Almost forgot to mention the tub

Not sure that the IPA is a success. To me it tastes a little sour, and it has little of the hop bitterness character that defines an IPA.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Sean helped me to identify the probable reason for the IPA's low OG. As to the taste, he was able to put to rest my concerns that the beer might be infected, however, he did think it may have been fermented at too high a temperature. That could account for off-flavors.

This is timely information, because I am about to brew the Altbier, and I have heard that it is even more sensitive to brewing temperature than my previous brews. Apartments get hot, so I am going to try a low-tech system I have heard many people say works well for cooling the fermenter a bit:

• place the full fermenter in a tub with water (not so much that the fermenter floats)
• cover the fermenter with a wet towel or t-shirt with the bottom of the cloth in the water
• run a fan on the setup

The idea is that as the water evaporates it cools the fermenter like perspiring cools a person. I am told to expect up to a five degree drop in temperature. This method may not work well in a humid environment, but my apartment is pretty dry. This method also insulates the fermenter a bit against changing temperatures. With the IPA, I know that the temperature rose above 78º F and got as far down as 68º at one point.

I still have hope that the IPA will improve with time. In the meantime, on to the next brew!