IPA - Temp sensitivity

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mscerbo1427, Mar 20, 2018.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mscerbo1427

    mscerbo1427 Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2017 New York

    I recently brewed a 5 gallon batch of a NE IPA I purchased from homebrewsupply.com (Recipe sheet: https://www.homebrewsupply.com/media/pdf/All_Grain_PDFs/AG_INS_TropicHazeNEDIPA.pdf). It was my first time using a new outdoor setup and like an idiot I did not have a hydrometer/refractometer on me so I was unable to take gravity readings.

    I underestimated the how cold it would be on brew day (I'm in the Northeast) - and while the recipe called for a mash temp of 149, mine was reading more like 145. I ended up boiling a quart of extra water on the stove and got it up to about 147. I think I followed the rest of the recipe without any issues.

    When I put my primary in my basement, the utility closet felt a little warm due to proximity of a hot water heater - so placed my bucket in a closet underneath the stairs. I never took a temp reading in the closet, but it felt a little chilly in there - I'd probably guesstimate 60-65 whereas the target primary ferm temp was 68-72.

    This past Sunday was bottling day and of course I needed to sample my beer. It didn't taste bad, but I felt like it wasn't as flavorful as I was anticipating and it tasted it bit weak (and obviously flat). I'm sure it will still come out okay, but what kind of effects do you think mash temp/fermentation temp can have? Should I 2-3 degrees below target mash or fermentation temp to have a major impact?

    Thanks in advance,
    Mike
     
    #1 mscerbo1427, Mar 20, 2018
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    My expectation would be you obtained a very fermentable wort; the beer should have resulted in a low final gravity.
    Fermentation is an exothermic process (i.e., it generates heat). If the ambient temperature was in the lower 60's your fementation temperature was likely in the upper 60s. You can place a fermometer on your fermentor and measure this.

    I would guess that your resulting beer will have a thin mouthfeel from the low mash temperatures.

    Cheers!
     
    #2 JackHorzempa, Mar 20, 2018
    mscerbo1427 likes this.
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    According to Doss' data, the difference in fermentability between 149F and 145F would be very small. About 1%-ish.

    Conventional wisdom says that the lower the mash temp, the more fermentable the wort. But Doss' data indicates that 145F and 147F would each result in a less fermentable wort than 149F. (Though the difference from 145F to 149F is very small.) The sweet spot for fermentability in Doss' data was 151F.
     
    #3 VikeMan, Mar 20, 2018
    frozyn and mscerbo1427 like this.
  4. mscerbo1427

    mscerbo1427 Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2017 New York

    Thanks for the input!
     
    #4 mscerbo1427, Mar 20, 2018
  5. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Too late to edit, so I'll add here. The more I think about it, I think it was Kai Troester's data (not Doss') that showed 151F as the sweet spot, though Doss' wasn't far off.
     
    #5 VikeMan, Mar 20, 2018
  6. NorCalKid

    NorCalKid Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2018 California

    What do you ferment in? What kind of yeast? What was your hop schedule? I might be able to help on a few things.
     
    #6 NorCalKid, Mar 21, 2018
    mscerbo1427 likes this.
  7. thebriansmaude

    thebriansmaude Crusader (472) Dec 16, 2016 Canada (AB)
    Trader

    I’ve had fermentations with some American strains just flat out stop when temps got to 60 or slightly below. Did your beer taste sweeter than expected ? If so a bit of a stuck fermentation could be to blame. If it tastes dry I’d say you are good - and ya also probably extra dry from low mash temps. The beer will be good.
     
    #7 thebriansmaude, Mar 21, 2018
    mscerbo1427 likes this.
  8. NorCalKid

    NorCalKid Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2018 California

    My same experience. I’ve only found Pacman and US-05 to be able to chug along that cold at moderate OG’s.
     
    #8 NorCalKid, Mar 21, 2018
  9. mscerbo1427

    mscerbo1427 Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2017 New York

    Hey man, thanks. I ferment in. 6.5 gal bucket. I used imperial A04 barbarian yeast, and the hop schedule was as follows:

    FHW 1.00oz El Dorado
    Steep/Whirlpool 0.50oz El Dorado, 0.50oz Citra, 0.50oz mosaic @ 40 min
    Steep/Whirlpool 0.50oz El Dorado, 0.50oz Citra, 0.50oz mosaic @ 20 min

    Dry Hop 1.00oz El Dorado, 1.00oz Citra, 1.00oz Mosaic @ 3 days after pitching
    Dry Hop 1.00oz El Dorado, 1.00oz Citra, 1.00oz Mosaic @ 10 days after pitching (4 days before bottling)
     
    #9 mscerbo1427, Mar 21, 2018
  10. NorCalKid

    NorCalKid Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2018 California

    Hop bill looks good. I would have pushed all those additions to 10 min and whirlpool. The “Conan” yeast I believe ferments in the mid to upper 60s so I wonder if it attenuated out. What was your fg? Also you can buy one of those fermometer strips to help gauge the temp but I don’t know how accurate it would work on plastic, I ferment in glass carboys so cant help you there. I use US-05 for all my ipa’s, hazy or not and ferment in the low 60’s with good results. Hopefully some of that helps.
     
    #10 NorCalKid, Mar 21, 2018
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.