Secondary Fermentation Temperature Sensitivity

[DownstairsBrewing]

I moved a batch of IPA to a carboy yesterday, everything seemed fine. I had tried to keep temperature in the 20-22 deg C range for the first 4 days, then let it drift - it went to around 19 C for the rest of the week it spent in the primary. Temperature reading was on an externally mounted strip.

Since transferring, it has been in a basement room somewhere around 18C now that the heat for the house is not running much. I just put a min/max temp reader in there now, but it is probably fairly stable. Current reading is 18.1 deg C, it is possible the carboy on the floor (on a pad) is seeing even less. One day in, I am getting one 'gurgle' through the airlock about every 30 seconds, so some level of fermentation seems to be moving along.

Yeast is SafAle US-05, and here is where it gets confusing. I have English and French language specs and instructions. The English SafAle docs say 18C and up, the French say 15C. If the English ones are right, I might have a problem coming. If the French ones are right, maybe I just need to be patient?

So, the question...do I

a) Get a heat band on the carboy and try to get the temperature up to 18C plus, or perhaps move the carboy to a slightly warmer area (at the expense of more UV and vibration).

b) Just let it ride. I am in no rush, but for how long? What level of activity in the airlock is a sign that things are moving along fine?

 

[waldoar15]

Was it at FG when you moved it off the yeast? If so, it's done. If not, good chance it will stall where it's at now anyway.

If it was at FG, it's just off gassing CO2 left in solution from fermentation as it warms.

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

I didn't actually take a measurement, so just not sure if it is done. Note that it is not as warm now as it was during primary fermentation, but it could be gassing off nonetheless.

I guess I will go with a day or two of warming it to 18C+ to give whatever live yeast there is a helping hand, then let it settle for ten days or so. I did do some other research, and it turns out that Safale US-05 is rated down to 15C, the 18 C appears to be an error.

 

[C-Rider]

How long was it in the primary and why move an IPA to a secondary in the first place?

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

How long was it in the primary and why move an IPA to a secondary in the first place?

The why is simple - first time with this recipe, so sticking to it, and the recipe calls for getting it off the trub. The primary is a bucket, but I am going to leave it the carboy for at least 10 days. Does make the FastFerment gear that much more interesting.

It was in the primary for a week.

 

[RM-MN]

Here's your first lesson on recipes. Recipes are a record of what one brewer did. You don't have to follow their recipe exactly to get good results. In this case the recipe calls for moving the beer off the trub but that isn't necessary and not even a real good idea.

Next time you see an interesting recipe that calls for moving the beer off the trub, ignore that part. At one week the beer might have been completely done.....or maybe not. You could have left the beer in the primary for 3 to 4 weeks and gotten the same or better results.

 

[kh54s10]

IMO your 22c was on the warm side so fermentation should have happened fast.

You are probably at FG and only seeing co2 coming out of solution.

The 15c is the bottom of the range. The 18c is mid range and where I do my ales with US05

I think it is done so temperature is not critical now. In the future aim closer to 18c for your target fermentation temperature. The if anything, after fermentation stops let the temperature rise.

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

Here's your first lesson on recipes. Recipes are a record of what one brewer did. You don't have to follow their recipe exactly to get good results. In this case the recipe calls for moving the beer off the trub but that isn't necessary and not even a real good idea.

Next time you see an interesting recipe that calls for moving the beer off the trub, ignore that part. At one week the beer might have been completely done.....or maybe not. You could have left the beer in the primary for 3 to 4 weeks and gotten the same or better results.

I am planning to make the same (assuming reasonably good results) but with exactly that experiment, just to see what the difference is. Long term, I think I'd prefer to do primary in carboys, but for now my cleaning setup makes the primary bucket useful.

 

[RM-MN]

I am planning to make the same (assuming reasonably good results) but with exactly that experiment, just to see what the difference is. Long term, I think I'd prefer to do primary in carboys, but for now my cleaning setup makes the primary bucket useful.

Stick with the bucket. Nobody ever made a trip to the emergency room from a bucket shattering.

 

[C-Rider]

Stick with the bucket. Nobody ever made a trip to the emergency room from a bucket shattering.

RM-MN knows of what he speaks. I'm to old to convert metric so I won't comment there. I've been using buckets for 5 years, so easy to clean and cheap yet produce prize winning beers.

 

[helibrewer]

Yeast do more than just ferment. There is an advantage to leaving the beer on the trub for several days after final gravity is attained....the yeast take up by-products and convert them to other compounds with higher flavor thresholds, namely viscinal diketones such as diacetyl to acetoin (tasteless).

Bottom line: Don't pull the beer off of the yeast too soon.