Another Noob Question

Okay, so I know that the temperature is really important during fermentation (I'm sure my family will love it when I move the brew to the ACed bedroom in the summer), but what about the first few weeks after bottling? I read that the temp should be betwee 70-80 deg. but I'm not sure how I will manage that in the middle of the NE winter.

Any thoughts?

I new to brewing myself but my thinking was that I would switch to brewing lagers in the winter. You want to ferment lager between 55 and 65 degrees. I'm in Maryland and I think my basement will be perfect for it.

Yeah, I'm not really a lager drinker, plus I don't have a basement. Fermenting won't be my problem as we keep the place a perfect 68 deg., is the bottle conditioning I'm worried about.

TheJadedDog said:

Okay, so I know that the temperature is really important during fermentation (I'm sure my family will love it when I move the brew to the ACed bedroom in the summer), but what about the first few weeks after bottling? I read that the temp should be betwee 70-80 deg. but I'm not sure how I will manage that in the middle of the NE winter.

Any thoughts?

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As a rule of thumb, just maintain the same temperature as your fermentation temperature. Higher temps may carbonate the beer a little faster, but you run the slight risk of introducing some off flavors by keeping temperatures that high. If I were to make any change in temperature during conditioning, I'd keep it a touch cooler (55-65) and let it go for least 3 weeks.

Of course, this whole thread leans toward ales. Lagers tend to prefer cooler temperatures throughout the fermenting and conditioning process.

Just make an apple cider its easier.

Place it nearer to the water heater or furnace to get around 70F...if it gets warmer than that just move it further away...

When my son moved to florida it freed up his bedroom, which I've now made into a nano-brewery!
We live in a doublewide trailer, and instead of a central AC/heating unit, each room has it's own window AC and space heaters. So during the hot summer months here in South Carolina, I'm able to keep his room down to a nice cool 70 F. This winter, I know for a fact I can heat his room up to over 80 F with one of the space heaters with the door closed! But if left off, it gets very chilly in here, down below 50 F if it's cold enough outside.

TheJadedDog said:

Yeah, I'm not really a lager drinker, plus I don't have a basement. Fermenting won't be my problem as we keep the place a perfect 68 deg., is the bottle conditioning I'm worried about.

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as a great man once said " relax..dont worry...have a home brew" condition in your home all winter long it really doesnot matter if it is 68 or 75 just rember to enjoy it when it is done....