Problems with cold climate in fermentation

So last Sunday I brewed a batch of 20 litres(5 gallons approx), I normally put the fermentator on my garage, where the temperature is about 16-17 Celsius most of the time(61 F - 63 F), the thing is yesterday and today it was very cold, around -1c (30 F) in the morning, I checked the temperature on my garage and it was 11 c(52F), is my yeast dormant? my fermentator is opaque, so I can't see if there is activity, also the airlock stopped bubbling...

What do you recommend me?

Well, if ale yeast gets to cool, which 52 may be depending on the strain, they go to sleep. Get the fermenter warmed back up into the proper range for the yeast you used and they'll wake up and finish their job.

I used Nottingham, and yes, it's an ale.

So it's that easy? it will just woke up if I put the fermentator in a warmer place?

Also, will this affect the flavour of my beer?

Nottingham should keep working down to ~58, so just warm it a bit. And, IMO, you're a lot better off fermenting Notty on the cool side, it's a lot cleaner that way. I wouldn't worry about it negatively impacting the flavor if you get it warmed back up and active.

Thank you very much, I am very happy now

Wirk said:

I used Nottingham, and yes, it's an ale.

So it's that easy? it will just woke up if I put the fermentator in a warmer place?

Also, will this affect the flavour of my beer?

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Actually Nottingham is about as cold tolerant as any ale yeast I know, and is one ale yeast that can ferment in the 50's no problem and can actually be used to make very lager like brews. But even for Notty (and definitely for most all other ale strains) 52 is too low.

The other thing about Notty though is that it will rip through a normal gravity wort in 24-36 hours even in the low 60's so it is very likely that your beer is just done with the active phase, and not that your yeast is dormant. You could take a gravity reading (but you'll need to warm the sample up to 70 or so) but I would just let it go for a couple weeks and then check it.

No problem. You're in the southern hemisphere, right? It's winter? If you're keeping it out in the garage, and the temps are dropping like that over night, try getting it up off the floor (if it's on the floor) and get a towel or blanket under it whatever it's on. That way it'll insulate it a bit better. Also, if you can get something like this set up, you can use it to both warm and cool a fermenter. That set up costs around $25 American. One of the best $25 I've spent on brewing!
Good luck!

Edit: Here's what I've discovered about fermenting ales at low ale temperature. I think the results are better with most strains.

Yes, I am in the southern hemisphere(Chile), it's autumn here, but the last two days were exceptionally cold. That swamp cooler looks very cool, I think I'll make one for the winter.

Thank you very much about the guide, very illustrating.

@brewit2it isn't 70 F too much for a notty?

Wirk said:

Yes, I am in the southern hemisphere(Chile), it's autumn here, but the last two days were exceptionally cold. That swamp cooler looks very cool, I think I'll make one for the winter.

Thank you very much about the guide, very illustrating.

@brewit2it isn't 70 F too much for a notty?

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Cool, you'll like it. Just having the water to buffer any temp fluctuation will be helpful. And depending on how warm your summers are, it'll be really handy then.

I think Brewit meant warm the sample up so the hydro is accurate. Most hydros are calibrated at ~60, so you'd want your sample as close to that as possible. You can also do the math correction if your sample is too warm or cool.

Wirk said:

Yes, I am in the southern hemisphere(Chile), it's autumn here, but the last two days were exceptionally cold. That swamp cooler looks very cool, I think I'll make one for the winter.

Thank you very much about the guide, very illustrating.

@brewit2it isn't 70 F too much for a notty?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I like it in mid to low 60's. The temp in your garage isn't the temp of your beer however. When it is actively fermenting it will be warmer than average ambient temp by several degree since it is making it's own heat. When it is done with active fermentation (which I would bet on if you brewed Sunday and used Nottingham) it will take on the average temp in your garage and gradually drop lower during the colder times, and gradually rise during the warmer. By putting it in a tub of water, the swings will be even less and slower so it will pretty much hold average temp. The water bath if large enough will also help a lot with making sure it doesn't heat up too much when it is rapidly fermenting in the first 24-36 hours.

NordeastBrewer77 said:

Cool, you'll like it. Just having the water to buffer any temp fluctuation will be helpful. And depending on how warm your summers are, it'll be really handy then.

I think Brewit meant warm the sample up so the hydro is accurate. Most hydros are calibrated at ~60, so you'd want your sample as close to that as possible. You can also do the math correction if your sample is too warm or cool.

Click to expand...

Exactly, sorry I missed what he was asking in the last reply.

Oh tanks, now I get it!