High or Low temperature?

[samie85]

I just brewed an American Amber and am waiting to pitch the yeast (US05). It's a little too warm in my apartment (73 degrees F) and a little too cool in the basement(55 degrees F).

I know that with low temp's you run the risk of yeast dying and too warm you get the fruity esters. Which is better for my beer, too cool or too warm?

 

[android]

man, that's hard to say... could you add a heat pad or something in the basement? if you could get an ambient temp around 60, you'd be golden. i think your extremes are a little high/low to get the best out of that yeast. if you must use your conditions, maybe try it in the lower temp area and see if it ferments well and then move it to the warmer area to gas off any sulfur and make sure it attenuates fully. if it doesn't work out at 55, you can just move it to the warmer area and let it go.

 

[Mista_Sparkle]

I would imagine the basement wouldnt be too bad, as it will get warmer as it ferments, you could wrap it in a blanket or something to help retain the heat

 

[iparks81]

I agree with mista sparkle..fermentation temps (internally) will be roughly 3-5 deg higher than ambient temp. If you can maximize this and wrap it up or even throw a heat pad in with the blankets that should make it just about perfect temps...normally I deal with temps too high..if you keep it in the 73 deg room (like i do) you could put it in a rubbermaid container with ice water in it...I can keep my brew as cold as I want it depending on how much ice I throw im there....its whats easier for you, heating cold beer or cooling warm beer...do whatever is easier for you to maintain..
In the morning I feed the turtles, feed the dog, and add ice to my fermentation container, its just another step in the morning. lol

 

[samie85]

I agree with mista sparkle..fermentation temps (internally) will be roughly 3-5 deg higher than ambient temp. If you can maximize this and wrap it up or even throw a heat pad in with the blankets that should make it just about perfect temps...normally I deal with temps too high..if you keep it in the 73 deg room (like i do) you could put it in a rubbermaid container with ice water in it...I can keep my brew as cold as I want it depending on how much ice I throw im there....its whats easier for you, heating cold beer or cooling warm beer...do whatever is easier for you to maintain..
In the morning I feed the turtles, feed the dog, and add ice to my fermentation container, its just another step in the morning. lol

I'm leaning towards the basement with blankets. I went through all my ice trying to cool the wort down, so I'm out for the moment. I have the bucket in cold water in my sink right now and the fermometer is at 74 degrees. I think I'm just going to take it down stairs and check on it in a couple of hours. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[permo]

be carefull! I have found us-05 to pretty much drop out at 60 degrees. I would say pitch it at 72-75 degrees...move it to the basement..keep it off of the floor and cover it in blankets to keep the heat in......I have found US-05 to be very tolerant of high temps, not too estery at all....but I have found it slow and even underattenuative at low temps...

with those low temps you may want to consider nottingham....oh so nice and mellow when fermented cool...but TERRIBLE when fermented over 70

 

[samie85]

be carefull! I have found us-05 to pretty much drop out at 60 degrees. I would say pitch it at 72-75 degrees...move it to the basement..keep it off of the floor and cover it in blankets to keep the heat in......I have found US-05 to be very tolerant of high temps, not too estery at all....but I have found it slow and even underattenuative at low temps...

with those low temps you may want to consider nottingham....oh so nice and mellow when fermented cool...but TERRIBLE when fermented over 70

Thanks... it was doing fine for awhile at right around 64 degrees. I went down to check it a little later and it was at 60. I decided to bring it back in my apt., put it in the bathtub and try my luck with the cooling route.

 

[android]

you can also buy an aquarium heater and put it in a tub in the basement.

 

[Mirilis]

I try to keep mine at 63-65. If it gets too cold i put a cooler of water with an aquarium heater in it and an aquarium pump to circulate water and keep it all consistant. If its too cold just chuck ice cubes in it.. but Id say the basement is the best bet.

 

[samie85]

I actually decided to try putting the fermenter in my kettle with some cold water and then putting that setup in the bathtub with more cold water. That's been keeping it at a steady 65 degrees. Thanks for the all the input!

 

[david_42]

A really simple solution is a wardrobe box from a moving company. Cut the top off and set the fermenter on that, then invert the box over it. That will retain some of the heat of fermentation, but not enough to be a problem.

 

[Bopper]

I would pitch your yeast in the warmer environment. Once you see signs of fermentation, move it to the basement. The heat from fermentation should warm it up to the lower end of the range. Make sure you use a hydrometer because fermemtation will take longer at lower temps and you want to be sure that it finishes all the way.

The other option is to get a swamp cooler and submerge your fermenter in water with some submerged frozen waterbottles. This will bring the temps down and reduce swings in temp due to the increased thermal mass