fermenting temps

[Dr. Sideburns]

I am brewing the Northern Brewer Wee Heavy kit with a friend. It comes with the malt syrup and specialty grains and thier kits produce some quality brews. Anyway I plug everything into beersmith and show him how cool it is (he'll be getting it for himself very soon). Ferment temp calls for 68F 4 days in the primary and 7 in the secondary, the yeast is wyeast #1728 scottish ale smack pack. At my buddy's house we are fermenting on the warmer side of his beer cellar which stays between 60-62 this time of year pretty constant. Because of this I assumed it would just need some extra time in the primary and to ferment in general before bottling. we racked to the secondary last night which should have been the night to bottle but it still has a little settling to do and I guess we will just have to go by hydrometer readings as far as when to bottle. I basicly wanted someone to confirm that everything is cool. Is there a rule of thumb for temp difference? Should we try and get the secondary warmed up a bit or leave it alone? The yeast is doing its thing for sure, maybe a little slower. OG was 1.091 and right now we are at 1.038 7%, est FG is 1.024. we are going to bottle condition and age to Thanksgiving and hide some away for Christmas if we can controll ourselves. suggestions?

[Passload]

The temp in beersmith is not the recommended temp. That is just a default temp. Always follow the temp range recommendation on the yeast package.

Cheers, Justin

[Dr. Sideburns]

Thanks for the response. I guess we'll be just fine then. I went back and checked the temp range for 1728 and it is 55-75f.

[harebare]

Ready for heresy?

I don't pay attention to ale temps at all. Spring, summer, winter, fall? It's all good. I put the primary in my kitchen unless it's 100F outside and then I move to the cellar. (I live in a 130 year old historic home. NO a/c!)

I've made lagers and ferment them in my garage with a blanket and heating pad.

I think anything within the yeast's tolerance is good. I can't really tell a difference between my ales fermented at 65F and those fermented at 80F.

Sorry. I'm just not orthodox.

- Hare

[Dr. Sideburns]

Unorthodox doesn't mean wrong. From reading this and alot of your other posts, it doesn't seem like you really have a whole lot of issues. Being a noob to the brewing world I probably worry a little more than Charlie P would approve of. Although, I am sure to take his advice and have a brew when I do. 

Thanks Hare,

-Joe

[UselessBrewing]

Ready for heresy?
I don't pay attention to ale temps at all. Spring, summer, winter, fall? It's all good. I put the primary in my kitchen unless it's 100F outside and then I move to the cellar. (I live in a 130 year old historic home. NO a/c!)

You know I cant leave this one out there...
You said it! Thats Heresy!
Everyone's environment is different. The types of beer you make, the area you live in, The types and age of the grains you get, Adjunct additions, etc.
If you make a 1.065 or bigger beer and you ferment at high temps you are going to get Fusile Alcohol not beer (It has happened to me and it was only 80deg F). If you make a smaller (1.040) beer at the same temps you probably wont notice anything. What I'm saying is what some people can get away with, others can't. When I pitch yeast on an ale it is in my spare metal bathtub filled with water and some ice. to keep the temps around 65 deg F.

I think anything within the yeast's tolerance is good.

They put the information on the package for a reason. To me it's all part of the process, and getting it right makes great beer.

I'm just not orthodox.

Thats OK We will still let you play in the sandbox 

[harebare]

Just knew that one would get Preston going.

I'm not quite as cavalier as I let on but I'm virtually certain that I don't fuss over fermentation temps as much as certain brewers it's been my pleasure to meet on this forum do. I stick pretty much to two yeast strains for ale (WLP001 and 099) and both are very tolerant of a wide temp range.

Preston is right, a lot of yeasts (Belgians in particular) don't like warmer working conditions and will reward you with something akin to rubbing alcohol if you stress them. I also wouldn't let a steam beer go much above 72F for fear of producing nasty headaches. (I love Anchor Steam but two bottles and I'm reaching for the Advil.)

I think I've mentioned before that I live in a circa 1890 house. Even though it's 2 storeys with sharply pitched Victorian roofs, the 200+ year old oaks top out about 25' above the peak. Even without A/C, the shade of the oaks and the high ceilings allow me to find a spot somewhere in the house that stays under 80F in all but the hottest weather. I find I can brew ales throughout the summer and seldom have to move them to the cellar to ferment.

I don't make many lagers but those that I do are Nov-Jan brews.

- Hare