Swamp Chiller questions

[GrundleCruncher]

So I got my fermentation bucket in wrapped in a wet towel sitting in a big rubermaid with about 7" H2O and a fan blowing on it. Anyway, I add a frozen half gallon one or twice a day to the water in the rubbermaid and the water gets to about 60 deg F.
Is this bad for an ale yeast, those are bottom fermenting right? Am I cooling them down too much and making em all cold and chilly and not hungry?
I look forward to your input!!!1!!!!111!!

 

[bradsul]

60F is a little low for an ale yeast (top fermenting btw), but they should still be happily munching away. Just be prepared for your primary fermentation to take longer because of the cooler temperature.

 

[GrundleCruncher]

Its a lot better to be top fermenting, the water is 60 deg but the bucket is around 68. I was worried the yeast were getting shocked by the cold water but at the top the change will be more diffused. Thanks

 

[cubbies]

7" of 60* water is not going to make 60* beer in the carboy. It is likely fine depending on the air surrounding the parts of the carboy above the water. If it is normal room temperature 70ish, you will be fine. If it is sitting in your 100 degree garage, it wont.

 

[malkore]

ale yeast is top fermenting.

 

[arturo7]

With the towel and fan you are employing evaporative cooling. This process, when efficient, will provide a water temperature aprx 5-10 deg F above the wet bulb temperature. Wet bulb is the temperature of the water vapor in the air. To find the wet bulb for your location I would suggest google. (It can vary from day to day and it is generally higher in humid climates.)

This means the towel wrapped around your cooler would be at 'wet bulb + 5' deg. The ice will only cool the bottom of your bucket and probably isn't necessary. However, depending on your local wet bulb temp and the degree of air circulation, you could very well place your bucket in a 100 deg garage and still maintain a 75 deg wort.

 

[JVD_X]

Just a quick note: although the peak temps vary during the fermentation cycle, at high krausen the wort inside the carboy can be 5-10 F above the temperature of the water you have immersed the carboy in due to the fermentation activity itself.

So, if the external temperature is being read at 60 F when the beer is fermenting like crazy, the actual wort temp could be much higher than 60 F.

Of course, as the ferment slows down the wort temp moves to meet the ambient temperature.