Fermentation temp. help / questions

[vandoogie]

Hey everyone, i know this has probably been asked 1000 times on here and answered just as many times, so i apologize in advance.

So i just completed my first brew last night (Brooklyn Brew Shop's 1 gallon Everyday IPA), which i think went pretty well. I woke up this morning to what seems to be pretty active fermentation, so i took that as a good sign

My question is, what is the best ambient temperature i should be trying to keep the ferementer in? I live in a basement apartment with several different rooms that all tend to be different temperatures... The living room / kitchen area is usually as low as 66 degrees at night, and during the day when we have the space heater going (when we're home) its around 70-72. We have a third bedroom / storage room that has the vents blocked off and it usually stays i would say anywhere from 64-66 degrees. And then there is the small furnace room (where i have my fermenter right now), which is dark, and i would say stays probably in the 64-68 range, though i will need to check that more. We also have a cold cellar, but that is significantly colder. I know ales are supposed to ferment at 68-72 (i believe), but i also know that once its fermenting the temperature of the liquid in the fermenter will rise (though im not sure how much using only a 1 gallon fermenter would affect that), so i figured it would probably be best to stay closer to 68 or slightly below for ambient temperature than closer to 72. Would this assumption be correct? Also, i was wondering how can i monitor the actual temperature of the fermenting wort, just to make sure its not getting too high? I only have a lab thermometer, and i didn't know if its a good idea to be taking the air lock off frequently to take temperature readings of the wort, as i would be worried about contamination... Is there another way to do this? Right now all i've been doing is keeping my thermometer beside the fermenter to watch the ambient temperature...

Thanks for any advice you guys can offer me!

 

[vandoogie]

Oh also i know there are those strip thermometers that you can attach right onto the outside of the fermenter, but i live in Canada where good brewing supply stores are very VERY few and far between (my closest is an hour's drive), so i don't think that will be an option, unless i try to order one from somewhere online... Are these accurate anyways?

 

[unionrdr]

Go to a pet supply & get one of those stick on temp strips. That's what most of us use to monitor temps quickly. The furnace room at 64-68F sounds like the best place to me. That's a common range for most ale yeasts.

 

[fatnoah]

The important thing is to have a stable temperature. You don't want swings. Yes, typical American ale yeast would be great at 68, but you have to remember fermentation is exothermic. So if you stuck the fermenter in that room that stays between 64 and 66 all the time, I think you would be golden.

To measure the temp of the fermenting beer I use one of those stick on fermometer strips you can get at the LHBS or online. I think that is the best compromise between accuracy, ease of use, and sanitary practice.

 

[thood6]

+1 on the spare room that hovers around 65. I do mine a tad lower now generally but for a first timer that's a great temp. I did my 2 at close to 75. The actual fermentation temps must have been around 85. It was rocket fuel.

 

[vandoogie]

Go to a pet supply & get one of those stick on temp styrips. That's what most of us use to monitor temps quickly. The furnace room at 64-68F sounds like the best place to me. That's a common range for most ale yeasts.

Wow i can't believe i didn't think of a pet supply store for one of those i've definetly seen one before at a pet store near me, so that should be perfect... Too bad it's good friday and everything is closed :|... I'm sure it'll be fine for a day though...

And cool, i'll probably keep it in the Furnace room, though i want to monitor the temperature fluxuations in there before i make that final decision, i'm worried it might get too warm, though it does seem to stay pretty consistently at 65-66F so far.

 

[unionrdr]

I like finding what I need for brewing beer anyplace I go to. The aquarium supply/pet shop has some good stuff as I alluded to earlier. The stick on temp strips in a couple sizes & styles. Then the 3 piece lift tube cleaning brush kits. You get 3 different diameter brushes about 15" long with hard foam handles for a couple bucks. Great for cleaning spigots,airlocks,& short tubes. So look around for other things of use with your imagination.
Walmart's kitchen needs isle is another good one. Digital scales,fine mesh strainers,long spoons,& the like for decent prices.
The baking needs isle at the grocery store for different sugars,light & dark brown,demerara,etc. I found crystalized fruit juices there as well. Trulemon,trulime,& truorange. Citrus fruits to get fresh zest from in the produce section. Frozen fruits & berries in the freezer section.
Home depot,lowe's,& other such places for clear tubing,fittings,etc.
Like my sig says,everything works if ya let it!

 

[Pie_Man]

Agreed that the storage room seems to be the best place. Generally, I've seen the beer temperature about 5-10 degrees(F) warmer than the ambient air temperature during peak fermentation activity, usually closer to 5 than 10.

Once you get the temperature strip, if you want to lower the temperature even further, search HBT/Google for a swamp cooler. It's basically placing the fermenter is a tub of water and cooling the water with frozen ice bottles. With a one gallon fermenter, you probably already have a tub or bucket laying around that you could use.

 

[cgg]

Another vote for the third bedroom, because it is cooler and more likely to keep an even temp.

Dark is good, too.