Another Noob question - fermentation temperature

[Mothman]

Dumb fermentation temperature confusion.....

I'm still collecting bottle for my first batch, and also thinking about where I'll store the beer while fermenting.

My thoughts are :

- if brewing in the summer (gets hot here), I'll put it in the unheated storage room above our crawlspace, in an ice bath if necessary. The storage can still get warm in the heat of summer, but with an ice bath I'm hopeful I could manage it... other than the crawlspace itself (dirt and spiders and backbreaking to get in and out lol), it's the coolest spot in the house, so think it's the best I can do (no room for a fridge or similar).

- if brewing in the winter, the storage room is significantly cooler than the rest of the house, and is maybe too cold (I've not yet measured, but I'm guessing it's typically around 12-15deg C in there in winter)

I could ferment in the corner of the spare bathroom where it would be at or near room temperature (it's typically slightly cooler in there are there is no heater in that bathroom, it's just heated through the ambient living area temperature).

Or... and this is where my question comes in.... if the storage area ambient temperature is actually as I think, in that 12-15 deg C range (I'll actually measure this at some point to make sure), would that still be OK for a typical ale, as the fermentation will produce it's own heat??

And if that's the case, then follow-up, is it ever fine to just put the bucket in a dark room-temp location and let it do it's thing there.... or is room temperature + the generated heat of fermentation going to generally be above what is desired?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

If you have room for a chest freezer go on craigslist and get one. Or just go buy one. Simple Easy cheap and works

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I live in Texas so it gets to 100 degree's F or 38 degree C so I know a little bit about what your going through.

So lets start off by saying it depends on the yeast you use. Every yeast has its ideal temps and its usually easy to find this information. So lets use US-05 as an example b/c its what I use a lot, its versatile and the fermentation temperature range is: 12-25°C (53.6-77°F) ideally 15-22°C (59-71.6°F)

So, I keep my house around the 72-75 range during the summer months so I put my carboy in a dark closet in my bathroom which sits on tile which also helps it stay a little bit more cold in that area. Those beers turn out just fine, and ive done a lot of them this way. I keep a temp strip on my carboys and they keep the ambient temps of the room really well they don't produce enough heat as you were asking.

So, although this works, and you can absolutely make beer this way I would try and find a yeast you can use where you are as close as possible to the ideal range, you might of noticed I am in an acceptable range but not ideal...it still makes pretty good beer but you don't want to stress the yeast if you have a better option.

I did eventually get a fridge setup with a Inkbird and now ferment in ideal temps and lager on occasion it truely can make a difference in your beers but if its just not an option, I get it just try and find a yeast that has the best temp range for the style of beer you are wanting to make is my best advice.

 

[Mothman]

Thanks Texas, good info. Where I live also can get up to the high 30's C, so we have similar summer circumstances it seems.

As I mentioned, I simply don't have the space for a fridge or freezer in our house (live in a small townhouse).

I am surprised when you mention that the carboy temp kept the ambient temp... that the fermentation didn't add measurable heat to your carboy?

I'm wondering, say I was using the yeast you mentioned, with ideal temp of 15-22C... would I then want to be putting it in the room that is say, 12C... ? Would the fermentation not add a few degrees to the temperature?

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I'm wondering, say I was using the yeast you mentioned, with ideal temp of 15-22C... would I then want to be putting it in the room that is say, 12C... ? Would the fermentation not add a few degrees to the temperature?

A lot of documentation states that fermentation will produce +/- 5 to 10 degrees of heat.

Personally, I havn't really seen this kind of heat production, especially not 10 degrees. But in all fairness the sticker temp strips on the side of the carboy are probably not crazy accurate. At the end of the day my ales turn out when I do it this way so I just kept doing it really without monitoring the temps very strictly.

When I make lagers, I monitor the temps using a stopper that has a metal rod that goes down to the middle of the beer where I can put my digital thermometer so I am getting a reading that is much more accurate. Ales are more forgiving though.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

For my lagers I use this

https://www.morebeer.com/products/stopper-thermowell-1.html?site_id=5

For my ales I use this for temps on my carboys.

http://www.mrbeer.com/stick-on-thermometer

 

[PADave]

If you have room for a chest freezer go on craigslist and get one. Or just go buy one. Simple Easy cheap and works

This is your best bet. If you don't have room for something, make room. You could build something smaller than a freezer. Controlling fermentation temps is probably the single biggest thing that will help you produce quality beer.

I normally see about a 6 degree F difference in air temp vs fermenter temp.

 

[Mothman]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like my best bet will be to just try out a couple locations and closely monitor the temperature, and adjust as needed.

As much as I'd love a dedicated fridge or freezer, it just aint gonna happen. Pretty sure the wife would not approve an apartment-sized freezer in our bedroom.

Best I could achieve would be a small-footprint insulated box or bag of some kind, or as I said earlier, an ice bath in a cooler or similar, though I realize actually regulating the temperature would be tough.

That's if I need to cool. If I need to apply heat, I'll have to scratch my head on that one.

Trying not to stress before I've even started. Haha!

 

[Mothman]

Googled around a bit and wondering if something like this might be a decent product... http://ecom.bosagrape.com/product.php?productid=20642&cat=1084&page=1

Small footprint, easy to store, simpler than trying to build a DIY box, would also capture any spills/blowouts.

 

[PADave]

Here's another:

http://www.cool-brewing.com/

I've heard good things about them. Do a search on here, lots of talk about them.

 

[Mothman]

PADave, yeah, that's the same bag. It very well might be the ticket for me, as long as I can justify the $90 (Cnd) price tag. lol

Looking for posts here about the bag now to see what people think.

 

[ReaperOnefour]

I put my fermenter In the bathtub. It usually stays between 67-71 F. ( Year round) I've made some good batches like that.

 

[pvpeacock]

Before I got my temperature controlled conicals, I used the Cool Brew bags and they worked great. I highly recommend them. Also, if you can't control temps in the summer, consider brewing saisons. Saison yeasts work great in high temps. I have one conical with no temp. control whatsoever, so if my other fermenters are full, I just use it for a saison.

 

[ReaperOnefour]

I use a conical as well, but it's not temperature controlled. Where can I get one that has that feature?

 

[Jtk78]

......
That's if I need to cool. If I need to apply heat, I'll have to scratch my head on that one.

Trying not to stress before I've even started. Haha!

Without a dedicated fridge, freezer, or chamber (which I don't have), I think heating it is easier. I made a swamp bath. Get a plastic tub big enough to put fermenter in, put water up to the wort line of the fermenter, add an adjustable aquarium heater and your set. I bought a tub big enough for 2 carboys. Since i started I have added a temp controller (most adjustable heatershoulder only go down to 68, I wanted to start cooler) and a small fountain pump to gently move the water and prevent hot spots. Ambient temps in my fermentation spot has been 45-60 F lately depending on outside temp. Water bath stays consistent based on two thermometers.

I'm still figuring out how I'm going to cool this summer.

 

[Mothman]

Thanks all!

Reaper, like many other things in life, keeping the wife happy is key. We only have one shower/bath... having a fermenting bucket witting in there would not please her. LOL

JTK, that's great advice on the warm water bath. Amazing what simple things a person doesn't necessarily think of... I was fine with the idea of a cold water bath, never considered a warm water bath. lol Derp.

The plan is in the details.... the perfect place for me to store the fermenting beer in is in a storage room without a power outlet... so where to plug in the heater, etc. But that's for me to figure out. Haha!

On a side note, I'm new here, but already have gotten so much good info. Thanks all!

--edit-- as an update, I found one Canadian retailer who carries the Cool Brew bags, and luckily have family who live nearby, so asked an aunt to grab one for me and bring it up next time she travels my way.