7.06.2010

Summer Brewing Tips: Keep my fermenting beer cool!

Brewing in the summer can be a bit tricky due to the heat. Consider where you are storing your beer during fermentation. Brewing temps for Ale are typically between 60 and 75°F depending on the yeast. Here are some things to think about.
  • Basements are a great place to ferment beer. They should stay cool all year around due to constant ground temperatures, between 50 and 60°F (I think) depending on your latitude. I think our basement hovers around 65°F.
  • Other parts of the house might work too? If you keep any room cooler than 75°F you're in luck. My house temperature fluctuates based on the weather. Sometimes the airconditioner is on and sometimes it isn't.
  • Brew a beer that likes a warmer fermentation. On an earlier post somebody mentioned a Hefeweizen. I haven't tried it, but, it makes sense. I would imagine a Saison would work too.
  • Sit your carboy/fermenter in a water bath with a wet t-shirt or towel wrapped around your carboy to take advantage of evaporative cooling.
  • Make a fermentation chamber with a fridge/freezer or chest freezer and a temperature controller.
  • Brew more in the winter ;-)
  • I've heard that starting a saison cooler and letting it rise over a period of a week will produce a good flavor profile. Not sure how you would do this. Seems like you would need more control, not less. Maybe water bath with t-shirt or towel (ice if necessary) and then remove from bath and let it warm up. Would probably warm up in a matter of hours though.
That's all I can think of right now. Anybody else have some ideas? They say it hit over 100°F today here in Southeastern PA.

Any NonconFERMists out there that have found a good yeast to use when it gets hot?

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