Have I screwed 120 pints

[ChrisPDuck]

So kicked off a triple batch (using kits) for Christmas and put them in my fermenting fridge.
All fine but I messed up (I blame lack of sleep induced by a 5 week old!) and the thermostat fell out the fridge while I was checking on them.

This means the heating circuit kicked in and never cut off as it was reading the temp from outside the fridge. I think it was sat about 32degrees for just over 24 hours.

Obviously I won’t throw the beer away until I know it’s ruined but what are the odds? Want to know if I should get some replacement beer now as I don’t want a beer free Christmas

 

[Saisonator]

I'm surprised a glass shelf can hold 22kg without exploding?

 

[ChrisPDuck]

I'm surprised a glass shelf can hold 22kg without exploding?

Lol, I was very gentle when I put it on there the first time but it’s spread over a nice wide area. Now I heave them up and dump then down on a regular basis and they’ve never complained. It is in the garage though as imagine the mess!


At some point I’ll construct something else as I’m sure it also stops the heat being evenly distributed but I’ve had many ace batches from it so as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

 

[IainM]

5 week olds can do that! If it was the first 24 hours then you might be in for some solventy, unpleasant beer. If it was after a week or something like that then you're probably fine. I would give it a taste, and though a beer this young will never be good, if it is particularly hot or alcoholic then that would be a bad omen.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

5 week olds can do that! If it was the first 24 hours then you might be in for some solventy, unpleasant beer. If it was after a week or something like that then you're probably fine. I would give it a taste, and though a beer this young will never be good, if it is particularly hot or alcoholic then that would be a bad omen.

That sounds hopeful. It was day 11 of the primary I was in there to get some gravity readings to see how they were getting on.

 

[sdt7618]

By day 11 you should be nearly if not finished the fermentation... warm flat beer. Anyway I would bottle it up when ready and enjoy in a few months.

Just popped the hops into my bad cat tonight. Same idea hopefully a nice xmas brew.

 

[Clint]

That's a shrine not a brew fridge!

 

[chewie]

Lol, I was very gentle when I put it on there the first time but it’s spread over a nice wide area. Now I heave them up and dump then down on a regular basis and they’ve never complained. It is in the garage though as imagine the mess!

Problem is if the top one gives way it will then take the shelf below it out to, that could lead to all 3 FV's pushed thru the door out onto your floor, your dog might like that but i can guarantee your wife won't. :nono:

 

[IainM]

How tall is your fridge by the way?

 

[ChrisPDuck]

Problem is if the top one gives way it will then take the shelf below it out to, that could lead to all 3 FV's pushed thru the door out onto your floor, your dog might like that but i can guarantee your wife won't. :nono:

The wife doesn’t go in the garage!

 

[ChrisPDuck]

How tall is your fridge by the way?

At a guess around 2m. Best freecycle find ever!

 

[LarryF]

I can only suggest that you let them ferment out and your trial jar will give you the first indication when you try it. Gut feeling says that you should be fine, I think 32c may be ceiling of the yeast but not above it, all the best.

 

[Irishwizard]

I can only suggest that you let them ferment out and your trial jar will give you the first indication when you try it. Gut feeling says that you should be fine, I think 32c may be ceiling of the yeast but not above it, all the best.

Agree. i would stick with it. nothing to lose. Chuck it down the drain and you have lost the lot. Play the percentages game

 

[Slid]

If you kicked up the temps on day 10 and dropped them day 11, it will not find its way into brewing "how to's" but will make precious little difference in the end.

In a brew fridge it is going to have pretty much fermented out by day ten.

I would carry on as if nothing had happened. Yeast is very resilient, it is the stuff it chucks out at odd temps that is unpleasant and by day 11 there ain't much left to chuck out.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

If you kicked up the temps on day 10 and dropped them day 11, it will not find its way into brewing "how to's" but will make precious little difference in the end.

In a brew fridge it is going to have pretty much fermented out by day ten.

I would carry on as if nothing had happened. Yeast is very resilient, it is the stuff it chucks out at odd temps that is unpleasant and by day 11 there ain't much left to chuck out.

Ace, i think two will be fine. The bad cat however (7.5%) can easily take two weeks from experience and was the lowest (closest to the heater) so would have taken the brunt of the abuse.

 

[IainM]

Ace, i think two will be fine. The bad cat however (7.5%) can easily take two weeks from experience and was the lowest (closest to the heater) so would have taken the brunt of the abuse.

It don't think it matters. The yeast character of the final beer is supposedly largely determined during the growth phase, so even if it hasn't finished fermenting by the time the temp went up the population is already established so the chance of doing serious damaged has already passed. I'm eager to hear how the bad cat pans out to see how well the theory stacks up.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

So to close this thread off if future fools do the same thing and find this via a search...

I chilled the beer to about 3degrees for 24 hours then racked into my cournys, natural carbonated for 10 days then conditioned at 12degrees for 4 weeks.

It’s really not great 🍻👎

Its drinkable and I’ve had worse from a ‘proper’ pub but defiantly sub par. All 3 have an artificial tasting tang to them which I’ve never had in any of my brews before. It’s very slight so doesn’t overpower the beer and I will probably end up drinking it all but it’s enough that when I first take a swig of the pint I sigh with disappointment.

Lesson learnt and I will somehow adjust things so the temperature probe isn’t long enough to be trapped outside the fridge in future!

 

[_jon_]

Hi All,

I find this post particularly interesting. As a beginner, I didn't realise the importance of fermenting temps.

I have a beer on at the moment, which is fermenting at 20c but for the first 24 hours it was sitting at 25c... until I moved it to a cooler room. Maybe my beer will be bad from the first day too warm.

Cheers,
Jon

 

[Clint]

I'm sure it will be fine!

 

[MyQul]

I'm sure it will be fine!

Possibly/probably but the Gales brewery fermentation schedule is 23.5C for 24hours then 20C for the rest of fermentation. I tried it out when I recently cultured up the Gales strain. It's definately got the esters going and was quite fruity - lovely in fact. Just what I was after. So the OP's beer may be more estery than anticipated