How warm is too warm

[MrBIP]

I didn't brew last summer, so didn't have to deal with this.
Got a beer in the "brew closet" and temp has been 72-74 .. it's ready 73.6 right now.
Using White Labs 001, listed optimum temp 68-73 .. so I'm at the top end, slightly over.
Put a bucket of ice in there, which didn't seem to do much and it's melted now.
Do I need to be concerned? Do I need to take other steps (like the swamp cooler thing)?
If it runs right at the top end ... or a degree or two over, should I be concerned?
It's a White IPA.

(I'm thinking a degree or two above optimum, shouldn't be a big deal, but it's gage outside the carboy, so I'm sure is some degrees warmer than that internally .. how much? don't know ... )

 

[social_misfit]

if the air temp is 73 the wort temp could be 5 to 7 degrees higher so that could be a real problem

001 is I believe a chico strain which is US-05 and 05 gets nasty over 70 so be careful you may not like what it does


all the best

S_M

 

[Nosybear]

At moderately warm temps you'll get an estery brew - fruity. Too much to warm and you start getting fusel alcohols - they are hot on the tongue and taste like solvent. I don't know how much too warm your beer got - from the description you were on the upper edge. I tend to make sure the outside of my fermentor is at the lower end of the range for the first few days of fermentation. After that, the beer ferments less vigorously and creates less heat.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

yes I've done extensive testing on this very subject, inside the fermenter is not at all what the outside reads, I've gotten as much as 10 degrees difference so don't trust 70 in the room depending on how strong the first 4 days of fermentation is you could be fooled

 

[MrBIP]

Went back to brew log .. previous batch was in the same temp range (ambient/room temp) and, so far, it seems to have turned out ok. (no disturbing off flavors). That one used US05.
Now this one has had a big 'ol blow off that I'll need to clean up tonight, and it is slowing down, so too late to do anything now. Hopefully it turns out ok. If not, well, I guess I gotta get un-lazy and carry the carboy to basement, at least for primary. (ambient temp more like 65 there)

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Your basement is perfect for fermenting and I'd still use a swamp cooler!
Most ale yeasts optimal temperatures are between 65° and 68 °.
Not being lazy will result in much better beer.
Just saying,
Brian

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

agreed, I go to great lengths to keep my wort cool, big difference between 60's and 70's in my experience.
I have a frozen pre-chiller, a heat exchanger and a -40 deep freeze, one or all are used to get the wort down to 60, I set my fermentation box to 62 then after a few days set it to 65, then after 5 set it to 67...never had a bad tasting beer or even an off flavor doing it this way

 

[7 Slot Brewing]

If you can't avoid the warm temps do something like a saison, those yeasties like it hot!

 

[Arbe0]

check out how to make a fermenter chamber on youtube, or just get a temperature controller and an old fridge (if you have the money and room) or just keep your house at 66 F.

 

[MrBIP]

cor just get a temperature controller and an old fridge (if you have the money and room) .

^ And that really IS the solution. I bought a temp controller for an old freezer then realized it's the style of stand up freezer with fixed shelves ... so now I got an awesome beer fridge. Yes, this needs to happen. This WILL be my next brewing investment. On a positive note, I checked gravity and, of course, tasted the sample, and it's not "funky" in any way.