W-34/70 Screw up, please advise

[CX4Life]

Hey all,

Question concerning running a little high on fermentation temperature with this yeast.

I brewed an Oktoberfest on 3/9, OG 1.053 and pitched two packs of rehydrated 34/70, chilled to 55 degrees into 55 degree wort. Set my fermentation chamber to 56. Fermentation started 12ish hours later.

Today, 3/12, I checked the chamber to find this lager fermenting fairly vigorously. Temp controller (STC-1000) still read 13.5 C (56ish F). Grabbed my IR thermometer saw the wort up to 66F. Crap. Obviously didn't insulate the probe enough...

It couldn't have been this warm for more than a day, probably less, but I'm not completely positive.

My question is, should I expect off flavors? Fermentis says the yeast's range is 48-71F, but ideally 54-59. I'd rather not have to wait another 6 or 7 weeks to discover I made crappy beer...

Thanks for any info!
-Tim

 

[ol-hazza]

Dont hold me to this but I think you are going to be alright. Its far from ideal and I havn't had it happen to me, but I'm optimistic for you.
Firstly, as you said its within the temp range of the yeast
Secondly, people do a D Rest at 60 and above
Thirdly you have the lagering phase to clean up some off flavours.\

Let us know how it ends up anyway, and I don't even need to mention insulating that probe, mines under 2 inches of polystyrene.

 

[CX4Life]

Thanks for the quick reply. I've got a folded up towel over it now... learned my lesson for sure. I'll post with the outcome for posterity sake.

 

[Magnus314]

If it was cool for the first two days you're good.

34/70 has always done well for me, even at the high end of the range in ambient temp - in other words, fermented at 55-58*F air temperature around the fermenter it still turned out great after d-rest and lagering.

 

[CX4Life]

Don't mean to gravedig, just wanted to post the results...


Turned out great. No diacetyl, no esters or phenols, no high alcohols, no sulfur. Just clean. Did a (too) long D-rest at 68, lagered for 5 weeks in corny.

I'm enjoying this forgiving, very easy to use lager strain, for sure...

 

[ol-hazza]

Glad to hear it, mainly because I like being right...