Room Temperature Keg

[NSMikeD]

I needed to make space in my (mini fridge) fermentor so I had to pull the 2.5 gal torpedo keg with a black IPA. I prime my kegs and purge the head space air with CO2 and let hem age in the fermentor.

This keg has been aging at 65° - 67° for the past month. The yeast is Safale 05. Room temperature ranges between 72° and 75°. I was expecting to finish the ale in my kegerator by now so I could tap and cold crash, but it may be another week or so.

What if any negative reactions (and thus off flavors) might I expect from the higher aging temperature?


I suppose I could wet towel the keg to minimize the effects. Would that be necessary?

 

[VikeMan]

Form a recent thread...
... a common rule of thumb for chemical reactions is to assume that they happen twice as fast for each 10C increase in temperature. I think beer staling fits this rule of thumb pretty well.

 

[NSMikeD]

Form a recent thread...
... a common rule of thumb for chemical reactions is to assume that they happen twice as fast for each 10C increase in temperature. I think beer staling fits this rule of thumb pretty well.

I think that is useful weeks ago. My beer has been aging for more than a month in cooler temps. I presume that the reactions have slowed down to nearly idle as the yeast cleaned up the undesired esters and such.

I am more concerned that warming up to the summer room temps would cause the yeast to "wake up" and do undesirable things.

 

[VikeMan]

I presume that the reactions have slowed down to nearly idle as the yeast cleaned up the undesired esters and such.

Staling reactions proceed whether the yeast is active or not. BTW, FWIW yeast don't clean up esters.

I am more concerned that warming up to the summer room temps would cause the yeast to "wake up" and do undesirable things.

If there's nothing for the yeast to eat, they are not going to "wake up," i.e. become active. They will, however, die off faster. And the increase in temp will accelerate staling.

 

[NSMikeD]

Staling reactions proceed whether the yeast is active or not. BTW, FWIW yeast don't clean up esters.



If there's nothing for the yeast to eat, they are not going to "wake up," i.e. become active. They will, however, die off faster. And the increase in temp will accelerate staling.

Is it safe to assume that the yeast finished fermentation a while ago so that stalling would not be a concern

Also, am I wrong but doesn't yeast go dormant and not die off (unless exposed to extreme temps), and thus die off should not be a concern at the temps I mentioned?

 

[VikeMan]

Is it safe to assume that the yeast finished fermentation a while ago so that stalling would not be a concern

Staling (not "stalling") has nothing to do with the yeast. It has to do (mainly) with oxidative reactions in the beer. They are happening all the time. And they happen faster at higher temps.

Also, am I wrong but doesn't yeast go dormant and not die off (unless exposed to extreme temps), and thus die off should not be a concern at the temps I mentioned?

Yeast goes dormant. But it still dies off, continuously. It dies off more slowly at lower temps and faster at higher temps. This is the reason we keep yeast refrigerated until use.

ETA: I really wouldn't be too worried about the yeast dying off. There shouldn't be very much yeast in your kegged beer. I'd be more concerned about staling.