Going out of town - Swamp Cooler Question

[LastChanceBrewing]

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I'm going out of town for a week and don't know what to do about my swamp cooler. I brewed a pale ale last Friday (pitched too hot, about 95, and didn't control fermentation temp during first 24 hours, but that's a story for another time). I've been able to keep fermentation temperature at 65 degrees or so the past few days using a plastic bin and frozen water bottles that I have to change out every day. My question is how can i keep my temps down for a whole week with no monitoring? Should i freeze a few 2 liters and throw them in there? Will that cool it off too much the first day? Is it better to just keep it in the water and not add any ice? I don't have a better way to control temps and i can't move it to a basement...

 

[tom_gamer]

From my experience the 2 liter bottle wouldn't do much for too long, at least not in Texas heat. Also I don't find it necessary to control the temperature too closely after a few days. I actually let it warm up to make sure the yeast finished its job.

 

[kwingert]

You don't need to worry about controlling your temps now. The off flavors from high temps is produced in the first 3-4 days, so your alright. Just leave it in the cooler so the water will buffer against drastic temp changes. The higher temps now will keep the yeast moving and cleaning up your beer.

 

[opusx11]

Just make sure you have a bit of bleach in the water to kill any mold that might otherwise make an ugly appearance while you are away

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

As others have said, you're really past the point where higher temperatures are a concern for fermentation. You definitely don't want to create a sudden drop in temperature because it will shock the yeast and they will likely stop cleaning up the beer, leaving behind a lot of off flavors.

 

[LastChanceBrewing]

Thanks for the replies. I'll throw a little bleach in the water and forget about it for a week.