Hot Fermentation!!

[Weldon2880]

Hello to all you knowlegdable home brewers in here. I have found some great advise in these forums already and I've just signed up. Thanks!

Anyway, have totally got the home brew bug and decided to try my first brew. I got the Deluxe brew kit from Northern Brewer with the Caribou Slobber malt kit.

I followed all the instructions to the tee. My concern is this, I finished all procedures, pitched the yeast (glass carboy) and put her to sleep. This was at 5:00PM.

I noticed airlock bubbles about an hour or two after pitching. I figured this was normal. I went to bed and awoke to some wort in the airlock. I placed the blowoff tube and came to these forums for some answers. The instructions told me to pitch the yeast when the wort was not warm to the touch. Thats what I did. The Ambient temps in my home are between 75-78 degrees. South Florida.

I think the first 24 hours of fermentation ran too hot. When I realized this, I immediatly got it into a swamp cooler and got it down to the lower 60's.

So my question is this, do you think think this first batch will harbor any off flavors? Can anything be done to save this batch?

Thank you in advance.........

Weldon

 

[petrolSpice]

I'm in the same boat, same kit, same recipe. I did mine sunday night. I was getting bubbles after just a few hours, and it was blowing off after just 10 hours, but my temps were around 72F. I've since cooled it down to the mid 60's and the fermentation has slowed significantly. It's been about 40 hours since pitching the yeast and pretty much all of the krasuen is gone now and it's bubbling very slowly, one burp every 15 sec or so.

I hope it turns out okay!

 

[rorypayne]

You both are fine, the high temps will give a little off flavors but nothing to worry about... It's your first beer. I promise you will drink it all and love every oz. Just be ready for future brews to get the temp lower. What stain of yeast are you using?

 

[Weldon2880]

I used Safale S-04 Ale Yeast. Over 40 hours in the primary and relatively no action in the airlock at all anymore. What kind of temps should I shoot for from here on in?

 

[Hello]

Shoot for mid 60’s. 62 is always a nice temp to strive for but if you can get a smidge lower then it'll be good. If you use a liquid crystal stick on thermometer like I do, the temp it reads is fairly accurate but doesn't tell the story of the center of the beer. Fermentation is active and creates heat. Shooting for something like 62 can really help things.

As for off flavors, it's possible but like it was said, you'll love it and drink it. I fermented a hefe at 78-80 my first time. I drank it, didn't love love it but I was still proud of it.

Congrats on the new found hobby.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

My first beer tasted like nanners and I thought it was delicious! I'd probably age it for a year or dump it now...I promise your first will be better!
I usually ferment my ales at around 65°-70° all the way through with 68° being standard. If you can keep it in the upper 60s to low 70s from start to finish you'll be fine. I know it already got too hot, but just let it ride in that range for another 2-3 weeks. Even after active fermentation has slowed or appeared to stop, the yeastie beasties are still working and will clean up some of those off flavors if given enough time. How hot do you think it got?

 

[captaincrunk]

Where about? I'm new to home brewing as well, from west boca.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[rorypayne]

I have yet to build a ferm chamber I have every other cool homebrew gizmo and gadget except that. I keep my home at 68* and I have had no issues with this temp and I very much like the results I have gotten from it.

 

[Weldon2880]

The stick on thermometer was not even registering and the highest temp on that is 78. So I would guess it was probably somewhere in the 80's. I did immerse the hot wort after the boil in an ice bath. Got it to under 100 pretty fast. Then added it to the carboy with 3 gallons of top off water. I didnt even think to read its temps because instruction kit told me to pitch yeast when the wort was not warm to the touch. Newbie mistake I guess. Brew and learn.

 

[SliverXZennon]

I used Safale S-04 Ale Yeast.

You may notice some mild banana flavor from that yeast, but nothing crazy. You should be fine, as others have said. Enjoy!

 

[cheezydemon3]

It will need 6 weeks to condition some off flavors out, and still may taste like "nanners" ()

Don't worry and don't dump it. Brew something else soon and PROPERLY chill.

 

[flars]

Don't feel bad. The three brewing books I have don't bother mentioning fermentation is exothermic. Fermentation temperatures doesn't even seem important to these folks. Maybe the next edition.
Pitch your yeast when the wort is less than the ideal temp for the yeast. Hold the fermentation in the low 60°s unless it is a Begian saison yeast..

 

[BigFloyd]

Don't feel bad. The three brewing books I have don't bother mentioning fermentation is exothermic. Fermentation temperatures doesn't even seem important to these folks. Maybe the next edition.
Pitch your yeast when the wort is less than the ideal temp for the yeast. Hold the fermentation in the low 60°s unless it is a Begian saison yeast..

This ^^^^^^.

A good rule of thumb to follow when using most non-saison ale yeast is to chill your wort to about 60-62 before pitching. Try to keep the ferment temp at 63-64 until it begins to slow (normally 3-5 days) then let it slowly raise so that you finish around 68. For Nottingham dry yeast, subtract a few degrees from those numbers.

Seeing quick, really vigorous activity is often a sign that you pitched too warm. Along with that visually-exciting fermentation come unwanted flavors.