Post Fermentation Temp

[2cmu92]

I have my second batch currently at 7 days since brewing. Based on the Gravity Readings it looks like it is at about 5.25% ABV. It is a Brewers best cream ale. I tasted it after I took the reading and it had a slight green apple taste. I pitched the yeast at 70 degrees and fermented in the low 60's inside if a temp controlled chest freezer. I put a cup of water in the freezer and consistently temped it in the low 60's. I have two questions:

1. Will that slight sour apple taste go away?

2. I plan on leaving it In the bucket for 2 more weeks before kegging, should I keep it in the low 60's or cool it down more?

Thanks in advance

 

[MrHadack]

Given the seemingly tight temperature controls on your fermentation, my first guess with green apple would be Acetaldehyde. It's a natural product of fermentation, and if you let the beer continue to condition and allow the yeast to clean-up a bit, that flavor could subside. I would even let the temps rise a few degrees to assist with this process.

 

[flars]

The final flavor of your beer is set in the first few days of active fermentation. You can take your beer out of temp control and let it rise to room temperature, 68°F to 72°F. This will help the yeast clean up the off flavor natural to fermentation.

 

[h22lude]

A few things...

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you did but it sounds like you used water in your freezer to determine the temp. That may not be the best idea as your beer temp when fermenting can be 10 degrees higher. Fermentation creates heat. Incorrect fermenation temp could cause acetaldehyde which tastes like apples.

Green apple taste is also a taste many get in young beers. Let it age a little and it may go away.

Definitely bring it up a little. This will help wake the yeast back up and hopefully they will clean up a little. I like to ferment on the lower side of the yeast range but after a week or so, slowly bring the temp up a degree a day just to keep them active.

 

[2cmu92]

Thanks h22lude....what is the best way to make sure the temp inside the bucket is correct? Should I set the freezer to be under 60 degrees. I took the sensor from the temp controller and taped it to the side of the bucket as well. I also insulated the sensor with bubble wrap.

 

[h22lude]

Thanks h22lude....what is the best way to make sure the temp inside the bucket is correct? Should I set the freezer to be under 60 degrees. I took the sensor from the temp controller and taped it to the side of the bucket as well. I also insulated the sensor with bubble wrap.

Taping the sensor to the side of the bucket and insulating it is perfect. So what was the cup of water for?

 

[2cmu92]

I used the cup of water as a check to make sure the freezer was on target.

 

[h22lude]

Oh I thought you used the cup of water for the temp controller. Taping the sensor to the side is exactly what you should do

What type of yeast did you pitch? Under pitching or over pitching (which is harder to do than under pitching) can cause that flavor as well.

 

[2cmu92]

It looks like it was bry-97... It was the yeast that came with the BB Kit. This is only my second batch and I have not done any experimenting with yeast yet.

 

[h22lude]

Dry yeast is perfectly fine. Hell some breweries use dry yeast for everything. You may have under pitched which could cause the apple taste. With dry yeast you should rehydrate. Some say you don't need to but all the great brewing books say to rehydrate. Typically 1 dry packet is OK but if it was older and not rehydrated, 1 may not have been enough.

 

[m00ps]

^ this guy knows what hes talking about. Pretty cool you;ve got a fermentation chamber on your 2nd brew. I was close to the 80th before I finally managed to get mine. But yeah, let it warm to room temp close to the end of fermentation. This will ensure the yeast finish the job. Even if it seems like they are finished at 60F, the agitation and warming from bottling may rouse them and you'll get bottle bombs if you arent careful

 

[2cmu92]

The yeast packet said to rehydrate, but the Brewers Best instructions said very clearly do not rehydrate. I wonder why it would say that? I ended up getting a free chest freezer..small, not pretty, but does the trick. I figured with all the great info on this site I could build one pretty cheap.

 

[h22lude]

The yeast packet said to rehydrate, but the Brewers Best instructions said very clearly do not rehydrate. I wonder why it would say that? I ended up getting a free chest freezer..small, not pretty, but does the trick. I figured with all the great info on this site I could build one pretty cheap.

Never read instructions that come with kits like that. They are usually very generic and some that I have read just didn't make sense.

 

[m00ps]

the instructions on those kits are like the equivalent of reading a science book from the dark ages. homebrewing has leaped forward in the past few decades and it seems like none of the methodology in the instructions get updated