Why not a Room Temp Yeast???

[Brownyard]

So, most yeasts work great at <68º or >80º (Kveik). When will there be a British Ale strain that thrives between 68º and 80º, which I imagine would make brewing much easier for most of us? Is it far off??

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I keep my house somewhere from 68 to 72, and for years I've had no problems with many dry yeast just setting the carboy in a bedroom with no temp control

 

[Sunfire96]

I think saison and belgian strains are happy there. I don't drink those styles so I'm not sure

 

[Zambi]

I think saison and belgian strains are happy there. I don't drink those styles so I'm not sure

Spot on!
Almost all my yeasts like those temperatures. All Belgian strains

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Some Belgians do well at 75°
Hefe strains to 73-74°
Norwegian strains all over, but certainly ok
Pressure Ferment allows other strains to go higher without Ill effect as well.
Control the water jacket in a swamp cooler...........
Good luck

 

[Brownyard]

I have a temp controlled fermentation chamber in my shed (no good place in the house for it). It would be nice not to have to bundle up and trudge across the yard on freezing cold mornings to check on it, and just keep the fermenter in my house in a closet without any kind of jacket or messy water bath. A yeast for british ales (not a fan of saisons or belgians) that thrives between 68 to 80 would be perfect. I now ferment in the keg, and use pressure once active fermentation begins. Trying one in the closet now, hoping no nasty unwanted esters pop up. Would love to be able to do this year round with no worries. Just wishful thinking. I know there are plenty of work arounds, just dreaming of the simplest solution of no issue to work around.

 

[Megary]

So, most yeasts work great at <68º or >80º (Kveik). When will there be a strain that thrives between 68º and 80º, which I imagine would make brewing much easier for most of us? Is it far off??

I definitely believe that outside their ranges, some yeasts are more forgiving than others.

But I find most ale yeasts are fine into the low 70's...72-73-74°. Beyond that you definitely run the risk of some unwanted characteristics, though these are not always going to show up in the finished beer depending on the strain, beer style, pitch temp, pitch rate, length of fermentation etc.

The thing with "recommended fermentation temp range"...what are we talking about really? Does the beer have to stay in that range for the entirety of fermentation? Or just during its peak Krausen phase? Do we have to pitch in that range? What about after things settle down, can we warm it up a bit? I think there are a lot of hairs to split here.

For me personally and for most "Ale" beers, I like to pitch at the bottom of the yeast's range and let it go at room temp, 66-69° or so depending on the time of year. It's likely the beer will never leave the yeast's "temp range", but worst-case scenario is I have a vigorous fermentation in the dead of summer and the beer hits 75-76° at its peak. If that happens, I just hope I picked a more forgiving strain.

 

[Semper Sitientum]

I have a temp controlled fermentation chamber in my shed (no good place in the house for it). It would be nice not to have to bundle up and trudge across the yard on freezing cold mornings to check on it, and just keep the fermenter in my house in a closet without any kind of jacket or messy water bath. A yeast for british ales (not a fan of saisons or belgians) that thrives between 68 to 80 would be perfect. I now ferment in the keg, and use pressure once active fermentation begins. Trying one in the closet now, hoping no nasty unwanted esters pop up. Would love to be able to do this year round with no worries. Just wishful thinking. I know there are plenty of work arounds, just dreaming of the simplest solution of no issue to work around.

Close but not exact, I use S-04 frequently. The packet states ideal ferm. temp. range is 59-68, but the Fermentis website states 64.4-78.8. My range is 64-77 and I’ve never had an issue.

 

[Brownyard]

Close but not exact, I use S-04 frequently. The packet states ideal ferm. temp. range is 59-68, but the Fermentis website states 64.4-78.8. My range is 64-77 and I’ve never had an issue.

I've always had issues with s-04 at room temp. Bad esters and acetaldehyde. I gave up on it, but I'm thinking of trying it again now that I'm pressure fermenting. Winter temps in the house range from 67 to 70, but I know the fermentation gets hotter. Summer house temps average 75º.

 

[MaxStout]

You could set up a simple swamp cooler. Set the fermenter in a tub or basin of cool water--the added thermal mass will help moderate temp swings. You can pull an old t-shirt over the fermenter and it will wick moisture upward. The evaporation will help cool it more.

 

[Zambi]

A bit off topic,
But what's this "I don't like Belgiums"?
I grew up next door, and I always wonder if USA/Canada got/gets to taste the same thing as us, or just an over the top version? Or just an old or over-travelled one?
Please try a Belgian blonde homebrew. It really is a beautiful beer. Or a Belgian pale ale.
For extreme hops, I agree, wrong type
But I've just heard too many stories of people travelling to mainland Europe, getting a nice blonde and changing their mind completely

 

[Brownyard]

A bit off topic,
But what's this "I don't like Belgiums"?
I grew up next door, and I always wonder if USA/Canada got/gets to taste the same thing as us, or just an over the top version? Or just an old or over-travelled one?
Please try a Belgian blonde homebrew. It really is a beautiful beer. Or a Belgian pale ale.
For extreme hops, I agree, wrong type
But I've just heard too many stories of people travelling to mainland Europe, getting a nice blonde and changing their mind completely

I don't hate them, I just prefer to brew what I usually drink most... stouts, porters, brown ales, scotch ales and IPAs.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I went for something juicy with WLP067 Coastal Haze. It liked being around 70.
You could probably push S-05 to around 70 too.
For something warmer, you likely want something that is designed to produce esters like a Hefeweizen or Saison.

 

[Brownyard]

You could set up a simple swamp cooler. Set the fermenter in a tub or basin of cool water--the added thermal mass will help moderate temp swings. You can pull an old t-shirt over the fermenter and it will wick moisture upward. The evaporation will help cool it more.

View attachment 23440

I've got a cooler bag and fermentation chamber. Just looking forward to the possibility of not having to fuss with it to make the beers I like most.

 

[Sandy Feet]

A clean, French Saison can be very tasty. We have a place in town that hops it up a little bit (not crazy) and it is damn good. The only bad thing about those is that they need a little extra time to keg/bottle condition.
67-70 ambient would be really nice for something hoppy, or actually most things. That is where I keep my refrigerator for most anything American. The British stuff I turn down a degree or two.
I don't screw around with water as I basically use spring water in everything, but if you dirtied up your water, I bet you could probably substitute 05 for 04 in a Bitter. I have done an American Porter and a Brown with S-05.
In the summer, trudging outside shouldn't be too bad unless you live near me, and it is hotter and muggier than hell.

 

[Sandy Feet]

A bit off topic,
But what's this "I don't like Belgiums"?
I grew up next door, and I always wonder if USA/Canada got/gets to taste the same thing as us, or just an over the top version? Or just an old or over-travelled one?
Please try a Belgian blonde homebrew. It really is a beautiful beer. Or a Belgian pale ale.
For extreme hops, I agree, wrong type
But I've just heard too many stories of people travelling to mainland Europe, getting a nice blonde and changing their mind completely

We can get La Chouffe at Total Wine. That is an awesome beer, but I don't do too many in that alcohol range.

 

[Brownyard]

A clean, French Saison can be very tasty. We have a place in town that hops it up a little bit (not crazy) and it is damn good. The only bad thing about those is that they need a little extra time to keg/bottle condition.
67-70 ambient would be really nice for something hoppy, or actually most things. That is where I keep my refrigerator for most anything American. The British stuff I turn down a degree or two.
I don't screw around with water as I basically use spring water in everything, but if you dirtied up your water, I bet you could probably substitute 05 for 04 in a Bitter. I have done an American Porter and a Brown with S-05.
In the summer, trudging outside shouldn't be too bad unless you live near me, and it is hotter and muggier than hell.

Oh, it's nasty here in the Summer too. I know lots of folks like to brew Saisons and such in the Summer months, but they're just not my thing. I'll just wait for that big break through to come true. It's inevitable, isn't it?

 

[Sandy Feet]

Yup The Craft Brewery thing has been great down here and introduced me to all kinds of things. I have come to love a lot of European styles.
I learned that I am hit and miss of some of the sourish Farm Ales, and I don't usually like the really funky Belgian Saisons, but I can do a mixed culture, and I really, really like a clean French Saison. Sometimes I will crave one of them.
I used to think normal lagers were crap too until I found people that knew how to make them.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Speaking of cold, I hope the weather idiots are wrong about the end of the 10-day forecast. I HATE turning on the heat and needing to wear layers and jackets.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I feel that the main thing is maintaining a constant temp for the yeast to get used to.

Let's say you start high but the exothermic heat produced by the yeast in the primary fermentation isn't kept in check then they snowball out of control and can produce too many esters.

Temperature control is key to happy yeasties.

Honestly a cheap bar fridge or old used fridge on a inkbird temp control will give you ability to ferment any yeast and any beer at any temp without any worry.