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Author Topic: Fermentation too warm! Help!  (Read 1388 times)

saberhagen

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Fermentation too warm! Help!
« on: September 30, 2010, 07:36:02 pm »
  Okay, so I'm fermenting my second partial mash batch of homebrew. It's a Cascade Dark style Ale based on Widmer Bros. W-10 Pitch Black. The recipe calls for pitching at 75F, and bringing down to 68F for primary fermentation.  The yeast went crazy and started bubbling very actively within 12 hours.  Then it warmed up outside (and in) for an unexpected late September summer!  My ambient temperature in the house never went above 75F, but the Fermometer read 78F by the end of the first full day (36 hours after pitching) and higher by day two. My Fermometer only goes to 78F, so I'm hoping it topped off at 80F.  When I woke up on Day 3, it was 66F in my house, 72F on the bucket and the bubbling had slowed to fewer than 5 bubbles per minute in the airlock.
Did I ruin it?
Also, I'm supposed to dry-hop for the conditioning phase in the second fermenter, but I'm afraid I should condition the beer for longer to offset the quick fermentation.  Don't want grassy beer though!  So, Complete Joy of Homebrewing and How to Brew are a little vague on what the high end of the temperature range should be.
Any suggestions are greatly welcome! (Here's the recipe: http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/2113-widmer-brewing-co-w-10-pitch-black-ipa-clone)

Offline bluesman

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Re: Fermentation too warm! Help!
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2010, 07:44:42 pm »
Welcome to the AHA Forum saberhagen.

A good rule of thumb for fermenting beer is low 60's for ales and upper 40's for lagers but it is also depenent upon yeast strain, OG, and beer style.  For a dark ale, I like to pitch in the low sixties and allow the wort to slowly rise to about 65-68 tops. The fermentation is one of the most important parts of the brewing process and fermentation control is vital. Fermenting your beer in the 70's will allow for some excess ester formation and some higher level alcohol production as well.  You will make beer but on th next batch follow the rules I laid out and your beer will be much better.


Good Luck!
Ron Price

saberhagen

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Re: Fermentation too warm! Help!
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2010, 07:50:03 pm »
Thanks Bluesman! I will definitely keep that in mind. Hopefully my friends don't know what a Cascade Dark should taste like!
;)