Beer Temp VS Ambient Temp

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wdwalter

wdwalter

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Pretty clear picture of how Beer temp is not always the same as Air temp. This was a Hefeweizen second day in primary. Fermented a little cooler than what I wanted but samples from primary taste great. This was a digital thermometer with the probe suspended in the center of the fermenter.

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Awesome reminder. Always something I forget about then end up paying for, especially with Heffe and Belgian strains.
 
That's WLP300. I'll update this after the beer is done, but in primary it runs the spectrum of good hefe flavors from clove to banana to bubblegum. I'm pretty excited to see the final product
 
I data log active fermentations using 2 thermocouples (example graph below). The air inside the chest freezer will change a lot over time, but the beer temperature (measured with a probe well-insulated over on the side of the fermentor) can be kept within a very small range. I've never put a thermocouple into the beer.

graph.jpg
 
DSmith said:
I data log active fermentations using 2 thermocouples (example graph below). The air inside the chest freezer will change a lot over time, but the beer temperature (measured with a probe well-insulated over on the side of the fermentor) can be kept within a very small range. I've never put a thermocouple into the beer.

View attachment 106103
Click to expand...

You are such a geek!

And that is very high praise, coming from me in case you didn't know! :D

That's very cool.
 
Definitely not trying to one-up anybody. Hopefully these graphs illustrate how radically the air temperature can change and have minimal effect on the beer temperature. All you can do with a freezer is minimize the time that it's on but find settings that do not cycle it too often.

I use the TSS2 controller with a heater on the 2nd relay that takes over when fermentation begins to slows.

I've been brewing almost exclusively Belgians recently with the intent to make a very estery beer at controlled temperatures, yeast pitch, aeration. The graph below is from a Tripel with gravity data overlayed (by refractometer with alcohol correction). After final gravity is confirmed the primary is cold crashed, transfer to secondary and cold conditioning begins.

graph.jpg
 
DSmith said:
Definitely not trying to one-up anybody. Hopefully these graphs illustrate how radically the air temperature can change and have minimal effect on the beer temperature. All you can do with a freezer is minimize the time that it's on but find settings that do not cycle it too often.

I use the TSS2 controller with a heater on the 2nd relay that takes over when fermentation begins to slows.

I've been brewing almost exclusively Belgians recently with the intent to make a very estery beer at controlled temperatures, yeast pitch, aeration. The graph below is from a Tripel with gravity data overlayed (by refractometer with alcohol correction). After final gravity is confirmed the primary is cold crashed, transfer to secondary and cold conditioning begins.

View attachment 106104
Click to expand...

What is your differential set at? Seems like at least 14-16F. I usually set no more than 6F. But your graph clearly demonstrates that even 10F is not a big issue
 
Has anybody ever tried this while fermenting in water bath? I wonder what the temp difference would be? Being that water is a lot more denser than air. And how long would it take till things even out?
 
paraordnance said:
What is your differential set at? Seems like at least 14-16F. I usually set no more than 6F. But your graph clearly demonstrates that even 10F is not a big issue
Click to expand...

The differential is 0.3F, probe insulated-over on a carboy. The Carboy temperature variation is <1F and the small temperature cycles haven't created any issues.
 
DSmith said:
That product doesn't look like it's a data logger, just a temperature display powered through USB.
Click to expand...
hmmm . . . that seems pretty useless, but you're right. There's no mention of data being sent to the computer. I liked the idea of the pass through USB thinking that more than one could be used simultaneously. Sent them an email to ask, but here's another low cost one that does have logging and some simple software.




edit:
type slow and don't know what Mr2 is?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bratrules said:
Has anybody ever tried this while fermenting in water bath? I wonder what the temp difference would be? Being that water is a lot more denser than air. And how long would it take till things even out?
Click to expand...

I ferment in water bath, thermowell usually shows 2-3F higher than surrounding water (ambient). Much more stable and predictable that way
 
If the level of the water bath is the same as the beer, the difference is 0-1F, depending on fermentation. They track so closely I quit using my thermowells. I control the water temp instead.
 
When the fermentation is active, it’s stirred up pretty well. A really active fermentation will be one degree warmer than the water. As it winds down, the difference approaches zero.

If I am cooling the water, there will be stratification during lag phase, but as far as I can tell the temps in and out are the same, up and down.
 
paraordnance said:
I ferment in water bath, thermowell usually shows 2-3F higher than surrounding water (ambient). Much more stable and predictable that way
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for all the info. I usually ferment inside a ice chest temps stay very stable in there. I can even hold lager temps. With ease. 45 degrees is no problem.
 

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