Just wondering what the ideal temperature is for primary fermentation in Canada. The temperature in my garage is around 68 degrees and I want to speed up the process an little bit if I can. I built a hotbox and I was thinking of keeping it around 80 degrees or so. Is this a good idea or not?
brewing temp?
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For a typical ale fermentation, the ideal temp (measured on the fermenter, not the air) for the first week will be around 63-65*F. When the yeast is really active, the temp inside the fermenter will run 6-10*F hotter than the surrounding air. So, instead of warming it up, you'll want to cool it down a bit for that first week.
After that first week, you can let it warm up to 67-68*F to finish for the next week or two. It won't be generating much of its own heat then.
Trying to warm up the ferment to 80*F isn't going to speed the process. It will result in some very nasty tasting homebrew that will give you a headache due to all the fusel alcohol in it.
For a typical ale fermentation, the ideal temp (measured on the fermenter, not the air) for the first week will be around 63-65*F. When the yeast is really active, the temp inside the fermenter will run 6-10*F hotter than the surrounding air. So, instead of warming it up, you'll want to cool it down a bit for that first week.
After that first week, you can let it warm up to 67-68*F to finish for the next week or two. It won't be generating much of its own heat then.
Trying to warm up the ferment to 80*F isn't going to speed the process. It will result in some very nasty tasting homebrew that will give you a headache due to all the fusel alcohol in it.
boydster
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+1. Way too hot. What kind of yeast are you using?
I'm using the yeast that came with the canned beer kit. We are using the Coopers draught and the Canadian adventure ale. I read in other forums that the fermentation speeds up with higher temps with these kits. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance guys!!
Thanks in advance guys!!
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The hotter it is, the more "bad" alcohol it produces. "Bad" meaning jet fuel taste.
It is faster, though.
It is faster, though.
boydster
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Try mid 60's for a Cooper's ale kit. See https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/temp-control-coopers-brew-kit-292807/
and
http://us.diybeer.com/category_s/1832.htm
They recommend fermenting in the 67° range
and
http://us.diybeer.com/category_s/1832.htm
They recommend fermenting in the 67° range
Whoever wrote that is steering you down a path that will make you throw up your hands in despair, dump the beer down the drain in frustration, and give up on home brewing forever.
Any other advice they give you, ignore it. They're just plain ignorant, dumb, wrong, what have you.
The goal here isn't to get the ferment done ASAP. It's to do this whole awesome process in such a way that you'll be happy with what you've created, rejoice in its goodness, and will be proud to share it with your friends. Good brewing involves many aspects. One of the most critical is patience.
homebrewdad
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Agreed, this is a TERRIBLE idea. Higher temps make off flavors and fusel alcohols. If you want good beer, don't do this.
hops2it
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Better off to scrap the hotbox and build a coldbox that's temp controllable to within a few degrees. 0-20 C (32-68 F) would be ideal for fermentation plus a cold crash option down to near freezing should you wish to go that route.
Thanks for the awesome advice. I'll scrap the hotbox idea and build a cold box for the summer. So when you say 0 degrees roughly to ferment at, are you talking celsius or fahrenheit? 0 degrees is basically freezing point. Could we just put the primary in a working fridge? The temp in there is around 2-3 degrees? Sorry if this is a stupid question.
gcdowd
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The range he suggested was 32 to 68. Ales ferment great in the mid 60s, lagers in the low 50s or high 40s. If you are just brewing ales, then you want ferm temps in the 60s.
And the reason you want it to be able to get down to 32F is for cold crashing, when fermentation is done and you are ready to bottle. That gives you less sediment in your bottles.
Instead of going to the trouble and expense of building a cold box, see if you can find a decent used freezer (chest or upright) or fridge and precisely regulate it with a $20 STC-1000 dual controller. That way, no matter how warm or how cold it gets in your location, you can set the temp you want and it will stay within whatever tolerance (like +/-0.5*C) you set on the controller.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-fish-tank-controller-build-using-wal-mart-parts-261506/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/
http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366396314&sr=8-1&keywords=stc-1000
http://brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html
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