Temperature Question?

[pilot45]

I started my first batch on Tuesday evening and put it in the fermenter. It was an extract brew, Ironmaster Porter. I came home Wednesday afternoon and fermentation was in full swing. The lag time was 12 to 16 hours. Here is the issue: I live in Florida and I have (had) the fermenter in a closet in the house. The thermometer on the side of the fermenter read 74 degrees. Once fermentation started, the thermometer slowly started to creep up to 76 degrees. My thermometer has 76 and the high range for an Ale. So I cleaned out the spare fridge this morning, made it a bit warmer than usual, and put the fermenter in. I think the fridge and the fermenter should stabilize somewhere between 62 to 66 degrees. My question is this, did I do the right thing by putting it in the fridge? I didn't want it to get too warm while I was at work and kill the yeast. Will cooling it down have any effect, positive or negative?

 

[heyvail]

You have not hurt your beer any, that is for sure. Ale yeasts tend to produce the best flavor profiles around the mid to upper 60's. Low 70's aren't bad either. The warmer the temps, the more ester's will be produced, which in some styles are sought after. But during active fermentation the inside of your carboy can be as much as five degrees more than the ambient room temp. Hope that helps!!

 

[pilot45]

You have helped tremendously, thank you for the information!
:rockin:

 

[Grinder12000]

You did good and you should be a good brewer. Well done.

 

[viking999]

62-66 degrees is pretty much what I shoot for in my ales (except hefes). I've found that the low 70's gives significant banana flavor to the beer. The first ale I lowered the fermentation temperature had no banana flavor at all.

 

[pilot45]

Good to know. I read that the esters give a banana taste, and if it is too warm, you get more esters. I'll check the fridge when I get home and see what temp it stabilized at. Now comes the hard part, the waiting.....

 

[Figbash]

You may want to invest in a temperature controller to plug your fridge into since you live in a hot climate. Then you can accurately dial in whatever temperature you want. Ranco makes a good one for $49.

Tom

 

[pilot45]

Thank you!