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Author Topic: Too late for temp adjustment?  (Read 2758 times)

Epipen

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Too late for temp adjustment?
« on: March 18, 2016, 07:48:19 pm »
I recently brewed a batch of Caribou Slobber.
The yeast that went with the kit was ;   Wyest #1332 northwest Ale Yeast.  Optimum temp: 65-75 f.
I have another two weeks to go before bottling.
I've had it sitting on the counter top maintaining the temp between 68-71 f.
Now I have room in my ice chest that's set @ 61 f.
Is the damage done or could the cooler temp help?
Thanks!!!
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Offline tommymorris

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Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2016, 08:00:19 pm »
How long has it been at 68-71? It's probably too late to change the ester profile if it's been more than a day or two. But, 68-71 is not terribly high unless the wort was several degrees higher than the ambient, which supposedly happens.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2016, 08:52:51 pm by alestateyall »
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Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2016, 08:06:18 pm »
It's been at that temp for about 2 weeks now....
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Offline flars

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2016, 12:33:44 am »
The flavor profile of the yeast is usually set in the first two to three days of the fermentation.  It would be best to hold the beer at the same temperature until you're ready to bottle.  The constant temperature will ensure the yeast will attenuate fully.
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Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2016, 04:53:56 am »
Thanks for all the feed back.   :D :D :D
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Offline euge

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2016, 08:28:13 am »
Quote from: Epipen on March 18, 2016, 08:06:18 pm
It's been at that temp for about 2 weeks now....

It's done. Time to bottle.
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Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2016, 09:30:22 am »
It's time to bottle?  I didn't use a hydrometer to check the gravity...  I was going to wait to play it safe and follow the instructions that came with the kit.
I did rack it to secondary after all the initial fermentation subsided.   Now the air lock breaks a bubble every five mins or so....
All right then.....   Time to get the bottles in order!!!
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Offline euge

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2016, 09:35:08 am »
First check gravity!

And next time forget secondary and leave it in primary. Standard practice.

Since you did use a secondary be sure to check the gravity before you rack to bottles.
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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2016, 09:42:22 am »
What am I looking for when I check the gravity?  I didn't check the gravity the day I brewed.  I know I should make it part of my brewing regime....
From what I have read ...  you should get 3 consistent readings over a 3 day period before bottling.
Is this correct?
Thanks!
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Offline euge

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2016, 10:00:39 am »
Well... :)

Best run out and get a hydrometer then if you don't have one. I prefer a refractometer which is such a better device to use.

Is this is your first batch ever? Measuring the gravity is really important because fermentation is not linear over time. Develop a habit of checking...

Roughly, a stable reading means the bulk of the fermentation has occurred but it still may need time to taper off and condition.

Think 2-3 weeks in primary for average strength beers as sufficient and the rest of the conditioning can happen in the bottle. Once you've established that the reading is stable- which could be as soon as 7 days you can think of packaging.
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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2016, 10:17:27 am »
Thanks for the tips....
I've brewed about 4 times overall.  I do have a hydrometer so I'll start putting it to use.  I have seen the refractometer in some brewing videos.  It looks like I'll be putting it in my shopping basket.
I am still in the learning curve and appreciate all the advice.
Thanks again!!!
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Offline flars

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2016, 10:25:40 am »
Caribou Slobber extract brew has an OG of 1.052.  The OG will be the recipe OG if you use all the fermentables and the volume in the fermentor is correct for the recipe volume.  If you should add or subtract fermentables, or change the volume this calculator will get you a very close OG.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

You only need to confirm a stable SG to know if FG has been reached.  Usually two SG readings are sufficient.  Space the readings 3 to 5 days apart.  The longer the time between readings makes small changes in SG more noticeable.  For a low to medium gravity beer I'll take the first SG reading at two weeks.  Usually this is also FG, confirmed by another reading a few days later.  By this time the beer has begun to clear. 

There are some yeasts which are very slow to finish the last few gravity points.  WY 3787 has been one for me.  With this yeast in a big beer I don't take a SG sample until three weeks after fermentation had begun.  The second at least 5 days later.

Be aware that refractometer readings are not accurate in the presence of alcohol.  The readings need to be corrected.  http://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/
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Offline euge

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2016, 11:18:39 am »
And for a variety of reasons yeast can stall out leaving the brew with too high of a gravity. This can cause your beer to be unfinished and too sweet at the very least and over-primed resulting in gushers or even bottle-bombs in a severe case.

Sometimes the yeast will stall out then with a rousing (gentle stirring) pick back up and finish properly.

This is why gravity is so important.

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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Epipen

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2016, 12:07:11 pm »
I did use the calculator and came up with OG of 1.053 and FG of 1.015
I also took a hydrometer reading and it came out to 1.015
It looks like it might be time to bottle soon.
I think I'll wait a few days and do another reading and see if it's the same...
Thanks again!!!
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Offline flars

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Re: Too late for temp adjustment?
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2016, 12:57:06 pm »
Quote from: Epipen on March 19, 2016, 12:07:11 pm
I did use the calculator and came up with OG of 1.053 and FG of 1.015
I also took a hydrometer reading and it came out to 1.015
It looks like it might be time to bottle soon.
I think I'll wait a few days and do another reading and see if it's the same...
Thanks again!!!

The estimated FG with a calculator is just an estimate based on average attenuation for the yeast.  The FG's I have experienced are most often lower than the estimated.
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