Day 1 left in basement...too cold?

[snailtrail]

So...i left my fermenter in the basement on top of a cooler for the first 24hrs. I got home from work and the temp read right around 60 or maybe a bit lower.

I have since moved it to my room where it is a bit warmer. Around 65-68F

Do you think the yeast will start doing its job soon? or should i pitch new yeast?


Any thoughts/opinions will be much appreciated.


Thanks!

 

[beertree]

Just started brewing my first batch yesterday too so take my advice with a grain of salt (and a beer!)

I left my primary down in the basement too at around 65-66F and saw no activity this morning (T+12 hours), and only just saw some bubbling 10-15sec apart when I got home (T+24 hours). It sounds like fermentation can sometimes take up to 72 hours and that not seeing activity at 24-48 hour mark is completely normal.

I don't know what kind of yeast you used but it's possible it was too cold and the yeast went dormant. I'd keep it around the range recommended per the instructions and 1-2 days later I would imagine you will start seeing those beautiful bubbles.

I don't think you need to pitch new yeast - correct me if I'm wrong.

Good luck!

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

That is pretty chilly assuming it's an average US ale yeast, but you've done all you can by moving it to a warmer spot! Hang out a few days and hopefully your yeasty friends will be back up and boppin'.

I'd personally lift it to more like 70+ for a bit to get them up and running (they prefer it, but only do that for a day or two if you don't want to encourage a different flavor profile). 65-68's a good holding temperature, but if you're trying to say "wake up, this is a kickass environment, start eating!" a warmer temp might send a friendly message. That bit's up to you.

What are you seeing currently? Is it not active, or slower than you expected, or anything?

 

[brettg20]

You will be fine, give it another day.

 

[Calichusetts]

I ferment most of my ales at 58 without any issues, they take right off and often finish up in a few days. Once fermentation starts you will find that the beer itself is actually warmer than the air around it. While it depends on the yeast, many strains start to show more flavors when you get around 70, this can be great in most cases but I prefer clean yeasts so I do it lower

 

[RM-MN]

You can move your fermenter back to the basement. From the time you pitch your yeast until they show activity can be up to 3 days, depending on the temperature. Yeast go through 3 phases, the lag phase where it looks like nothing is happening but the yeast are multiplying and using up the oxygen in the fermenter doing so, the active ferment phase where there is krausen and lots of swirling in the beer, and the cleanup phase where again it looks like nothing is happening.

Your beer is in the first phase. I've had beers take up to 36 hours before I saw any activity because I pitched the yeast into 55 degree wort and let it slowly warm to 62. You don't need to add any yeast yet. If there is no activity in 3 days, then ask about more yeast. Fermenting your beer where it is cooler will give you a cleaner tasting beer but it will take longer.

After the real active phase of the ferment is over and you see no activity, move your beer to where it is warmer so the yeast can clean up the intermediate products they created and make them into more alcohol. I like to bring mine up to 72 for that period and I nearly always end up with a lower FG than predicted.

 

[beergolf]

I ferment most of my ales at 58 without any issues, they take right off and often finish up in a few days. Once fermentation starts you will find that the beer itself is actually warmer than the air around it. While it depends on the yeast, many strains start to show more flavors when you get around 70, this can be great in most cases but I prefer clean yeasts so I do it lower

That is the temp of my basement in the winter and I like it for fermenting most brews. Once fermentation starts the temp rises several degrees so it puts the temp in the right range for most ale yeasts,

 

[andy6026]

My conditions are almost identical. My basement is around 59-60. I just did my first batch. After 48 hours of no airlock activity I cranked the heat up to about 66. I also gave the fermenter a bit of an agitation (slight shaking around). Within several hours the gurgling started - every 1-2 minutes at first and then by the next morning every few seconds). I've since turned the heat off and let it go back down to 60. The gurgling has continued.

I'm not sure if my turning up the heat and agitating 'kick started it' or if it would have done that anyways. Either way, it now appears to be fermenting well at the same temp. as yours.