Temperature question

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HerbMeowing
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Re: Temperature question

Post by HerbMeowing »

moosehead wrote:these temps are from the stick on thermometer that came with the brew demon.
Then I'd say you be good to go.
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HerbMeowing
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Re: Temperature question

Post by HerbMeowing »

moosehead wrote:these temps are from the stick on thermometer that came with the brew demon.
Then I'd say you be good to go.
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berryman
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Re: Temperature question

Post by berryman »

moosehead wrote: these temps are from the stick on thermometer that came with the brew demon.
Sounds like you are doing fine. The first brew is always hard and makes you wonder if you did it right. You will have beer in a few weeks :clink:
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Re: Temperature question

Post by moosehead »

OK I have it fermenting on kitchen counter for a few days at 68. I moved it downstairs and the temp dropped to 61. Was that a mistake or am i good to go?[/quote]If the room temp is 68°F ... then the temp inside the fermentor is likely ~5-8°F warmer.
Most would say 73 - 78°F is too warm for most yeast and could produce off flavors and possibly fusel alcohol.

Next time ... consider moving the fermentor to the basement sooner.[/quote]
these temps are from the stick on thermometer that came with the brew demon.[/quote]

I moved it after 3 days.

Now Im concerned because it looks like it stopped bubbling.
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Kealia
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Re: Temperature question

Post by Kealia »

Move it back. :) If the temps you were talking about were from the stick-on thermometer, 68 would be great for most ales. I don't know what type of yeast they include these days, but 61 sounds too low for most ale strains.

The good news is that if it got too cold and the yeast went dormant on you, warming them back up will kick things off again.

Sorry, I know you're doing your best on this first one and we're telling you to put it here and there. The thinking as I read this thread was that the temps were ambient room temps. So at 68 in the room, fermentation would cause it to run about 73 or higher which is a bit high. Once fermentation started, moving it to a room temp of 61 should keep the temp about 66 or higher due to the exothermic nature of fermentation.

If the strip is reading 61, it's likely a bit too cold. If the strip was reading 68 during fermentation - that's a great spot for it.

Keep asking questions, we'll get you there. (And you'll look back soon and wonder why you worried so much, trust me).
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Re: Temperature question

Post by Dawg LB Steve »

Kealia wrote: Keep asking questions, we'll get you there. (And you'll look back soon and wonder why you worried so much, trust me).
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Re: Temperature question

Post by moosehead »

I think I may have killed it.
I brought it back upstairs and the stick on thermometer is reading 68. But I dont see any action with the bubbler.

Is there anything I can do to save it?

Its only been 4 days.

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John Sand
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Re: Temperature question

Post by John Sand »

I doubt you killed it. Is there foam on it? Then it fermented, and probably still is. Four days is enough time for activity to slow, maybe the cooler temps slowed it too. Just let the yeast do their magic.
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Re: Temperature question

Post by moosehead »

John Sand wrote:I doubt you killed it. Is there foam on it? Then it fermented, and probably still is. Four days is enough time for activity to slow, maybe the cooler temps slowed it too. Just let the yeast do their magic.
There is a little foam on top. It looks like there is pressure. The bubbler looks like it may be real slow.Image

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Re: Temperature question

Post by BlackDuck »

I'm with John, I doubt you killed it. The majority of fermentation may already be finished. But you still need to leave it go for for the 2 to 3 weeks. Another place to look is the bottom of the fermenter if you can see it. There should be a layer of junk on the bottom, called trub. If that's there, you're definitely making beer.
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Re: Temperature question

Post by moosehead »

BlackDuck wrote:I'm with John, I doubt you killed it. The majority of fermentation may already be finished. But you still need to leave it go for for the 2 to 3 weeks. Another place to look is the bottom of the fermenter if you can see it. There should be a layer of junk on the bottom, called trub. If that's there, you're definitely making beer.
Thanks. There definatly is trub on the bottom.
This us my first try so I'm a little nervous.Image

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Re: Temperature question

Post by BlackDuck »

That looks awesome...don't worry to much about this one anymore, let it ride for a little longer!!
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Re: Temperature question

Post by RickBeer »

Ideally, you should not be removing the lid during fermentation. ;)
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Re: Temperature question

Post by berryman »

moosehead wrote:
BlackDuck wrote:I'm with John, I doubt you killed it. The majority of fermentation may already be finished. But you still need to leave it go for for the 2 to 3 weeks. Another place to look is the bottom of the fermenter if you can see it. There should be a layer of junk on the bottom, called trub. If that's there, you're definitely making beer.
Thanks. There definatly is trub on the bottom.
This us my first try so I'm a little nervous.
Oh yea you made beer there no doubt. :clink:
It is probably close to done now, but without a bottom reading you are far better off to leave it for close to the 3 week mark and will be more sure and have better beer. Down the road fermenting time can be cut down, but for now your best way to go.
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Re: Temperature question

Post by HerbMeowing »

RickBeer wrote:Ideally, you should not be removing the lid during fermentation. ;)
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