able to keep the temp at between 66-68*F in an environment that fluctuates between 70 and 82 (in the AZ mountains it's 80 during the day and 40 at night! No AC).

I have the fermentor in a small plastic bin of water. The water level is just below the beer level. For the first 48 hrs I swapped out 4 small frozen bottles of water, once in the morning, once at about 2 and once before bed. Then the next 48 hours I did it just once in the morning and once at night. I am on the 5th day now and the airlock is starting to settle down, so I will probably continue to keep the temp at about 68 or 70 until the 10 day mark at which point I will do some dry hopping and stop worrying about the temps so much. It's a lot of work, but it's the only way for me to be able to control the ferm temps during hot summer weather. Good luck controlling yours, it's always a tight rope in the summer.

Get a cheap used fridge and a temp controler

 

[davesrose]

If I am going to experience trouble with this setup, I'd like to know. If not, I'll let you all know how it pans out.
Tom.

As someone who refuses to make Saisons in the summer down South (I like my IPAs too much), I second a swamp cooler. I have room in my townhouse for a swamp cooler, but haven't found the funds or space for yet another fridge just for fermenting. To save on electricity, I have my thermostat set at 80. I do have an area of the house that's underground and cooler, but I don't like schlepping the 5.5 gallons of beer down a flight of stairs. Instead I have a space in my kitchen that fits a plastic bin I got for $4 at Home Depot. I fill it with water and then exchange frozen water bottles every morning and night. My beers improved dramatically once I started using a swamp cooler, and was not at the whim of the seasonal temperatures of a Southern climate.

 

[electric_beer]

Do most chest freezers work at warmer temps or is it only for lagering?

 

[maida7]

Do most chest freezers work at warmer temps or is it only for lagering?

with a temp controller you can dial in a chest freezer to any temp you want. But there are some pros and cons. The chest freezers are typically much bigger and have larger floor space. The con is that they are not frost free and you will have lots of moisture in there if it's not frozen. With the moisture comes mold and rust.

 

[Zeppman]

Just out of curiosity, (because I live in Chicago too), what is the harm at fermenting at 80F, for a typical ale? Will I experience off flavors?

 

[maida7]

Just out of curiosity, (because I live in Chicago too), what is the harm at fermenting at 80F, for a typical ale? Will I experience off flavors?

It depends on the yeast. but in all cases you can expect harsh solvent like alcohol flavor and strong fruity esters like banana, bubble gum, fruit loops, dried fruit, etc...

 

[electric_beer]

with a temp controller you can dial in a chest freezer to any temp you want. But there are some pros and cons. The chest freezers are typically much bigger and have larger floor space. The con is that they are not frost free and you will have lots of moisture in there if it's not frozen. With the moisture comes mold and rust.

Sweet. Do you have a recommended temp controller? There are a LOT of them online...

 

[462studio]

I'm using this guy from NB for my chest freezer for my kegs, it's been working great for me so far. http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html

 

[maida7]

I prefer the ranco digital ones. They have a much tighter differential. You can dial them in and have your fermenter within 1 degree of the setting.

The ultimate is the dual output model that allows you control heat and cooling at the same time.

 

[tomlivings]

My beer is happily chugging away in a swamp. started at 65, stayed there for two days now Im letting it very slowly creep up. Its at 74 now. I think Ill chuck a couple of ice packs in there and keep it there for a couple of days then let it creep up again. This yeast (3711) says its good up to 77 degrees.

 

[tomlivings]

Big thanks to all, the beer turned out AMAZING. Not just good, not just quite good, I mean seriously awesome. I went out and bought three expensive Saisons from Whole Foods to try it alongside and it trumped them all.

Here is the recipe,
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/hoppy-french-saison.html

I honestly think this guy (The Mad Fermentationist) deserves a medal. As does WYeast 3711, it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Im not sure whether it was the temp precautions taken or if it would have just turned out the same fermented at a constant 75 degrees, but Im happy anyways.

Sante!

 

[Frank99]

After 2 years I finally got fed up with inconsistencies and scored a chest freezer off Craigs List and got the 2 stage Ranco controller. No mods necessary -temp gauge and power cord for heat feed right through the drainage hole (ok, had to enlarge the hole slightly w/good ole Dremmel). I'd highly recommend this route, unless you have the urge to build your own.