Temp change during primary

[stirlingtrent]

Hi all, quick question:

I brewed 2 days ago, good looking active fermentation after about 10 hours, although the temp inside fermentor looked to be about 78-80º. I keep reading about starting fermentation at lower temp and gradually ramping up, so I decided to try to cool it off with a water bath. I moved the carboy to water bath after about 24 hours, bringing down the temp closer to 70, and fermentation has definitely slowed. I know it could just be the natural cycle of fermentation slowing, but it seems pretty fast to me, and I'm worried that I might have stalled fermentation a bit by dropping the temp. Does it sound like this is what I did?

Thanks for any help! This place has been such a wonderful source of inspiration and information!

 

[Draken]

What yeast are you using? Some yeasts have different temp ranges than others.

 

[stirlingtrent]

White Labs Belgian 550

 

[stirlingtrent]

Forgot to mention, my ambient temp is around 70 also.

 

[Draken]

So 70 is probably a great temp to keep that yeast at. It's optimum range is 68-78. You may have slowed fermentation somewhat with the temp drop, but I am guessing that it's more the natural progression of fermentation that is slowing the process. Also remember the outside temp of the fermenter may be significantly lower than the temp in the middle.

 

[homebrewdad]

I don't know of any yeast that will crap out at 70 degrees due to it being too cold. If anything, you are still at the high end of the range for just about anything but a saison.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

White Labs Belgian 550

From the White Labs website:

WLP550 Belgian Ale Yeast
Saisons, Belgian Ales, Belgian Reds, Belgian Browns, and White beers are just a few of the classic Belgian beer styles that can be created with this yeast strain. Phenolic and spicy flavors dominate the profile, with less fruitiness then WLP500.
Attenuation: 78-85%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-78°F
(20-26°C)
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

70's probably good, might be better if you ramp it up a bit, but you're right in the range.