Brewed a batch of Black IPA yesterday. The primary is in my basement right now. Been about 24 hrs and nothing going on yet. This doesn't concern me since I know it is still early,but I am a little concerned about the basement temperature. Its been fairly cool here in Michigan and my basement temp is currently still around 58 degrees. This is one reason I have not brewed since early last fall. I knew the basement was going to be very cool for fermentation. I am not looking for advice on how to regulate the temp, I am just wondering what I might expect with this cooler temperature and fermentation. In case anyone is wondering I believe the yeast in my Brewers best Kit was Safale 05.
Basement Temp...
- Thread starter Gopher40
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
shauntraxler
Well-Known Member
Not much to expect. It might start a little slow but it should go. If it doesn't, move it upstairs for a day or two until it kicks up then move it back down. It won't be 58 in the fermenter when fermentation begins.
Time-Travelers
Well-Known Member
Did you re-hydrate the yeast or pitch it dry?
This is from the Safale 05 website;
I'd think you'd be fine, I'm in Michigan too. Same here, 58-60F in the basement. Just bottled my last batch a week ago (snuck one last night for quality control
and it's gonna be great! I re-hydrated my yeast (Nottingham) and pitched at 65F. The next day the airlock was showing signs of activity. I primaried for 4-wks then bottled.
Some yeast strains flavor profile changes with the fermentation temperature, (i.e. Wyeast 1272; Ferment at warmer temperatures to accentuate hop character with an increased fruitiness. Or, ferment cool for a clean, light citrus character).
This is from the Safale 05 website;
Recommended fermentation temperature: 15C 24C (59-75F).
I'd think you'd be fine, I'm in Michigan too. Same here, 58-60F in the basement. Just bottled my last batch a week ago (snuck one last night for quality control
and it's gonna be great! I re-hydrated my yeast (Nottingham) and pitched at 65F. The next day the airlock was showing signs of activity. I primaried for 4-wks then bottled. Some yeast strains flavor profile changes with the fermentation temperature, (i.e. Wyeast 1272; Ferment at warmer temperatures to accentuate hop character with an increased fruitiness. Or, ferment cool for a clean, light citrus character).
I re-hydrated it. I have since moved it to an upstairs room that is empty. I should be in the upper 60's in there. When I transfer will it be okay in the basement with the cooler temp? Hopefully it will warm a little down there by then.
Time-Travelers
Well-Known Member
All-in-all, I'm pretty new to this myself, but fwiw, I've been brewing all through the winter and haven't had any troubles storing/aging the brew in the basement. For those batches that needed a warmer fermentation temp I used a water bath with an aquarium heater to maintain the temp for the first 10 days or so, then I relocated the bucket/carboy out of the water bath into a storage area for the remainder of the four weeks in the basement.
