basement too cool?

[nchomebrew]

o.k., so i was so excited. i bought two v-vessel fermenting systems, and brewed two batches. they were both ipa's from asheville brewers. this is the first time i haven't used a glass carboy for fermenting. used the same california ale wlp 001 yeast, and it has been 24 hours, and the airlocks are barely bubbling. my basement is a constant 65 deg. f. does this sound about right? is it too cool? i've brewed the identical batch in glass in the same basement with no problems, i actually remember them blowing krausen into the airlock before. wonder if there is something with my new fermenters.

 

[Junebug]

You know, I'm no brewing expert by any means, but that temperature sounds fine to me. Did you make a starter? I've heard that if you ferment the starter at a radically different temp than what you ferment the wort at, you can "shock" the yeast, causing a lag period. For what it's worth, I'm still in the midst of a long, slow primary fermentation with an american pale ale I brewed a week ago. It took a long time for airlock activity to kick in and at it's peak (which lasted three days) there was only one bubble per second- nothing like the fast and furious fermentations I'm accustomed to. My beer is in a closet with a constant temp of 64. You're getting some bubbling, right? I'd give it some time and check the specific gravity in few days to see how you're doing. I'm sure you'll be getting some words of wisdom from some folks far more experienced than I am shortly...

 

[nchomebrew]

i did not make a starter. just pitched right out of the vile. something i've done many times with great success. maybe i'm being impatient. i'll keep checking in on it. thanks for the feedback.

 

[homebrewer_99]

WLP001 likes it at 68-73F. Move the fermenter closer to the water heater...

 

[nchomebrew]

i put a t-shirt on each one this morning, hoping that would help(they fit really good. they look pretty funny, but i'm trying to be patient. today they are little harley riders. haha

 

[HP_Lovecraft]

I used WLP001 to pitch directly, also in my chilly basement. Didn't start much until 30 hours, but then screamed after that.

nick

 

[Junebug]

i put a t-shirt on each one this morning, hoping that would help(they fit really good. they look pretty funny, but i'm trying to be patient. today they are little harley riders. haha

Mine is wearing a fleece blanket!

 

[nchomebrew]

Mine is wearing a fleece blanket!

do you have a v-vessel?

 

[nchomebrew]

man was i wrong. just took a little longer to get started. and when it did she kept blowing her top for a couple of days. finally calmed down and is chugging slowly now. learned my lesson well.

 

[budbo]

My basement keeps my fermenters at a near constant 64 I have found with starters they take off within 18 hours but never ferment violently just steadily until done.