Partial boil pitching temps

[Jbone1072]

Hi all,

Im planning on brewing my 3rd beer sometime next week, NB Sierra Madre Pale Ale (extract). I’ve had issues with each of my first two brews which I think I’ve narrowed down to pitching and fermentation temps being too high. I plan on pitching at about 61 or 62 degrees using Safale US-05 for my yeast and then fermenting in a basement room which consistently stays around 64-65 degrees. Any advice for getting the wort temp down to 62 when this is a partial boil? Or is it mostly just guess work since you have to mix the wort with a few gallons of water?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Wort chiller. Or, add very, very cold clean water to the partial boil to get the desired beginning OG.

 

[Zemillard90]

Any idea at what temp you pitched at the first two brews?

Maybe add the water to get to your full fermenter volume (if you have an idea of the volume you will need after boiling) into the boil kettle and then put the kettle in an ice bath or use a wort chiller to get to 62.

Alternatively, US-05 is pretty robust. If you wanted to keep the wort in your basement until it gets to room temp there then pitch the yeast that could work. But I like your idea of pitching at 62 better. Obviously, a mini fridge would work to better control pitching/fermentation temps but I brewed without one for years in an old, cold basement.

Good luck!

 

[Jbone1072]

Any idea at what temp you pitched at the first two brews?

Maybe add the water to get to your full fermenter volume (if you have an idea of the volume you will need after boiling) into the boil kettle and then put the kettle in an ice bath or use a wort chiller to get to 62.

Alternatively, US-05 is pretty robust. If you wanted to keep the wort in your basement until it gets to room temp there then pitch the yeast that could work. But I like your idea of pitching at 62 better. Obviously, a mini fridge would work to better control pitching/fermentation temps but I brewed without one for years in an old, cold basement.

Good luck!

No clue what the temp was on the first one, that one turned out hardly drinkable. It has almost a rubbery/plastic taste along with a flat beer taste. The second one was a Hefeweizen that turned out descent but had almost too much banana and almost has an alcohol taste to it.

I’m thinking I’m just going to get the wort down to 75ish and then add water, our water this time of year is pretty cold so I’m hoping it should bring it down to the 60’s. If not, I may stick the fermenter outside to finish cooling it down.
Funny you mention that, I just bought a thermowell and ink bird to make a fermentation chamber out of a mini fridge. The fridge I want to use is out of stock right now though and I’ve got the itch to brew!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

No clue what the temp was on the first one, that one turned out hardly drinkable. It has almost a rubbery/plastic taste along with a flat beer taste.

Sorry, but "No clue what the temp was on the first one..." as this is unacceptable. You are having problems fermenting and won't take the time to do some simple, required, things. We can brew half-as*ed, but do we really want to do so? I do believe you've answered your own question... the answer is "No". Not knowing is different, knowing and not doing is unacceptable.

In my experience, in brewing, we only get "lucky" a few times. Follow the brewing requirements and make beer that everyone is begging for more.

Please realize, I'm not necessarily criticizing you, not attempting to offend, I'm simply trying to get you on track so you can enjoy your, hard earned, creations.

 

[McKnuckle]

Fermentation temperature is fundamental to brewing good beer. So, there is no rush to pitch yeast. Many newbies panic and think there is, resulting in poorly conducted fermentations that are doomed from the start.

If you know you won't be able to chill directly to pitching temp, rack the wort without aerating into the fermenter. Seal up your fermenter and wait. Put it somewhere cold until the temperature is at or below the target. Then aerate and pitch yeast.

 

[Jbone1072]

Sorry, but "No clue what the temp was on the first one..." as this is unacceptable. You are having problems fermenting and won't take the time to do some simple, required, things. We can brew half-as*ed, but do we really want to do so? I do believe you've answered your own question... the answer is "No". Not knowing is different, knowing and not doing is unacceptable.

In my experience, in brewing, we only get "lucky" a few times. Follow the brewing requirements and make beer that everyone is begging for more.

Please realize, I'm not necessarily criticizing you, not attempting to offend, I'm simply trying to get you on track so you can enjoy your, hard earned, creations.

i appreciate the feedback. The first beer was first time I had ever brewed so I had no idea what I was doing really, I was just following the directions from the kit. It wasn’t until my second beer that I realized temperature was important. I know for my second beer (Hefeweizen) the wort was 70 degrees when I pitched. I think the issue with that one is I fermented in a room that had an ambient temp of 70 degrees, likely causing the beer to ferment hot.... right? I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can so my next beer will turn out. Now I know that pitching temps matter, especially when you don’t have a fermentation chamber to cool/warm the wort.

As I said earlier, I’m in the process of making a fermentation chamber. I’m hoping that will help me a lot as far as fermentation goes.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Don't feel bad. Even though I began brewing in 1995 I now feel as if I really didn't know what I was doing until I constructed my electric brewery in 2016. My brews are light years away from what I was doing in the past. We all, hopefully, learn.

From the description sound to me primary fermentation temps were at least in the 80sF.

However, if brewing a hefeweizen, and wanting banana aroma, then higher temps are welcome. With your hefeweizen, did you have clove or banana aroma?

In the fermentation room what is the highest temp during the day? Or, is the room stable at 70F. (Where, IMO, 70F is too hot for any fermentation, except for maybe the latest-greatest-thing-since-sliced-break Kveik yeast).

Yes, conditioning, fermentation temps are very important. Even a simple chest freezer with an external temp control is a valid fermentation chamber.

 

[Jbone1072]

Don't feel bad. Even though I began brewing in 1995 I now feel as if I really didn't know what I was doing until I constructed my electric brewery in 2016. My brews are light years away from what I was doing in the past. We all, hopefully, learn.

From the description sound to me primary fermentation temps were at least in the 80sF.

However, if brewing a hefeweizen, and wanting banana aroma, then higher temps are welcome. With your hefeweizen, did you have clove or banana aroma?

In the fermentation room what is the highest temp during the day? Or, is the room stable at 70F. (Where, IMO, 70F is too hot for any fermentation, except for maybe the latest-greatest-thing-since-sliced-break Kveik yeast).

Yes, conditioning, fermentation temps are very important. Even a simple chest freezer with an external temp control is a valid fermentation chamber.

The Hefeweizen definitely has a banana aroma, which is fine with me as I like it. But there is still something off about it, it has a bite to it, almost like an alcohol taste.

the fermentation room is in my basement so the temperatures are stable. During the summer the temperature typically stays around 70 and during the winter, it typically stays around 64-65.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Problem: Alcoholic/Hot spicy, vinous, warming from Ethanol and higher alcohols.

Fix: Lower fermentation temperature. Use a less attenuative yeast strain. Check yeast health. Use less fermentables. Use less sugary adjuncts. Check for possible infection. Raise mash temperature. Let beer age longer before consuming.

 

[Zemillard90]

I’m thinking I’m just going to get the wort down to 75ish and then add water, our water this time of year is pretty cold so I’m hoping it should bring it down to the 60’s. If not, I may stick the fermenter outside to finish cooling it down.
Funny you mention that, I just bought a thermowell and ink bird to make a fermentation chamber out of a mini fridge. The fridge I want to use is out of stock right now though and I’ve got the itch to brew!

Seems like you are on the right track, then! Just make sure to use the probe on the inkbird (or other thermometer) to get an idea of the temperature so you have a starting point for your next brew.

Also, remember that fermentation is exothermic, so pitching at the right temp is important, but keeping it there is important as well once the yeast start doing their thing and generating heat. Even before you get your ferm chamber going, slap the probe on the side of your fermenter to monitor the temp. If it starts to creep up even a couple degrees there is a lot of advice on here about how to lower the temp without a chamber.

Used to live in a 1912 house (with a cold basement) and didn't have any control for years. After making a mini fridge chamber, huge difference in taste and consistency between batches. Good luck and cheers!