Well, I had it currently fermenting away in my garage, in an insulated storage room.. where the temps TEND to stay a stable 55 degree..
Day 1 - nada (normal) (Temp 55)
Day 2 - "is that fermenting yet..?" bubbles (Temp 55)
Day 3 - Definitely started fermenting (Temp 55)
Day 4-5 - Developed a nice Krausen (Fermenter temp rised to the high 50s - Room temp was 55)
That was until the last few days when temps outside got into the 60s-70s.. now the fermenter beer has gone from stable 55-58 to 61-67
Day 6 - Krausen started to get dirty on top with dark specks on it.. Temps started to rise outside.. (Fermenter got up to 61 - Room 59)
Day 7 - Krausen got a build up of yeast on top of the foam.. and the yeast is going bananas. Temps outside in the mid 60s now (Fermenter got up to 67
and room to 62 )
Day 8 - Finally cooling down outside.. and was able to try to get the room cooler with a fan.. etc.. yeast is still going strong.. Looking trough the fermenter and you can see the bubbles and yeast are swirling around like someone is stirring the damn thing. It's crazy ! The air lock is going nuts.. popping off every second or just a bit less. (Fermenter down to 61 room down to 56). The yeast developing on top of the Krausen is getting thick and heavy and weighing down the Krausen.
Is this a problem ? or will I just get a bit more attenuation and now that its cooler outside and I got the room back down into the 50s.. I should be good ? I mean just how "stable" do I need to be.. and am I fine ?
Here is what Brewers Best said about temps for this recipe
1) Move the fermenter to a cool, lager-specific, temperature-stable area (approx. 53º - 59ºF).
2) Alternatively the recipe notes: Brewer’s Best® recommends lagering this recipe to achieve the true lager character of
this beer style. However, if you are not properly equipped to lager your beer, the included yeast will perform well when fermented as an ale. When fermenting as an ale (between 64º - 72ºF) try to keep the beer on the cooler end
of the temperature range and allow for some additional time for the lager yeast to ferment down to the FG.
So that said.. I'm guessing a Ale yeast and not a Lager yeast was in the kit..?
Will this little burst of energy cause the beer to develop any sour or off flavors? or am I to expect this will be more a ale now and less a lager ?
I know I should RDWHA*C*B (No home brew to drink yet)
I am not a fan of sour ales.. I am hoping the sour notes I have now emanating from the airlock are just off gases and the beer doesn't come out sour or give me off flavors.. ? Just wondering if the initial fermentation (or should say the second stage of fermentation) at higher ale temps will cause that.
Should I still lager it no matter what ? I am planning on doing that.
What would the result of leaving it as is in the 50-60 ranges then cold crashing for bottling Vs going to a secondary and slow lagering in the fridge..?
Now if I were to find it sour during the hydrometer test, would adding a lb of honey to it during secondary help with that..? Would I get more fermentation during the secondary lagering..?
Thanks for all the help and any insight.