Fermentation temperatures: give me details!

[invivoSaccharomyces]

I'm having a bit of a struggle in my brewing setup, in that I have one primary and two secondary fermenters, I'd like to brew more than one beer at a time, but I can only control temperature for one fermenter at a time. I just don't have enough space in the apartment to even fit another cooler/ice bath.

For now, I'm dealing with this by brewing a Belgian pale ale that likes warm temperatures anyway. I popped it in the cooler for a couple days after pitching, and now it's out in the 75 degree closet to finish up while I let my amber ale finish up.

But for other beer styles this might not be the best option. So what I want to know is, at what points in brewing does temperature have the most effect?

To put it another way, how does temperature variation affect beer over different points of the brewing process?

I'm sure that it depends on yeast strain and beer style, but can I leave a beer in a warm place during secondary fermentation? Can I leave it there for a week, a few days, a month? What if I ferment warm and then let the yeast clean themselves up at a cooler temperature?

Has anyone done any experiments, or does anyone have any relevant wisdom to impart?

 

[zachattack]

Within reason, for most ale yeast strains, the temperature matters the most during initial, active fermentation. Let's say the first 2-5 days. Once the krausen falls, don't worry about it.

 

[grem135]

I believe that once primary fermentation is done you can let the temps rise for most beers. I use a swamp cooler and usually stop adding ice after about 5 days + or - a day

 

[RM-MN]

http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[invivoSaccharomyces]

Brilliant! Thanks for the responses. This is exactly what I was hoping the answers would be, and that link is very useful! Cheers!