So I live on the 14th floor of an unairconditioned apartment. Now, most of you probably wouldn't think that's a problem in winter, but even in the middle of winter hell in Boston, my apartment hovers between 74-78F without the heat on. I'm starting to assemble the equipment for 2.5gal BIAB batches and I was looking at brews to make. I need some brews that will ferment happily around 72-85F without getting crazy off flavors during fermentation. Any recommendations? I hear various Belgian styles are great in warm temps. I'm targeting a simple Saison right now (how hot can these puppies ferment without getting weird? any recipe recommendations?). I'll probably stop brewing in June when the apartment gets close to 90F during the day and won't brew again until mid-October, unless there's a style that really likes it hot. Cheers!
Yeah, Saisons tend to do well at higher temps, but that's about it. Short of getting a mini-fridge or something like that to ferment in, or cracking up an air conditioner if you have a spare room, you'll be limited to what you can brew without issues.
There are options for holding your beer below the ambient temperature while it is fermenting. Some of those options are relatively expensive, but some are economical (though a bit more labor-intensive). For instance, you could put your fermenter in a tub with some water and a few frozen bottles of water (which you would have to rotate through the freezer for a few days while the beer is actively fermenting). This wouldn't work for all yeasts, but there are yeasts that work well over a wide range of temperatures and are vigorous enough to handle the likely swings in temperature. So for instance, if you can keep your fermenter in the 60s, I think you will do fine with US-05, which can be used for a very wide range of styles. Bear in mind that the really crucial time is the first few days of fermentation. When the fermentation is less active, it's not a big deal for it to be a bit warmer (and in fact some people let their fermentations warm up a bit over time to make sure they finish out strong). So if you could manage to keep the beer below, say, 70°F for a few days, you could relax a bit after that.
100% brett trois, 70-85°F http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp644-brettanomyces-bruxellensis-trois if you only use the one strain it will act like a normal sacch strain
Put one of these 2.5g batch-size fermentors into one of these along with a 22-oz bottle or two of frozen water and you can ferment all day long in the mid-60s.
Interesting idea with the Mr. Beer setup. I just bought new equipment so I'm a bit out of cash for that stuff right now. I think what I'm going to go with is the water bottle-cold water bath method for beers that need a few days of lower fermentation temps and then just let the beers raise to room temp after a week or so. Harder to maintain, but I'm up for the challenge. I think that Belgian beers and maybe a traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen are doable at the temps I'm describing. The apartment should hold at <80 until the end of April if the temperatures relatively average in MA. Come May/June I'll probably brew up a saison and then shut it down for the summer (unless I feel like getting funky with the saisons and ferment them really hot (>85F). On the docket before my self-imposed mid-June deadline: - 2.5gal BIAB traditional Belgian wit (Blanche du Chambly clone) - 2.5gal BIAB nobel hopped saison (my own to-be-determined recipe) - 2x1gal batches of hard cider (one dry and sparkling, one flat but backsweetened with honey) Should make some great summer beers and give me some time to practice on the ciders before fall.
One thing you need to consider is your fermentation temperature is going to be hotter than your room temperature. If a yeast lists a temperature range of 64-80, it doesn't always mean you will be pleased with the results on the high end. A good example is Duvel yeast WY1388. It has a top end range of 80. If you ferment it in the high 70s to 80 for the full duration of the fermentation, you will be drinking nail polish remover that will give you a major headache and hangover.
Yup, I'll be controlling for this for sure. I have a small storage unit that's completely dark and touches not external walls of the building which actually stays a solid 5F cooler than the rest of the building, so I've been keeping carboys in there for fermentation (plus the water bath and whatnot). I might also try modifying some styrofoam coolers with some insulating foam glue or something (take one and cut the bottom off, and stick it on top of another.
Get your ferment off to a cool start at all costs - use lots of ice and don't pitch the yeast above 65-67F. It can then rise after a couple days without doing too much damage. The upper recommended range for a yeast should only be experienced at the end of fermentation. Do Not (!) ferment a hefe hot... low-mid 60's is best.
Yeah, I accidentally let my last brew get too warm for the first three days of fermentation (around 73F). It's supposed to be an English Brown but I gave it a quick smell today and it legitimately smells like a dunkelweizen or a quad...so it should be interesting to see how that turns out. I thought warmer fementations (~70-72F) were good for bringing out more of the banana notes in a weizen?
You say the next beer you want to do is a Wit. One of the things that separates a wit from a fruity ale is the clove note. The clove note happens in the low 60s.
The recipe I have says to ferment at 68-73 (use Wyeast 3944 or Wyeast 3463). I'm not to keen on using liquid yeast though, so I'll probably just talk to the guy at my homebrew store and see what he recommends. Sorry, I'm not trying to sound argumentative or anything- just a beginner who's excited, who also just wants to follow a recipe and make something work (but with full knowledge that this is a science of subtleties).
Have you guys had any luck with swamp coolers? This is a hacky, but reasonable option for me. I have floor space (or space in that storage unit I was talking about) and can easily acquire a big plastic bucket that I can throw some frozen waterbottles in a few times a day. I was reading online that it can keep temps consistently in the mid-60s up to as high as you want, if you maintain it regularly.
I'm not making much sense on my threads today. I typically use a Tupperware container and I fill it halfway with water. I'd be tempted to do the same, even in a cooler. I'd be submerging the Mr. Beer fermenter in water if I did this. I'm worried about the seals on the lid and the spigot. Would you worry about water getting in and beer getting out?
Two things ... 1) There's no need for any water in my set-up. The little brown keg (LBK) sits in a 2" deep glass bake dish (to catch any splooge) inside the cooler. One (sometimes two in summer) 22-oz bottles of frozen water straddle the top of the LBK. Plenty-o-space in the cooler for more bottles; however ... more bottles haven't been needed even in mid-summer in south-central VA. Also .. no problem fermenting a Callie Common Steamer at 58°F by swapping bottles 2x / day. 2) Never had an LBK leak a single drop during fermentation or when pressed into service as a bottling 'bucket.' My 2006 LBKs still have their OEM O-rings.
