26C too high?

[PatrickS3]

 

Hi folks,

 

I just made my first ever batch two days ago, a Coopers English Bitter, made with 500g LME and 500g dextrose plus the kit yeast, and it's fermenting nicely, though where I have my fermenter, the strip thermometer is showing a steady 25-26C.

 

Temp was 24C when yeast was pitched, then the fermenter was put into a cupboard out of the "toddler zone" (my 2 year old is facinated with the airlock ;-)

 

The temp is very stable, with no change at all over the last two days, but I'm worried that perhaps 26C is a bit too high. The problem is I don't really have anywhere else to keep the fermenter where the temp would be any more suitable.

 

Should I be worried about 26C? What affects might it have on the end result?

 

[Andris]

from my experience, fermenting at higher temps sometimes produces bit odd "peary/fruity" flavors, takes about 2-3 weeks in bottles to go away tho, so no big harm done there.

[PB2]

Welcome to the Brewers Guild, Patrick!

 

The yeast will throw more aromas and flavours at higher ferment temp's. The higher the temp the more funky these become [sideways] As Andris said, conditioning time will help to dissipate the funky characteristics.

 

In this case, the English Bitter kit has flavours from specialty malts and late hop aroma which will help to mask the funk, so you may be pleasantly surprised by the outcome [biggrin]

 

If you can't keep the brew in the low 20s, have cold water at hand (5 litres or so in the fridge) for the next brew to help start it at the 18C - 20C. It will creep up to ambient temp over the course of the first couple of days.

 

Some form of enclosure for the FV with frozen plastic water bottles can help to keep the temp low -[cool] I use an old fridge.