[Justin Shady]

Hi All!

I have a novice question here. My buddy and I have been brewing IPA's and Pale Ales as of late. We have been doing 7 gallon all grain brew in bag with a cooler mash tun followed by a 60 min + boil and hopping. We have had success getting high extraction and good fermentation (we use a 1L starter culture and fermentation is finished within a week). We have been bottling with sugar candies for primer. However, our beer has consistently had a solvent (almost acetone) flavor to it. I believe this is happening in the fermentation. We received some wort from a local brewery and the same flavors came through in the end. How do we fix this? From what I've read it could be high temps during fermentation. Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks

[denny]

That sounds like a classic case of fusel alcohol caused by a high fermentation temp.  So, what temp are you fermenting at?

[Justin Shady]

It's been in my buddies apartment so probably mid 70's. We live in Denver so it was a hot summer and difficult to find a cool space. Any tips for keeping fermentation temp lower in an apartment on a budget?

[denny]

It's been in my buddies apartment so probably mid 70's. We live in Denver so it was a hot summer and difficult to find a cool space. Any tips for keeping fermentation temp lower in an apartment on a budget?

Boom, I'd say that's it.  Apartment in mid 70s, beer could be up to 10F warmer.  You could do what I used to do...put the fermenter in a bucket of water and add ice packs to the water.

[RC]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

[Richard]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months.

That is only a good option if you happen to like Belgian styles. For the rest of us, there are lots of simple ways to keep fermentation temperatures down.

[Brewtopalonian]

I live in Utah so I understand your dilemma!  I eventually built a fermentation chamber that holds three fermenters.  But before I did that I would put the fermenters in my basement closet and got some extra large white t-shirts, soaked them in water and put them over the fermenters then out a fan on it.  This helps during high kraussen when temps are at their highest.

It sounds silly, but as long as you keep your t-shirts wet and some gentle wind on it, in the dry desert air, it works like a swamp cooler and really does the trick.

Good luck!  If you want some suggestions on a fermentation chamber HMU in a PM.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Big Monk]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

This is a classic misconception. Very few, if any, Belgian yeasts want to start in the mid 70's. Ideally you want to stay below 68 F for the first 24-36 hours. After that, free rise to your heart's content but i'd never let a beer of mine using the Belgian suite of yeasts get into the mid 70's anywhere near the beginning of fermentation.

[denny]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

This is a classic misconception. Very few, if any, Belgian yeasts want to start in the mid 70's. Ideally you want to stay below 68 F for the first 24-36 hours. After that, free rise to your heart's content but i'd never let a beer of mine using the Belgian suite of yeasts get into the mid 70's anywhere near the beginning of fermentation.

Absolutely.  Thanks for pointing that out so I didn't have to!

[RC]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

This is a classic misconception. Very few, if any, Belgian yeasts want to start in the mid 70's. Ideally you want to stay below 68 F for the first 24-36 hours. After that, free rise to your heart's content but i'd never let a beer of mine using the Belgian suite of yeasts get into the mid 70's anywhere near the beginning of fermentation.

This is the first I've heard this, and I'm certainly not new to brewing. While I don't doubt its veracity, I've brewed plenty of Belgian beers where I've held it a 72-78 degrees right from the start, and they've turned out great. YMMV obviously.

[denny]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

This is a classic misconception. Very few, if any, Belgian yeasts want to start in the mid 70's. Ideally you want to stay below 68 F for the first 24-36 hours. After that, free rise to your heart's content but i'd never let a beer of mine using the Belgian suite of yeasts get into the mid 70's anywhere near the beginning of fermentation.

This is the first I've heard this, and I'm certainly not new to brewing. While I don't doubt its veracity, I've brewed plenty of Belgian beers where I've held it a 72-78 degrees right from the start, and they've turned out great. YMMV obviously.

Depends on your tastes.  For example, when I make a tripel I target the classic Westmalle tripel.  After all, they invented it.  You could never make a beer that tasted the same starting at that high a temp.

[Justin Shady]

Thank you all! I appreciate the feedback. Seems like it was exactly what I suspected and all of the cooling tips are great! This place is awesome!

[Big Monk]

Another option is to focus on Belgian styles during the warmer summer months. Belgian yeasts are generally more tolerant of warmer fermentation temps. Also, Northern Brewer sells a strain called HotHead that supposedly ferments cleanly at really high temps. (I've never used this strain before, I have no idea if it works as advertised.)

This is a classic misconception. Very few, if any, Belgian yeasts want to start in the mid 70's. Ideally you want to stay below 68 F for the first 24-36 hours. After that, free rise to your heart's content but i'd never let a beer of mine using the Belgian suite of yeasts get into the mid 70's anywhere near the beginning of fermentation.

This is the first I've heard this, and I'm certainly not new to brewing. While I don't doubt its veracity, I've brewed plenty of Belgian beers where I've held it a 72-78 degrees right from the start, and they've turned out great. YMMV obviously.

The term “Belgian Beer” can be pretty slippery. What kind of yeasts are you referring to? I typically classify like this:

1.) Trappist yeasts
2.) Duvel yeast
3.) Saison/Farmhouse yeasts
4.) Abbey yeasts
5.) Other Regional yeasts

I’m not singling you out, but many people use the Belgian moniker as a catchall for many varying types of beers, and most are generally thinking of Saison yeasts for high temp fermentation’s.

I have NEVER made a beer with a Trappist yeast that wasn’t a dumper if it started out fermenting > 70 °F.