Temp. Question

[Emax123]

Okay, I'll just give the details than ask my question.

Pale ale
Wl001 California (68-74 degrees)
(Harvested yeast from prior batch)
Dry hopped day 4 (after fermentation)
Fermentation temp about 74 while very active and settled down to ambient 70.
I made a homemade cooler for the carboy and I can get the temp lower but I want to make sure yeast cleans things up.
My question is... What's a good temp to hold this beer for a couple more weeks? If I'm bottle conditioning should I not let it get too cold?
The last batch I made the alcohol was too high, and I'd like to settle out the yeast as fast as possible, but I want to leave enough yeast for carbonation.

 

[freisste]

Okay, I'll just give the details than ask my question.

Pale ale
Wl001 California (68-74 degrees)
(Harvested yeast from prior batch)
Dry hopped day 4 (after fermentation)
Fermentation temp about 74 while very active and settled down to ambient 70.
I made a homemade cooler for the carboy and I can get the temp lower but I want to make sure yeast cleans things up.
My question is... What's a good temp to hold this beer for a couple more weeks? If I'm bottle conditioning should I not let it get too cold?
The last batch I made the alcohol was too high, and I'd like to settle out the yeast as fast as possible, but I want to leave enough yeast for carbonation.

After fermentation, temp is not particularly critical. Don't worry about it getting too cold - you will NOT cold crash too much yeast out of suspension.

What do you mean the alcohol was too high? Fusels?

 

[erockdoc]

Okay, I'll just give the details than ask my question.

Pale ale
Wl001 California (68-74 degrees)
(Harvested yeast from prior batch)
Dry hopped day 4 (after fermentation)
Fermentation temp about 74 while very active and settled down to ambient 70.
I made a homemade cooler for the carboy and I can get the temp lower but I want to make sure yeast cleans things up.
My question is... What's a good temp to hold this beer for a couple more weeks? If I'm bottle conditioning should I not let it get too cold?
The last batch I made the alcohol was too high, and I'd like to settle out the yeast as fast as possible, but I want to leave enough yeast for carbonation.

I would leave it at 68-70 for a couple weeks. Same for bottle conditioning. You are not really going to get "less" alcohol at this stage of fermentation by cooling any lower. If you wanted lower alcohol you should have made a lower starting gravity wort. I say just leave it at 68 and let the yeasties do their clean up!

 

[BigFloyd]

I would leave it at 68-70 for a couple weeks. Same for bottle conditioning. You are not really going to get "less" alcohol at this stage of fermentation by cooling any lower. If you wanted lower alcohol you should have made a lower starting gravity wort. I say just leave it at 68 and let the yeasties do their clean up!

This^^^^^.

You control ABV via recipe, mashing techniques (if doing AG) and yeast selection, NOT by messing with the fermentation temp to try and stop it at a certain point. If you do that. it will just kick up again during the 70-74*F bottle conditioning and then you have some potentially big problems.

If your prior batches had a "hot alcohol" taste, it's because you let it get too warm during the first 4-5 days of fermentation. Too late to do anything about the current batch that saw 74*F, but you would have been much better off keeping the beer temp (which is warmer than the air at times) in the middle 60's.