Warm Yeast

[Chong72]

G'day all

New brewer here and on a steep learning curve, so bare with me please. I put down a Coopers Pale Ale recently and couldn't get the temp down enough before pitching yeast and have got the banana esters thing going on (its all a learning experience-one for the slugs).

I don't have a brew fridge and can only probably get the wort, initially, down to 21 degrees, but it would be unsustainable over the course of the fermentation, here on the mid north coast of NSW. FV seems to want to sit around 25 degrees, not acceptable, I know.

Cannot see myself getting another dedicated fridge and do not know if the wet towel/evaporation method would get the temp down there consistently.

Does anyone have any advice on higher temp yeasts (Saison/Kveik etc) ? Kveik yeast pack say Optimal Temp 30-40 degrees, that seems I am creating a problem the other way of keeping heat up rather than cooling. 

A yeast for 20-30 degrees optimal would be a lot more user friendly for this novice. Does one exist?

I have a few cans of Stout ready to go and a Coopers English Bitter so any yeast suggestions for these, at the higher temp range would would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

30 minutes ago, Chong72 said:

G'day all

New brewer here and on a steep learning curve, so bare with me please. I put down a Coopers Pale Ale recently and couldn't get the temp down enough before pitching yeast and have got the banana esters thing going on (its all a learning experience-one for the slugs).

I don't have a brew fridge and can only probably get the wort, initially, down to 21 degrees, but it would be unsustainable over the course of the fermentation, here on the mid north coast of NSW. FV seems to want to sit around 25 degrees, not acceptable, I know.

Cannot see myself getting another dedicated fridge and do not know if the wet towel/evaporation method would get the temp down there consistently.

Does anyone have any advice on higher temp yeasts (Saison/Kveik etc) ? Kveik yeast pack say Optimal Temp 30-40 degrees, that seems I am creating a problem the other way of keeping heat up rather than cooling. 

A yeast for 20-30 degrees optimal would be a lot more user friendly for this novice. Does one exist?

I have a few cans of Stout ready to go and a Coopers English Bitter so any yeast suggestions for these, at the higher temp range would would be appreciated.

Cheers

Hey mate and welcome to the forum.

Yeah you will struggle to get the temps right where you live. If I was to not have temp control then I would brew with the seasons and unless you get a pressure fermenter i would forget about lagers and stick to ales. You can also chill water before hand. Get some 5L water bottles and put it in the fridge the night before. You can use this to enable you to start fermenting at a lower temp.

Summer. Saisons and kviek yeast. Saisons are great. I love them. Not everyone's cup of tea though. Start low and let it rise. So make your brew to start around 18 to 20 and let it rise naturally. Kviek yeast works from 20 upwards though IMO a kviek done low in temp is very bland. Kviek with hoppy beers like pale ales and IPAs are a good option.

Winter or cooler weather. This is when you want to get most of your brewing done. Once again start low in fermentation temp and let it rise. It won't rise as much as summer with the ambient temp being lower. You can get most styles done this way without temp control IMO. Won't be as good as if you had a fridge but it will be OK. 

Hope that helps and feel free to ask as many questions as you want. It's a pretty helpful bunch of guys and gal's here.

Edited January 10, 2023 by Greenyinthewestofsydney

[Classic Brewing Co]

36 minutes ago, Greenyinthewestofsydney said:

Hey mate and welcome to the forum.

Yeah you will struggle to get the temps right where you live. If I was to not have temp control then I would brew with the seasons and unless you get a pressure fermenter i would forget about lagers and stick to ales. You can also chill water before hand. Get some 5L water bottles and put it in the fridge the night before. You can use this to enable you to start fermenting at a lower temp.

Summer. Saisons and kviek yeast. Saisons are great. I love them. Not everyone's cup of tea though. Start low and let it rise. So make your brew to start around 18 to 20 and let it rise naturally. Kviek yeast works from 20 upwards though IMO a kviek done low in temp is very bland. Kviek with hoppy beers like pale ales and IPAs are a good option.

Winter or cooler weather. This is when you want to get most of your brewing done. Once again start low in fermentation temp and let it rise. It won't rise as much as summer with the ambient temp being lower. You can get most styles done this way without temp control IMO. Won't be as good as if you had a fridge but it will be OK. 

Hope that helps and feel free to ask as many questions as you want. It's a pretty helpful bunch of guys and gal's here.

Top comments Greeny. 

[DavidM]

Second hand Fridges pop up on "Gumtree" and "Marketplace" all the time.

Even if you get one that is Not working, it will make a big difference to your brewing, much easier to control temp in a broken fridge but working is better!

$50 brew fridge was the best thing I did for my Brews.

[Tricky Micky]

Thanks to @Malter White

Here's an option - a non working fridge with 2 liter bottled ice blocks. 

18 hours ago, Malter White said:

@Mickep This is how I've set up the ice blocks and the reading of my inkbird. It's 32C in Adelaide at the moment. So it works pretty good. I'd much rather have my fridge working but this will do until I get a replacement.

 

 

[Malter White]

@Chong72 As Mickep has shared above, my fermenting fridge stopped working so I put ice blocks (juice bottles) in each morning before I go to work and freeze them again overnight. It's a little laborious but I've managed to keep temps in the 19-23C range, even though we've had some 38C max temperatures here in Adelaide.
If a fridge is too much of a challenge for you, maybe you could source a polystyrene box? Ask the local greengrocer or supermarket if they have any broccoli boxes. You might have to tape a couple together to get the size right. Rudimentary, yes, but would probably be just as effective as a non-working fridge as long as you can keep it in a cool place as possible. More cost effective than buying extra yeast too.

[jennyss]

Hello @Chong72, I live in Central West NSW - 40deg right now! Great suggestions above - all of which have helped me with temperature control (sort of!) in my first year of brewing. Ice-bricks, wet towels, floor fans, brew for the season. Of course in winter it all turns around and we nurse our babies with doonas  and heaters! And I like @Malter White's idea of the polystyrene boxes. 

 

[Malter White]

Hi all.

Just a bit of an update on my icebricks in the non-working fridge. It's a pretty hot 39C in Adelaide today. I've just got home and my brew is at 24.7C. So it's a bit higher than what I mentioned previously. I'm partly responsible for the poor result. I put the icebricks in the lower section of the fridge and the active brew is in the upper section.

I don't think it'll ruin my brew, I'm just annoyed with myself.

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, Malter White said:

Hi all.

Just a bit of an update on my icebricks in the non-working fridge. It's a pretty hot 39C in Adelaide today. I've just got home and my brew is at 24.7C. So it's a bit higher than what I mentioned previously. I'm partly responsible for the poor result. I put the icebricks in the lower section of the fridge and the active brew is in the upper section.

I don't think it'll ruin my brew, I'm just annoyed with myself.

It's 32.6c at Glenelg North, maybe a few more ice blocks Malter?

[Malter White]

2 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

It's 32.6c at Glenelg North, maybe a few more ice blocks Malter?

I actually added a couple of extra, smaller blocks this morning along with the 2 x2 litre blocks but I must have had a brain fade and I've put the smaller ones with the active brew and the larger blocks I put with a brew that's already reached FG and is awaiting to be kegged.