Fermentation temeratures

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BarlingStu

BarlingStu

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Newbie question I know but,
Say for instance I had 2 identical brews (ale) and fermented one at 18oC and the other at say 24oC, would the be a discernible difference between the two?
And if so how?
Put a brew on last night because I thought the weather was cooling off but it's blazing today and the temps in my brew room are creeping up!
 
Yes there would, and it depends on the yeast. Lower temps tend to more neutral contributions to the flavour from the yeast, a bit higher and you can get fruity notes, and higher still and it can taste hot and alcoholic.
 
So ideally temps below 20c for a more neural flavour then.
I'd rather make a few mistakes now with cheap kits as opposed to when I move to extract and ag!
 
ill have to get myself a bit more organised for next summer and have a few kits ready by May
 
BarlingStu said:
So ideally temps below 20c for a more neural flavour then.
I'd rather make a few mistakes now with cheap kits as opposed to when I move to extract and ag!
Click to expand...

It does really depend but that is a good rule of thumb. I fermented a recent pale ale at about 22 and it added a fruity hint to the beer which was lovely.
 
Im currently brewing Youngs AIPA. Its been on the go for about 8 days. The FV temp is now around 24'. It's stopped bubbling but there's pressure in there as the lid has bellied upwards.

I cant get it cooler, is this likely to be a problem?
 
It really depends on the yeast strain

I think as a general rule of thumb 20ºc is a good sweet spot for a lot of ale yeasts doing a couple of degrees either side typically is fine, you will get a cleaner result below 20.

When the yeast strain starts to get a little too high for its best the flavours start to get a little funky and it may not taste best.

Of course though certain yeasts are better at high temps in particular Saison where they can go up to 30 and sometimes beyond
 
The warmer the temperatures, the more diacetyl will be produced which can cause a buttery/butterscotch taste. Similarly more esters will be made, causing a fruity taste. There will also be more fusel alcohols produced (long chain alcohols) which can impart a bitterness at the back of the tongue.

24 degrees is the upper end of where you want fermentation to be.. Any higher an you'll likely get some of these off-flavours.
 
Like everyone says, depends on the strain.
However, yeast are really interesting buggers. They'll clean up their mess in that, the off flavors are like fat dudes getting at a buffet. Farting and such as they pig out. Temp makes them active. However, they do like house keeping. So when all there is to eat is over, they'll absorb the by-products. Higher temp will mean a lot longer conditioning time. Lower temps will mean longer fermentation times.
Does that make sense?
 
What yeast did you use, I have switched to US-05 and ferment at around 18 degrees as I only make pale ales IPAs and APAs
 
I used the yeast from the kit. I recall it was US yeast. Sorry i cant be more specific but i've only been brewing for a couple of weeks so often overlook the finer details :D
 

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