raise fermentation temp?

[Kenthebrewer888]

Hello I have a ? about raising fermentation temp. I know after 3 to 4 days you can start raises the temp. But do you raise the temp slowly like( 1F to 2F per day) or can you just go right to the temp your going to rise it to. Like let say I have a beer fermenting at 62F so after about 3 to 4 days do I start going 1f to 2f per day upto 70f to 72f or can I just jump up too 72 ?

[NateBrews]

Doing things slowly almost always is better. If you move the yeast too fast in temperature they can throw out some other flavors that you won't get if you do it slowly. The fastest I ramp stuff is at 2 degree increments, sometimes once in the morning and once at night if the thing is really done and I just want to d-rest it.

I have found that if I wait 3 days and then start ramping 2 deg/day, I find the timing of things usually lines up perfectly. I usually hit terminal gravity with 1 step to go, then I hit the last temperature and leave it for a few days and everything comes out clean.

If you are going from 62 to 72, I would definitely do it in a few steps over a few days.

I also use the wimpiest heat source I can to do it so the actual temperature ramp takes a while (I use a back heating pad set on low/med/high depending on the ambient).

[brewinhard]

Doing things slowly almost always is better. If you move the yeast too fast in temperature they can throw out some other flavors that you won't get if you do it slowly. The fastest I ramp stuff is at 2 degree increments, sometimes once in the morning and once at night if the thing is really done and I just want to d-rest it.

I have found that if I wait 3 days and then start ramping 2 deg/day, I find the timing of things usually lines up perfectly. I usually hit terminal gravity with 1 step to go, then I hit the last temperature and leave it for a few days and everything comes out clean.

If you are going from 62 to 72, I would definitely do it in a few steps over a few days.

I also use the wimpiest heat source I can to do it so the actual temperature ramp takes a while (I use a back heating pad set on low/med/high depending on the ambient).

This ^^^^^.

Plus to add something else...

The more batches you get under your belt, the more you will become familiar with a variety of yeast strains and their fermentation characteristics. What I always tell people about bumping up fermentation temps is this-
Once you start to see the krausen begin to fall back into the beer, this is telling you that the yeast are starting to slow down a bit. You can begin to slowly raise the temps 1-2 deg F/day (depending on how much you desire to increase the temps). Be sure to hold the final (and last temp) for at least 3-4 days (I usually go closer to 5-7) prior to packaging (or cold crashing) so the yeast have a chance to condition and clean up after themselves.

[Charlie]

I treat ale and lager differently. With lager you have a much larger temperature differential between fermentation temp and room temp (RT), so if I'm making lager I raise it by a degree per day when it is close to finished. Lager fermentation has been covered extensively on this forum.

I like to ferment my ales (mostly APA and IPA) at 68F (67 +2 -0 on the controller) until activity falls below one bubble per minute (BPM) through the blowout tube (10 to 14 days), and then move the brew into the house and let it finish (produce to less than 0.5 BPM) at RT. If finishing at this higher temp affects flavor I have not noticed it, and it produces a dryer brew than you can obtain by leaving it at the 68F range for however long.

That works for me, and I got a few awards I could show off, but YMMV.

Charlie

[Brewshki]

Hello I have a ? about raising fermentation temp. I know after 3 to 4 days you can start raises the temp. But do you raise the temp slowly like( 1F to 2F per day) or can you just go right to the temp your going to rise it to. Like let say I have a beer fermenting at 62F so after about 3 to 4 days do I start going 1f to 2f per day upto 70f to 72f or can I just jump up too 72 ?

what is your goal? what are you raising the temperature for?

[KelseyvilleMike]

"It depends" on what are you trying to accomplish.

Yeast usually does not like widely fluctuating temps, so the slower you move from one temp to the other, the happier the yeast.

For lagers, you want a diacetyl ramp up to blow off those compounds before you crash for kegging and bottling. 1 to 2 degrees per day until high 60's to low 70's, then low 30's before bottling/kegging.

For Belgians, it depends on the yeast strain (and style) and you can let some of them free-rise (3-4 degrees per day) into the 90's!

For other ales, if you have a clean ferment and no acetaldehyde (green apple - alcohol precursors), there is no reason to raise the temp. Just crash it, drop the yeast (or rack depending on your fermenters) and keg/bottle. Raising the temp - or another yeast addition can help the conversion of acetaldehyde to alcohol, otherwise, it's not necessary.

If you bottle condition, you can raise the temp into the 70's to kick the yeast into action for dosage/carbonation, but then store cold for longevity.

Usually, the lower the temps, the cleaner your beers - but it depends on the yeast strain.

Brew Strong!