Can it be too cold where my primaries are?

[HoosierDaddy]

I've got a wheat sitting in my primary and a stout in my secondary, both carboys are in my basement covered with towels. The wheat I made last Saturday and I still have a large krausen covering the top although little activity in the airlock. The stout on the other hand is been sitting for a month because the FG is still too high to bottle. Was at 1.020 last Saturday and should be at 1.014 minimum. I transferred it to a secondary last Saturday and the next day I have considerable foam on top.

Now my basement is finished but in trying to save some money we keep the heat lower and both carboys are around 58-60 degrees and that's with towels draped over them. Could this be a problem or is that temp ideal? I was considering moving them to a warmer part of the house but wasn't sure.

Thanks

 

[s3n8]

I have had good luck in the basement, but its no colder than 62 - 64. 58 - 60 might be a little cool, I would warm them up to mid 60s if you can.

 

[beachman]

I often keep my on the back deck where temp stays between 60 and 70. But I have noticed before that one batch (can't remember which)was not doing much with the temp around 60 but it really took off when I moved it inside to about 70-72. I have also discovered that although they usuallyl give you an 8 to 12 degree range for each yeast, most have a "sweet spot" where they ferment most vigorously.

 

[defenestrate]

your basement is a great spot for secondary. is there a really warm area in your basement? (water heater?) if so, put it there for the first 2 weeks. if not, find a warmer spot (65-70) for the primary fermentation. the first 2-3 weeks take it back down to the colder area, it will help clear the beer with the cooler temps.

initially fermentation usually runs about 3-5 degrees warmer than the ambient air, too.