Ice Bath During Primary

[Cashback]

I'd like to make sure I keep my temps down during primary. Using Belgian Abbey (Wyeast) in a La Petite Orange. Optimum temp is 65-80. I am planning on putting my bucket in an ice chest with water, and rotating a two liter frozen bottle every 12 hours. I'm worried about this getting too cold. I'm not home all the time to monitor. Any suggestions or experience? Seems like the water could get very cold at bottle change. I've read that whatever the water temp is, you can expect the brew to be pretty close to that with this method.

 

[Cashback]

I forgot to mention that I'm in Texas, and my home is usually 73-75 degrees.

 

[kh54s10]

This is a basic "swamp cooler" I would start when you can watch the temperature for maybe 12 hours. You will then get a feel for how often you will need to change out bottles. It might take more than 1 two liter bottles in a 12 hour period during the height of fermentation and less after fermentation had lessened. Your temperatures will not swing dramatically as it takes quite a bit to alter both the cooler water and the wort. It might take a couple of brews to find out how many bottles to change and how often to keep the temperature stable.

Measure the temperature of the wort, not the water or the ambient air.

 

[Cyclman]

The good news is that if you're warm with this yeast, no problems. I found that doing this with a large keg bucket worked well, I could lager around 50 with 2 2L bottles replaced every 8 hrs.

There were some temp swings, < 5 degrees, but I figured that "good enough."

 

[Cashback]

Thanks. Are the stick on thermometers accurate on plastic? Seems like the easiest way to go.

 

[Qhrumphf]

While you should be measuring the beer (it's beer after you pitch yeast) and not the surrounding water, I've found even on a big beer with during the height of a very wild active fermentation, the beer is maybe 2 degrees above the water. Much better at restraining it than air is. Measuring the beer is ideal, but measuring the water is still better than measuring ambient air.

I keep my apartment around 68, and a gallon milk jug of ice twice a day allows me to hold the low 60's. In your case, I'd probably chill it down to the high 60s, make sure the swam cooler water is the same temperature, pitch, and just let it free rise from there, and skip the ice entirely.

 

[Cashback]

Thanks, guys. Just because I'm concerned that the ambient in my house may flirt with the 77-78 degree range during our 104 degree days, I think I will at least give the ice rotation a shot for the first 4 or 5 days. I'll let you know how it goes. This is just my second batch, and I'm trying to avoid all of the mistakes I made (after reading a lot on this site) on the first batch. The first batch was an ale, and its drinkable, but I want to figure this thing out.

 

[KepowOb]

I have a batch fermenting right now, sitting in a bucket with ice bottles. My tap water is fairly warm (75ish) so I rotated the bottles often for the few 12 hours and I got it down to 52, which helped bring the wort temp down quickly, since it had been at about 75. Once I got the bath cool, I've been switching every 6-8 hours, with 1L bottles, and I put 2 bottles in overnight. Keeps the water temp around 60, with a room temp of 78-82. The beer is fermenting now, and hasn't got above 66. Im using Nottingham yeast however, so I'm making sure to keep it as cool as possible, you should have far more leeway.

 

[Cashback]

I just started my rotations last night after brewing, and my fermenter is sitting at 70 degrees with a water temp showing to be around 66 right now. Optimum temps are 65-80, so I'm satisfied with that right now. No visible fermentation in the blow off, yet. Using Wyeast Belgian Abbey, and I've read a lot of reports about not uncommon to have a 48 hour lag.

 

[Cashback]

Ok. So, active fermentation on my La Petite Orange with Wyeast Belgian Abbey started early Tuesday morning. I've had my primary bucket in a water bath staying around 68-70 degrees for the duration. Optimum for this yeast is listed at 65-80 degrees. I've changed from blow off to airlock, since any visible activity has all but stopped. I'm wondering if I need to now allow the temperature to naturally rise so the yeast stay active enough to keep working and clean up. The ambient temp in my house stays at about 75. I intend to leave in primary for about 3 weeks, and then go to bottle. Any suggestions?