For really cold weather, when my basement is below optimum fermentation temps, I wrap my primaries with towels and put them above the basement floor (small shelving unit) next to the water heaters. This helps keep them in the prime temp range.
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This is where I get confused because I keep seeing conflicting information. Some people say not to go above 70 and low 60s is best, others say high 60's to mid 70s is best, the brew belt thing says 75 is ideal, and my yeast package says 57-75.
If your yeast says 59-75, 75 is the upper limit. My experience is that unless you want esters (fruity, including banana), you want to stay in the middle or low end of the yeast strain's ideal temperatures.
Also, keep in mind that if your room is 70 degrees, the heat of the fermentation might make the brew inside be 78-80 degrees! I ferment most of my ales in a room that is 60 degrees, in order to be in the 64 degree area.
For fun, try fermenting a blonde ale at 57-59 degrees. I bet you'll have a lager-like, "clean" ale. Ferment the same beer at 75 degrees, to see the difference! It'll be a big difference.
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The aquarium heater trick works really well. You don't need a sink- I use a bucket a bit larger than my carboy, and it only takes a few gallons to fill it. You do have to watch for evaporation, because the heater doesn't go on and off by temp, so if the water level gets too low it will heat it up more. I've held batches at 63 before with no variation over three weeks.
For the fermenter, I use a water bath in a cooler, and an aquarium heater. I use a floating thermometer.
I agree as well. If you are lucky enough to have a slightly cool fermentation area, you can have perfect and adjustable fermentation control for about $20.
The nice thing about aquarium heaters is that they are very inexpensive yet provide very precise temperature control (just like yeast, temperature fluctuations are hard on fish, so even the cheapest aquarium heater will have precise temp control).
Slap one or two heaters in a big plastic bin of water, and there you have a fermentation chamber where the temperature will sit at whatever you dial it in to. Better yet, all that water provides plenty of thermal mass, so any heat generated from your fermentation is buffered, further preventing big temperature swings. There is no better way to achieve a consistent fermentation temp.
Oh yeah, pet stores also sell those floating thermometers for about $2 and they are far more accurate than the cheap thermometers you will often find at the LHBS. So, total system is aquarium heater ($12), plastic rubbermaid container ($6), floating thermometer ($2) = $20. Far superior and much less expensive than other methods I have tried, in brew belts, temperature controlled fridges, etc.
ooooooooooo. I like FlyGuy's idea. Might not be totally useful for what I'm making at the moment, but I think that'll work really well for things that I will need more temp control for.
Let me see if I understand yeast enough.
The temperature range is a guideline to know where a particular yeast is comfortable working. Yeast works slower at lower temps tend to yield cleaner flavors and faster at higher temps with a potential for off flavors.
The yeast working causes single digit increase in fermenter temp over ambient temp therefore if your room/chamber is 70 degrees, you are flirting with off flavors.
The closet where I ferment is, and has been, 60 degrees for days so I can expect my fermentation temperature to be 64-66 until active ferm is over. Then the temp will be closer to, if not actually, closet temperature where things will plug along nicely, if a little slower than if it were 65.
So I won't worry, yes?
I bought a $20 space heater plugged into a Ranco controler. I put a bungie cord around my fermenter and sandwhiched the thermistor between the glass and a towel, holding it in place with the bungie cord. I wrap a blanket around the fermenter (sorta distributes the heat a bit). I then set the fan up 2-3' away and aim it at the fermenter. I make sure the thermocouple is on the opposite side of the fermenter from the fan. Using this method I was able to keep a saison at 78 F and the rest of my ales at 67 F.
This works well durring the begining of fermentation, bc the yeast keep all of the liquid churning.
Although not ideal, this worked really well last year. Right now I am constructing a multichamber fermentation closet, hopefully that will regulate the temperature even better.
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