Brewing beer in Florida

Question

I'm considering starting my own project brewing beer, but I'm worried about the temperature of the ferment at rest. I live in Florida where the days are currently getting up to around 90 Fahrenheit, and my house can't be air-conditioned to anything less than 80. Temperature recommendations for brewing beer are just about 70 degrees and there really isn't a way I can get it down to that, any suggestions? Would it still brew, but perhaps taste different? Ferment faster? Do species of yeast exist which prefer these higher temperatures?

Answer 1

A "brew fridge" might be one suggestion to brew beer at a cooler than ambient temperature. It is basically a converted old fridge that has no shelves and has been converted to hold the fermenting vessel (eg a carboy or demijohn) at lower temp. I have seen a home brewer just use a recycled "normal" fridge with its internal thermostat set "high" to brew lager at 7C (45F). It worked very well. Other have used an extra internal thermostat to control the fridge motor to produce temperatures of anything from 5C to just below room temperature. One can search for such things on the internet and get instructions on how to build/modify. Unfortunately most are "self build" and require some requisite skills.

Answer 2

If it’s too hot for your yeast, you could buy a fermenter insulation bag. You put the whole fermenter bucket inside and add a few ice packs, if necessary. These will need to be replaced regularly.

This solution is likely a bit more cumbersome than having a dedicated fridge. On the plus side, it’s also cheaper, unless you have an old spare fridge lying around, and takes up less storage space.

Answer 3

You should be able to use ale yeast at room temperature. 80 degrees isn't too hot to kill the yeast. Just put it in the coolest place in your house like a dark closet or something. Lagers probably are going to be a bad idea unless you have a refrigeration system.