CountryGravy
Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone -
I've read several posts on here about the dangers of big temp changes for yeast, but I thought maybe it would be less of a problem with a Belgian style.
I recently brewed my biggest beer, a ~8.5% Tripel. I pitched Wyeast's Belgian Strong Ale with a 1.5 qt starter into 3 gallons of 1.075 SG wort @ 74F.
The fermenation took off like crazy. The temps in my rented house are terribly different from room to room - the upstairs is regularly 10 degress F warmer than the downstairs.
My upstairs closet stays a pretty constant 74-75 throughout the day, though it can get a bit warmer when the furnace kicks on. This yeast's high range for temp is supposed to be around 74F, so when I noticed it was creeping above that about 48 hours into the fermentation, I took it downstairs and placed it on a laminate floor. When I came back a day later, it was down to 65F. CRAP!
I decided to bring it back upstairs. A day later, we're at 74F. It then occured to me... I'm screwing this up. I know big temp differences can screw with the yeast and do all sorts of other terrible things by adding off flavors. However, since I'm looking to bring out some of these flavors in this style, maybe it will be okay.
What do you think? Will the shock to the yeast do them in? Will the off flavors be more "off" than "flavor"? Will I have enough left alive for bottling?
I've read several posts on here about the dangers of big temp changes for yeast, but I thought maybe it would be less of a problem with a Belgian style.
I recently brewed my biggest beer, a ~8.5% Tripel. I pitched Wyeast's Belgian Strong Ale with a 1.5 qt starter into 3 gallons of 1.075 SG wort @ 74F.
The fermenation took off like crazy. The temps in my rented house are terribly different from room to room - the upstairs is regularly 10 degress F warmer than the downstairs.
My upstairs closet stays a pretty constant 74-75 throughout the day, though it can get a bit warmer when the furnace kicks on. This yeast's high range for temp is supposed to be around 74F, so when I noticed it was creeping above that about 48 hours into the fermentation, I took it downstairs and placed it on a laminate floor. When I came back a day later, it was down to 65F. CRAP!
I decided to bring it back upstairs. A day later, we're at 74F. It then occured to me... I'm screwing this up. I know big temp differences can screw with the yeast and do all sorts of other terrible things by adding off flavors. However, since I'm looking to bring out some of these flavors in this style, maybe it will be okay.
What do you think? Will the shock to the yeast do them in? Will the off flavors be more "off" than "flavor"? Will I have enough left alive for bottling?
