Temperature

[jordanIPA]

I am planning to brew my first beer in a few weeks. If my apt. temp is between 65-70 degrees will my wort stay that temp as well? And how many degrees can it fluctuate without disturbing the yeast too much? Thank you!

 

[TyTanium]

There's a big difference between 65 and 70. 65 should be good if you can keep the beer at that temp*. 70 is no bueno for most yeast strains.

*Fermentation produces heat, so 65 ambient can easily be 70-75 ferment temp, too hot for most yeast. Search "swamp cooler".

 

[Jayhem]

Your beer will usually get 4-8 degrees F higher than the air temperature so you need to find a cool place in the house or build a swamp cooler. Generally ales only need to be kept cooler for the first 3-7 days of fermentation then you can let them warm up to 70 with no problems.

 

[Jlaw3000]

My guess is 65 overnight/while away from home and 70 when you are home/not sleeping (that's how it is in my house)? If you are at 65 most of the time and 70 for just a few hours a day you should be fine pitching in the mid 60*s and leaving it. If its starts to climb past 70 just move it to a colder part of your house (closet sharing an exterior wall, basement, etc) and keep an eye on it... I play musical carboy in my house all the time... probably not best practice but effective and free.

Also... I highly recommend putting your carboy in a milk crate or big Tupperware to allow for easy moving (a full plain carboy is a b!tc# to move around)

 

[daksin]

Yea, you need to set up some sort of cooling. Your beer will get way warmer than ambient. Often, a wet towel and a fan is all you need in a dry climate.

 

[jordanIPA]

What would be the desired ambient air temp for feel temp of 65?

 

[daksin]

What would be the desired ambient air temp for feel temp of 65?

Like everything, it varies. You need a way to measure your beer temp, either with a stickon thermometer or a thermowell.

 

[Jayhem]

What would be the desired ambient air temp for feel temp of 65?

In my experience... 60F first 5 days then 67F to finish.

 

[BigFloyd]

In my experience... 60F first 5 days then 67F to finish.

This.

During the first 4-5 days, if your ambient is 60*F, inside the fermenter can be as much as 7-10*F higher.

 

[Jayhem]

This.

During the first 4-5 days, if your ambient is 60*F, inside the fermenter can be as much as 7-10*F higher.

The highest internal temp difference I recorded (by lab thermometer) using Chico strain (US-05) was +8F from an ambient of 63F. The warmer your ambient the higher your beer temp differential will be. With most yeasts if your ambient is 60F and you pitched around 63-65F then your beer should not get much above 65F so long as ambient stays 60F until the krausen falls. 65F is a sweet spot for US-05 which is my go to yeast for most of my beers.

Most ales will be much cleaner tasting if you ferment in the low end of the yeast's temp range (generally 63-68F beer temp)