Fermenting Temperature Help

[zephed666]

So I just brewed yesterday and the fermenter is now bubbling away.
The room temperature in my basement is a steady 72. I noticed the thermometer strip on the side of the bucket read 82.
Is this bad? And how can I cool it down if so. I cannot control the basement temp....

Thanks for any help!

 

[Yooper]

So I just brewed yesterday and the fermenter is now bubbling away.
The room temperature in my basement is a steady 72. I noticed the thermometer strip on the side of the bucket read 82.
Is this bad? And how can I cool it down if so. I cannot control the basement temp....

Thanks for any help!

Yes. Unless you are making a saison, which can benefit from a high temperature fermentation, the beer will have off-flavors such as phenols (band-aids or cloves) or esters (fruity, like bananas).

It's not uncommon for active fermentation to produce heat, and so often the fermentation will be at 10 degrees above ambient. Normally, most ale yeast taste best when fermented at about 64-68 degrees, so you are a good 15-18 degrees warmer than desired.

I have an igloo "ice cube" cooler that I put my fermenter in, and then fill it with water up to the beer level, and drop frozen water bottles in as needed to maintain a temperature of 66 degrees during active fermentation. I even made a lid for mine (since the original lid is hollow) so it holds temperatures quite well in the basement.

 

[Gavin C]

• Make a swamp cooler
  
• Cover it in a wet towel and sit it in a couple of inches of cold water.
  
• Add a fan to blow across the FV as it is covered in a wet towel
  
• Buy a cheap chest freezer and STC 1000

These are all workable solutions which will be to the benefit of your beer.

 

[zephed666]

So I set it up in a Rubbermaid bin. I have about 8 inches of water in it with a wet towel wrapped around the fermenter for now. Threw some ice packs in there as well.
My next question is, when wrapping the towel around the fermenter dirty water got on the lid and where the airlock is. I wiped it off and hit it with some sanitizer. Since the airlock bung is not airtight is this anything I should be worried about?

Note: Been an hour in the swamp cooler and the temp on the therm strip is at 78 now. I just added some more ice packs, waiting for the water bottles to freeze now, so hopefully I can get it down to the 68-70 mark...
It's been actively fermenting about 12-14 hours now. Should I be okay or will there be some off flavors with this one?

 

[Gavin C]

Early fermentation is pretty important to control from what I have read. Sounds like things are better controlled now. Don't worry about it. Chalk it up and improve the process next time. Off flavors, perhaps, still tasty beer, more than likely.

On another note. Your airlock bung should be airtight otherwise the airlock will not function. You won't see bubbling, oxygen can enter with ease. Make sure the bung is sealed and the airlock bubbling.

 

[ncbrewer]

So I set it up in a Rubbermaid bin. I have about 8 inches of water in it with a wet towel wrapped around the fermenter for now. Threw some ice packs in there as well.
My next question is, when wrapping the towel around the fermenter dirty water got on the lid and where the airlock is. I wiped it off and hit it with some sanitizer. Since the airlock bung is not airtight is this anything I should be worried about?

Note: Been an hour in the swamp cooler and the temp on the therm strip is at 78 now. I just added some more ice packs, waiting for the water bottles to freeze now, so hopefully I can get it down to the 68-70 mark...
It's been actively fermenting about 12-14 hours now. Should I be okay or will there be some off flavors with this one?

When making a big temperature change, it helps to check both the beer temp and the bath temp. If the bath temp is really low, you might not need to add more ice. Maybe it just hasn't reached equilibrium.

I'd say dirty water getting into the fermenter is an issue, but since it's done, just hope for the best. I agree the airlock connection should be air tight. Maybe you're missing the grommet.

 

[zephed666]

Well I have it down to 70-72 now. Airlock is bubbling every 15 seconds or so. Last night it was crazy bubbling when it was warmer so I hope it is still good...

I have the bung in the lid and the airlock going into it. When I say airtight I meant that when you push on the lid air does come out of the airlock. I tested it with water in the bucket. This is my first 5 gallon batch, I had been doing 1 gallons in glass jugs...
So I guess it is airtight for all intents and purposes...
I was just worried about the dirty water seeping under the bung and in. water does tend to find the path of least resistance...

Next time I'll make sure the temp is lower before I pitch...

thanks for all the help!!!

 

[ncbrewer]

For most ales, and with most yeast strains, mid to upper 60's is a good ferment temp. Since this batch got really warm, keeping it at 70 - 72 from here on might not be such a bad idea. I'm thinking in terms of avoiding really wide temperature swings - just a thought. Maybe others can give on opinion on this.

 

[zephed666]

So now it's a steady 70 but no more bubbling...

Any thoughts?

 

[slym2none]

The yeast might be a little shocked from the temperature change. Give it 24 hours or so.

 

[ncbrewer]

It might be finished with active fermentation - it goes faster at high temps.

 

[Yooper]

So now it's a steady 70 but no more bubbling...

Any thoughts?

It might be finished with active fermentation - it goes faster at high temps.

Yes, exactly. At 80+ degrees, it's very likely that it fermented out in less than 24 hours.

 

[zephed666]

Should I leave it for a few weeks still? Only been 2 days since brew day...

 

[Yooper]

Should I leave it for a few weeks still? Only been 2 days since brew day...

Why a few weeks? Why not bottle it once it's been at FG for at least three days and when it's clear? It may be 10 days, or longer. But "a few weeks" is over kill by a couple of weeks unless you are busy and don't have time to bottle it.

 

[zephed666]

I figured it usually would take two weeks to ferment...
Not sure about the off flavors. Figure I would transfer to keg at FG and then dry hop it for 7-14 days...