Is my basement too cold?

I have my first batch of cider fermenting now. I used a recipe from a coworker who has been making it for 20+ years. After reading, it sounds more like apple wine than hard cider.

5 gallons of unpasteurized cider
3lbs corn sugar
1 packet Ale yeast
OG = 1.071 (he said I should expect approx 10% alcohol from this)

My wife insisted that I keep the primary bucket in the basement instead of the dining room. I have it off the floor on a work bench, but it's suppose to get pretty cool tonight (low 40's). Am I worried for nothing or should I be moving this up to a spare bedroom and risk an argument with a pregnant woman?

Also, he usually lets it ferment 2-3 weeks, then racks to a glass carboy and lets it sit for another 2-3 weeks, then bottles. From what I've read on here, people let it sit much longer. This is Boston and the temps will continue to drop. Any advice? I'd rather not buy one of those carboy warmers.

I've never tried making cider that cold, but it seems like a bad idea... At best, it will take much longer. I've let mine sit fermenting for five weeks; at 68 degrees it takes about 4 weeks for the bubbling to stop anyway.

Can you use any sort of space heater to heat the area?

I would consider bringing it upstairs, but your wife will quickly notice fermenting cider smells far worse than beer...

Definitely too cold to ferment in the time you quoted. Ciders/ales like higher 60s to 70s.

Thanks. The basement doesn't get as cold as it gets outside, but I'm sure it drops into the upper 50s at night. I'll move the bucket upstairs and consider moving it back to the basement once I turn the heat on. The furnace has a vent to let some heat into the basement.

hey brother. I'm in northern NH and I love the high 50s, low 60s to ferment cider. I usually add 2 lbs brown sugar to 5 gallons, and use Wyeast Sweet Mead Yeast 4184, and ferment around 60 degrees.

Because of the colder temps, it ferments slower, up to a month for primary fermentation. However, it usually stops at 1.010 on its own. CVilleKevin has had different results with the 4184 yeast, and I assume it's because he is down south and the temps are much warmer. My end result is fantastic. Its probably my favorite beverage ever.

If you start getting lower than 58 you may need to purchase a brew belt or a heating pad to wrap around your vessel.

first, your wife is pregnant! congrats! second, your wife is pregnant, turn that heat on to keep her healthy ;-)

Interesting - maybe next year I'll try starting a 4184 batch later in the season. This year I started the 4184 on 9/14, last year on 10/30. Both times they fermented out to 1.002 in two weeks and could not be stopped by cold crashing. They are good dry tho.

I wouldnt worry about basement temps in upper 50s. My basement doesnt get that cool until later in the season, but those are usually the best batches. The cold lengthens the ferment time out to about 4 weeks but IMHO, the longer the ferment time, the better. Many traditional cider houses use low 50s and ferment over several months

Thanks everyone. This morning it was about 40F outside, but the basement didn't seem too cold. I'm going to run over to the brew shop at lunch and pick up a couple of the stick-on thermometers to get a better feel for the bucket temp. I'm OK stretching the fermentation time if it will result in a better product. I was hoping to have some for Thanksgiving, but I'll settle for Christmas.

rjschroed - thanks. The wife is plenty healthy and blankets can keep us both warm for now. The heat will turn on in about 2-3 weeks when my boy arrives!

most of the time you can save a couple bucks on the stick on thermometer at a pet-shop. Ones for a fish tank are the same. I bought one for $0.98 once

I was a little worried about this too. I am trying to ferment my cider in Northern Ireland which is pretty cold at the minute.

I have all the cider in the garage, where the current midnight temp is about 54 F.

My first couple of batches seemed to stop at 1.002 and 1.004 after a month. Moved them all into secondary now for a couple more weeks to see if they will drop any more.

I did hydrate the yeast before pitching and the cider bubbled away merrily.

It's actually pretty simple to figure stuff like this out. Just ferment your cider at the temperature recommended on your yeast packet. 40°F seems pretty low for an ale yeast, and it's good to keep a consistant temperature to prevent accidental crashing of the yeast. If you must keep it in your basement, keep an eye on the temperature.

I'm a bit surprised that you are worried about the temp inside your house getting to about 40°F though. Does it normally get that cold inside?

An active fermentation can provide it's own heat, I would say with a cider around 5F higher.
You may be able to just wrap it up in a blanket and keep it at a nice 65F or so which would be nice and smooth.
You also may want to do a search on Rhino farts before thinking of moving it up to your living area.
If you wife is pregnant (Congratulations) she may not enjoy the experience so much.

Teromous said:

I'm a bit surprised that you are worried about the temp inside your house getting to about 40°F though. Does it normally get that cold inside?

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And if it did get to 40, thats just the ambient in the room. the temp in the middle of the fermenter is going to be vastly different. In experiments I did last year I would find that my basement might be 55, the side of the fermenter 60, and the middle of the fermenter 65 during an active fermentation.

my basement here in wisconsin has been getting into the low 50's lateley. my most recent cider needed to be moved into the dining room to get the fermentation to start!

I find that your cider will be better the slower it ferments and the cooler it is the slower it will ferment.(within reason....36 degrees will obviously be too cold) I still have a hard time finding cider that is better than what was made by the oldtimers when I was a kid. They would have it in oak barrels sitting in the barns (upstate NY). I'm sure it got so cold that the fermentation would shut down and restart as it got warmer. My uncle, well into his eighties, still makes 10 gallons a year and keeps it in the garage. It keeps to about the first of the year until it has mysteriously disappears.