I’ve read in a few places that brewers start their fermentation “cool” and then allow it warm up over the next few days of fermentation. Does this mean that they start it at the lowest end of the recommended fermentation temperature for the specific yeast and then allow it to rise? My other questions are: when to start the rise in temp, over how many days, and at what temp range do they stop?
I will generally try to chill my wort to ~65* before pitching ales. This allows for the initial temp rise when the yeast start working without jumping over 70* I just let it ride out there unless it is a yeast strain that has difficulting finishing or I am in a hurry to finish the beer for some reason. If I raise the temp it is after the first 3 days or so of fermentation and then I just adjust to 70-74* all at once. I figure it takes a while for the mass of the beer to adjust anyway inside the fridge.
Most of the fusels are generated in the first 48 hours of fermentation so you want to keep that time period on the cooler side. I start many of my ale fermentations in the los 60s (some even in mid to high 50s depending on strain). Then, after about 72 hours I generally let the temp raise into high 60s/low 70s to finish out.
To tell the truth, I don’t even look at the suggested temp range for the yeast. I just know that if I start ales at 58-62, leave it in the low 60s for a few days, and then let it rise, I’ll get what I want.
What they said^^^^^^^^
Denny, do you typically start that low even for Belgians?
Yep.
Thanks for the input. I had assumed that going below the suggested ferm temp would stunt the yeast growth. I’ll try going cooler for my next brew and see how that goes.
I just started WY3787 at 58F. I’ve heard people say they have problems doing that, but I had blowoff in less that 24 hours. At that point it was up to 62. Today it was 64. I’ll let it go a couple more days like that, then remove temp control and let it go wherever it goes…probably high 60s/low 70s.
It can. It’s definitely depends on the strain. Keith (majorvices) recently posted about US-05 fermenting in the 40’s. Unless you want to experiment, I would stay within a few degrees of the low end to be safe.
Dave
I’ve run 05 in the mid 50s and 1007 in the high 40s. Of course, experience pays when it comes to yeast abuse, but in general I feel that the recommendations you get from manufacturers are too high.
It also depends on the style beer and yeast you’re using. For American ales I like a clean ester profile, so low 60’s for pitching is good. English ales benefit from a little more esters, so mid 60’s is more beneficial to start out. Depends on your tastes as well. Lower will lend a cleaner flavor profile, while higher will promote ester production ( good for certain styles). The answer is it depends on what your brewing or aiming for.
+1.