PickledFetus

Recipes 

I'm excited that it's finally fall and my basement is cool enough to ferment ales again (in summer it stays between 70-75 or warmer), but I'm a bit worried that the ambient temperature seems to be fluctuating a lot. I've been measuring it at different times throughout the day and it's anywhere between 59 and 65 and I'm worried that it will get even lower later into winter. Will this be a problem for fermenting ales?

I'm hoping that 5 gallons of beer won't change temperature that quickly and will stay somewhere in the middle, but I always hear people stressing the importance of a constant or at least slowly rising temperature. I've been thinking of getting real temperature control anyways for summer brewing and lagers, but I didnt think that I might have to worry about heating too. Would it be worth it to splurge on a mini fridge, dual stage controller and a fermwrap? Or will I be fine with ambient temps in the winter and just get a fridge for the summer months?

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Double_D

Recipes 

I wouldn't worry to much. You could brew saisons in the summer though without a fridge.

wedge421

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As long as it doesnt go below 50 or so I wouldnt be to worried about it. You may get slow fermentations with lower temps though

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PickledFetus

Recipes 

I'm fine with slow fermentation, I just don't want my yeast to crap out halfway through and leave me with under attenuated beer.

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Dan

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Edit. Forget it. I see you already mentioned fermwrap.

william_shakes_beer

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For my money, if you're going to the expense of a temp controller and a frige, you might as well make the temp controller dual stage and drop in a heat source. Then you become god of the microenvironment. Before I set up my ferm chanber, I just chucked the fermenter into a tub of water and added an aquarium heater. the combination of 5 gal wart plus 6 gal water makes a mighty slow temperature swing.

Dan

Recipes 

Holy crap. This must be my next project. Lastnight I actually dreamed I found an open faced chiller, like in a supermarket for $24 and thought, "Wow, that would be easy to convert into a fermentation chamber". Woke up this morning and realized it was just a dream. Darn. LOL