Okay, this is probably just a RDWHAHB moment. But, my last two batches of homebrew have not been satisfactory. So, I am a bit anxious.
OG 1.060. IPA. 5.25 gallon.
Pitched one 11.5 g packet (or sachet as Fermentis like to call 'em) of rehydrated US-05 after shaking wort for a few minutes to aerate.
Pitched at 64 degrees
Swampt cooler, started at 63 degrees (temp measured by fermometer on outside of bucket and floating thermometer in swamp).
First two days after brewing, temp is 61-62
Day three (today) 59 in the morning, 60.5 in the evening.
Bubbling in airlock started in the evening on day two. Bubbling is very slow, but steady.
I know US-05 is supposed to be good down to 59 acccording to fermentis. But, getting a little nervous.
Want to try to keep temp as low as possible because one common element of two of my batches that have not been great has been that fermenation temps were in the mid to upper 60s to 72.
Is 59-60 okay for US-05? When should I pull it out of the swamp cooler and raise the temp a few degrees to finish it off?
I can pull it out of the swamp cooler. But, I don’t know if that will change the temp because I am not using ice in the swamp.
Last brew, I overchilled a bit and pitched a pack of 05 dry at 56*.
It was 5.25 gallons at 1.057, took off while I was at work. Would guesstimate it at about 16 hours.
I just let it do its thing, and it’s warmed itself up 3-4 degrees a day, right up to 65.
Sure smells clean, hammers out machine gun airlock music, and holds up an incredibly white krausen at low temps.
It’s probably about done fermenting by now.
I did a batch of APA once, where I pitched the yeast at about 60 degrees. I was fermenting in a cold room of the house with the door closed, and a cold front moved through, dropping the beer temp down to 57. That batch was amazingly clean. Took a bit longer to finish, and the thick white krausen hung on for a long time, but it was well worth it. No worries!
Yes, US-05 is awesome. I’ve fermented it in the mid 50s (ambient temperatures) and it works like a charm. I’ve even heard of people fermenting it into the low 50s. I never rehydrate, but I’m starting to think that I should be…been getting some under attenuated beers, even with US-05, and I used to always get super attenuation out of that yeast. Must mean I’m doing something wrong somewhere else…
