temperature at brewing

I've been reading a lot of different things about what temperature is okay to have your fermenter in....what says all of you?

It greatly depends on the type of yeast that you are using. Most ale yeasts are happy between 60 and 70F. This is the temperature of the fermenting beer, the ambient air around the beer will need to be slightly cooler. Fermenting beer produces its own heat, typically 5-10 degrees during fermentation.

phatuna said:

It greatly depends on the type of yeast that you are using. Most ale yeasts are happy between 60 and 70F. This is the temperature of the fermenting beer, the ambient air around the beer will need to be slightly cooler. Fermenting beer produces its own heat, typically 5-10 degrees during fermentation.

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That's a bummer....my garage gets pretty cold in the winter. What about blankets around the fermenter?

Yes, room temperature isn't really the important thing. I have some cheap "stick on" thermometers that are called fermometers to better gauge the actual fermentation temperature. Sometimes, when it's been warm outside, the temperature inside the fermenter will rise even more and it willbe up to 10 degrees higher inside when the beer is fermenting!

The choice of yeast strain is what determines your fermentation temperature. I like to go to at the bottom range of that. For example, Nottingham's suggested temperature is 57-70 degrees. So, I'll ferment that at 60-62 or so, or even lower. Some yeasts do better at 65 degrees. Very few would taste better over 70 degrees. So, I rarely go above 68 degrees. Again, it depends on the yeast strain and what I'm trying to accomplish.

Best solution that I have found is to get a big cooler, the one I have is the type that you would put a keg in, it's like a big plastic bin.

place your primary in there, fill about 1/2 way up w/ water. put an aquarium heater in there and set it for about 62 or 65.

that will do the trick.

randyisrad said:

That's a bummer....my garage gets pretty cold in the winter. What about blankets around the fermenter?

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You have to ferment in the garage? Unless you have a closed cabinet with a heat source, I don't think it'll work very well for you unless you live somewhere where your garage is about 62-68 degrees.

I set the fermentation chamber to 60 and leave it. The only time it changes is when I crash cool.

Also Randy, read up on lager style yeast. I've never done one, I know Yooper can give you some info on that. I do know that lagers are fermented cooler than ales.

phatuna said:

Also Randy, read up on lager style yeast. I've never done one, I know Yooper can give you some info on that. I do know that lagers are fermented cooler than ales.

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Good advice! Didn't even think about that because it is so warm down here. When life gives you lemons, make lagers...