Fermentation temperature question

Bennyboyca

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Hi guys, I’m new to brewing, can you tell me as a general rule of thumb, what should the temperature be for an IPA, a Pilsner and a wheat beer? I’ve looked at recipes and they don’t indicate the fermentation temperature..
Thanks
 
Hi guys, I’m new to brewing, can you tell me as a general rule of thumb, what should the temperature be for an IPA, a Pilsner and a wheat beer? I’ve looked at recipes and they don’t indicate the fermentation temperature..
Thanks
That is all dependent on yeast strain. Each yeast has an ideal temperature range and do things a little differently within that range.

Short answer: (I am only going to speak to dry yeasts here since they are more shelf stable)
IPA: US-05 - 60 F to 70 F (probably mid 60's is best)
Pilsner: Saflager 53 F to 59 F - start low and let it slowly rise on its own. NOTE: you can make a lager with this yeast in the 60's F.
Wheat (2 answers): German Wheat - WB-06 65 F to 75 F. American Wheat: US-05 mid 60's F
Liquid yeast is best for German Wheat "WLP300" in the mid to high 60's slow rise into the 70's is okay.

My favorite dry strains are: Nottingham and Saflager 34/70. I feel these two strains can handle most beers effectively and have nice wide temperature ranges. MANY, MANY others here will recommend US-05 and from the sounds of it rightfully so (I've just never used it).

LONGER ANSWERS:
I can speak to Wheat and Pilsner here for you. - Some examples:

Pilsner - A great dry strain here is SafLager 34/70 as it creates a wonderfully neutral yeast profile that allows ,alt and hops to shine through. The ideal temperature range for this yeast is: 53 F to 59 F. I have a lager fermenting at 58 as we speak.
The cool thing about this yeast though is that it actually works anywhere from 48 to 70 with similar results. SO - while it may be best to treat it like a lager yeast and ferment in the 50's you could actually make a lager with a fermentation temperature in the 60's . I have used this yeast for pilsner and other lagers at temps from 60 to 66.
https://fermentis.com/en/rediscover-saflager-w-34-70/

Wheat - this is a bit of a loaded question because it sort of depends on whether you mean an "American Wheat" or a "German Wheat". I will only speak to German wheat here but can answer you question differently if you meant American Wheat. Many people tout German Wheats as best being fermented in the low 60s - 62 to 64 but the ideal range for something like WLP300 is 68-72... You can push this yeast up to 78 I believe but most people ferment in the 60's with it. You could start at something like 68 and let it rise naturally. I've had best hefe results with this yeast in the high 60's to early 70's.

IPA - YOu really have to ask someone else. I do a lot of beer reading though and surfing these forums and the consensus seems to be: US-05 within it's ideal range.
 
Perfect, thank you!

That is all dependent on yeast strain. Each yeast has an ideal temperature range and do things a little differently within that range.

Short answer: (I am only going to speak to dry yeasts here since they are more shelf stable)
IPA: US-05 - 60 F to 70 F (probably mid 60's is best)
Pilsner: Saflager 53 F to 59 F - start low and let it slowly rise on its own. NOTE: you can make a lager with this yeast in the 60's F.
Wheat (2 answers): German Wheat - WB-06 65 F to 75 F. American Wheat: US-05 mid 60's F
Liquid yeast is best for German Wheat "WLP300" in the mid to high 60's slow rise into the 70's is okay.

My favorite dry strains are: Nottingham and Saflager 34/70. I feel these two strains can handle most beers effectively and have nice wide temperature ranges. MANY, MANY others here will recommend US-05 and from the sounds of it rightfully so (I've just never used it).

LONGER ANSWERS:
I can speak to Wheat and Pilsner here for you. - Some examples:

Pilsner - A great dry strain here is SafLager 34/70 as it creates a wonderfully neutral yeast profile that allows ,alt and hops to shine through. The ideal temperature range for this yeast is: 53 F to 59 F. I have a lager fermenting at 58 as we speak.
The cool thing about this yeast though is that it actually works anywhere from 48 to 70 with similar results. SO - while it may be best to treat it like a lager yeast and ferment in the 50's you could actually make a lager with a fermentation temperature in the 60's . I have used this yeast for pilsner and other lagers at temps from 60 to 66.
https://fermentis.com/en/rediscover-saflager-w-34-70/

Wheat - this is a bit of a loaded question because it sort of depends on whether you mean an "American Wheat" or a "German Wheat". I will only speak to German wheat here but can answer you question differently if you meant American Wheat. Many people tout German Wheats as best being fermented in the low 60s - 62 to 64 but the ideal range for something like WLP300 is 68-72... You can push this yeast up to 78 I believe but most people ferment in the 60's with it. You could start at something like 68 and let it rise naturally. I've had best hefe results with this yeast in the high 60's to early 70's.

IPA - YOu really have to ask someone else. I do a lot of beer reading though and surfing these forums and the consensus seems to be: US-05 within it's ideal range.
 
My pleasure! Let us know if you have any other questions.
Happy brewing!

Edit: One thing I didn't mention was that most lagers ferment from 48 - 54 degrees F. (Again check the yeast packet you are using for the "ideal" temp. range).
I was simply giving you the yeast and the temperature range that I use for my lagers.
 
Last edited:
IPA - YOu really have to ask someone else. I do a lot of beer reading though and surfing these forums and the consensus seems to be: US-05 within it's ideal range.
^^that!
I had a really hard time this winter keeping US-05 even at the minimal temp....and even with a pretty malty base (~80% Vienna) it is hard to balance the hops, when the beer turns out that "dry".
 
I have found most yeast do ok at room temp. But, IMO if you want to push your brews to the next level, temperature control needs to be a big part of your process. I usually follow temp recommendations on the package/manufacturer web site (my set up makes extreme temperature control to the cold side impossible at the moment) and the brew style before I pick which yeast I am going to use.

Just for fun I have pushed some of my saison brews a degree or 2 above the recommended temps to stress them a little and see what kind of esters and phenols the yeast make while stressed. So far so good if you like funky beers. I did enjoy the flavored "paint thinner" I made messing with one batch (fusels - some are good some are bad!!)

Too low and I find some yeasts stall or ferment so slow a brew takes 2 months to reach estimated FG and that is just too darn long.
 

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