OK to do ale secondary at 70(ish) degrees?

[chrisknight]

I have 3 beers that I need to get done at about the same time for a wedding.
I just brewed the 1st on Saturday.
My problem is that I do my primary & secondary in a cooler where I can fit only 1 vessel.
See sere:

Being that controlling my fermentation temperatures has helped my beers so much, I'm worried that moving my beer to the basement atmosphere during the secondary time will cancel out the time I had it conditioned in the primary. ...But I will be able to get another beer in the primary (temp controlled) faster...

What do you guys think? I suppose that most, if not all, fermentation is done after primary is done. (Which is usually about 2 weeks in my book)
What are the ramifications of raising the secondary temps?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Shawn Hargreaves]

The secondary temp will have way less of an effect than the temp during primary fermentation. It's still better to keep it cool if you can (helps the beer to clear, among other things) but most of the flavor comes from the first couple of days while the yeast is most active and multiplying like crazy.

70 doesn't sound impossibly high to me, especially if you pick a yeast that doesn't mind being a little on the warm side.

Even better, do the water+tshirt+fan trick: you can easily drop 5 degrees that way without any special equipment.

 

[MN_Jay]

If you had another controller you could secondary in a keg and put it in your beer fridge. Looks like it's empty right now.

 

[Bobby_M]

70 for secondary seems fine to me.

 

[chrisknight]

Yeah, I really have never raised the temp of fermentation before. My question relates to off flavors from yeast & other possible problems raising the temp. I either (before) let it ferment in the basement at 68 - 70 for the whole primary & secondary. Or, (now) do the primary & secondary in the cooler at a constant lower temp. The real problem is that I wont have control over it if I move it out of the cooler... & I have control issues.

 

[Bob]

Yeah, I really have never raised the temp of fermentation before. My question relates to off flavors from yeast & other possible problems raising the temp. I either (before) let it ferment in the basement at 68 - 70 for the whole primary & secondary. Or, (now) do the primary & secondary in the cooler at a constant lower temp. The real problem is that I wont have control over it if I move it out of the cooler... & I have control issues.

You do have control over it. It's at that loveliest of temperatures: "cellar temperature". I know my basement changes at most ten degrees through the course of the year, from 55 degrees in Jan/Feb to 65 degrees these days.

It's under control!

Cheers,

Bob