Temperature swing in 4 gallons of wort after pitching Nottingham yeast

[leedspointbrew]

So I'm cooling wort for a Bass clone / ESB, and the coolest temp I can realistically expect this afternoon, given other pressing obligations is ~70 degrees, + maybe, - unlikely. I'm going to pitch Lallemand Nottingham - according to the spec sheet, "The optimal temperature range for Nottingham yeast when producing traditional styles is 10°C (50°F) * to 22°C (72°F)."
So I cool to ~70, and pitch at that temp. According to what I've read, exothermic yeast reactions kick the temperature up ~8 degrees. I'll be taking the fermenter outside to a kegcooler in my shed and the ambient temps should drop to the mid / low 60's. Is it likely that ambient temps will swing the wort temp enough to keep it in that recommended zone? I've been trying to research, but am not even sure what search queries I should be using.
Thanks.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I'll be taking the fermenter outside to a kegcooler in my shed

What role, if any, does the "kegcooler" play in controlling fermentation temperature?

 

[leedspointbrew]

None whatsoever. It keeps insects that might be in my shed away from the fermzilla. In winter when I brew, it might help retain some heat.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

So I cool to ~70, and pitch at that temp. According to what I've read, exothermic yeast reactions kick the temperature up ~8 degrees. I'll be taking the fermenter outside to a kegcooler in my shed and the ambient temps should drop to the mid / low 60's. Is it likely that ambient temps will swing the wort temp enough to keep it in that recommended zone?

If the ambient temperature drops to the mid / low 60s early tomorrow morning, you may be OK. Wort temperature (dropping) will lag ambient temperature (dropping) and any cooling is very slow when there's only a couple of degrees difference between ambient and wort temperature. My experiences with Nottingham suggests that it may not be raising wort temperature until "brunch time" tomorrow morning.

 

[leedspointbrew]

If the ambient temperature drops to the mid / low 60s early tomorrow morning, you may be OK. Wort temperature (dropping) will lag ambient temperature (dropping) and any cooling is very slow when there's only a couple of degrees difference between ambient and wort temperature. My experiences with Nottingham suggests that it may not be raising wort temperature until "brunch time" tomorrow morning.

So in the scenario where I may not be OK, I'm looking at esters? Or something worse, in your experience?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I don't have any specific experiences with Nottingham in the low 70s. My guess is that it will produce some additional esters.

 

[brewSJ]

I ferment 70-75 F with Nottingham fairly regularly (measured from inside the fermenter). I've gotten fusel alcohols with a high OG and pitch temperatures close to 80 F, but the low 70's should be fine. Maybe a bit of esters (??) but nothing too obvious.

 

[rallenhall]

I've found Nottingham to be much cleaner in the lower portion of the stated temperature range ... get a tartness in the upper part of the range that I don't care for.

 

[MaxStout]

Can you set the FV in something to hold the temp down, like a tub of cool water? Adding a thermal mass like that can slow the temp rise and minimize temp swings.

If you freeze some water-filled plastic pop bottles, you can put a few of those in the water to further reduce the temp. Hang a cloth or t-shirt over the FV, with the bottom in the water so it wicks water upward. Evaporation helps cool it more. Look up "swamp cooler" on this site for more on that.

 

[leedspointbrew]

To finish this thread : I bottled the ESB this morning, since by all reports Nottingham is a quick fermenter, this week's British-style weather favored it, and I wasn't feeling all that optimistic. But the sample I took tasted pretty good. Maybe it's because I'm used to Kveik yeasts, but it tasted pretty clean, not too estery or tart, which is what I was expecting. The temperature swing appears to have been on my side.