Timeframe For Temp Control

[fishhead202]

Good morning folks, I'm currently trying to figure out how I'm going to control my fermentation temps.

My question is: How long does the temp need to be controlled? Is it just through primary fermentation (so a week or two), or should it be longer?

I have a fridge I'm hoping to gut and use, but it'll only hold one bucket, which means I can only brew as often as I can rotate out. My hope was that keeping the temp controlled for 1-2 weeks was long enough for most yeasts.

Similarly, if primary fermentation is done, is higher temps going to mess with the beer? My house gets up around 75 during the summer, and no basement. It's already given me problems this summer, so trying to figure out a brewing schedule that will keep me hydrated with good beer

Thanks!

 

[joshesmusica]

In all reality you only need temp control during the exothermic phase of fermentation, meaning the phase when the process of fermentation is causing heat. This should be over most of the time by around day 5-7. After that I think you're fine to let it be around 72, I'm not sure that 75 will do much damage though. But maybe there's a closet that stays a little cooler than the rest of the house?

After 5-7 days is the clean up phase which lasts only a couple days more than that. So pretty much anything after day 10 is just conditioning the beer. Again this is just for the average sized beer. Also since you have a fridge I would highly recommend cold crashing.
So you could brew one, have it in the chamber for about 7 days, then brew another one on that day and take the first out and let it sit for 7 days. Then cold crash the first one for 3-4 days (also highly recommend using gelatin, which would mean you would cold crash for 24 hrs, put in the gelatin, then 48 hours more and you're done).
So you could essentially turn around 2 batches in about 3 weeks doing it like this.

 

[bobeer]

Ideally you'd want to control your fermentation temps during initial fermentation. Once that's finished it's good to bring up the temp a bit so the yeast can clean things up- low to mid 70's should be good. All beers are different but after brewing about 50 batches I've noticed that initial fermentation is usually done after about a week. Sometimes it's a few days. It just depends on the yeast, how fermentable the wort is, and if there's any lag time or not.

 

[cmoewes]

I think that it is most critical during the initial primary fermentation. That's when the yeast is most active and temperature control is important for proper preventing off-flavors and creating/managing desired flavors.

I use a chest freezer that will hold 2 carboys with proper temperature control and then rotate them out into an insultated box (build like the son of fermenatation chiller project http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pimp-my-system/son-of-a-fermentation-chiller/).

I figure that way with the insulated box it will lessen the impact of the ambient temperature swing.

Even when I'm not at full capacity, I usually let my beers slowly rise up into the low/mid 70s during the second week to encourage the yeast to clean up any residual fermentation by-products.