Cold weather brewing help

[olotti]

So I made my Galaxy ipa today hit all the numbers chilled the wort to 64 deg and my rehydrated us-05 was at 73deg when ready to I racked and pitched yeast the one thing I didn't consider was the carboy cooling while sitting in the garage where I brew. So I cleaned a little and took the carboy downstairs where I ferment temp is about 62-64 deg but the carboy cooled so much that the fermi meter was reading 58. Is this going to put the yeast to sleep? I wrapped it in a blanket and put it under a register in hopes it'll soon come to the ambient basement temp. Otherwise my plan is if there is no action by Monday bring it upstairs where it's 72 let it get started then take it back to the basement. Thoughts.

 

[RM-MN]

So I made my Galaxy ipa today hit all the numbers chilled the wort to 64 deg and my rehydrated us-05 was at 73deg when ready to I racked and pitched yeast the one thing I didn't consider was the carboy cooling while sitting in the garage where I brew. So I cleaned a little and took the carboy downstairs where I ferment temp is about 62-64 deg but the carboy cooled so much that the fermi meter was reading 58. Is this going to put the yeast to sleep? I wrapped it in a blanket and put it under a register in hopes it'll soon come to the ambient basement temp. Otherwise my plan is if there is no action by Monday bring it upstairs where it's 72 let it get started then take it back to the basement. Thoughts.

Although your basement thermometer shows 62 to 64 degrees it may be much colder right on the floor. Set your fermenter on something to get it off the floor and leave it there. Warming it to 72 is likely to excite the yeast too much so that they throw off some flavors you won't like before you even notice that it has started fementing and once excited it is really hard to calm the yeast down without putting them to sleep. Fermenting cool will usually get your cleaner flavored beer but it will take a bit longer than if it were warmer. I'd watch for activity to slow and then bring it where it is warmer so the yeast don't go dormant before they finish.

 

[JonM]

Pitching a little below the fermentation temp is a good thing. You're fine because it'll warm up as fermentation gets going, but I'd second the suggestion of putting the fermenter on something to get it off of the cold floor.

 

[brewkinger]

So I made my Galaxy ipa today hit all the numbers chilled the wort to 64 deg and my rehydrated us-05 was at 73deg when ready to I racked and pitched yeast the one thing I didn't consider was the carboy cooling while sitting in the garage where I brew. So I cleaned a little and took the carboy downstairs where I ferment temp is about 62-64 deg but the carboy cooled so much that the fermi meter was reading 58. Is this going to put the yeast to sleep? I wrapped it in a blanket and put it under a register in hopes it'll soon come to the ambient basement temp. Otherwise my plan is if there is no action by Monday bring it upstairs where it's 72 let it get started then take it back to the basement. Thoughts.

Pitching a little below the fermentation temp is a good thing. You're fine because it'll warm up as fermentation gets going, but I'd second the suggestion of putting the fermenter on something to get it off of the cold floor.

I think that you will be just fine.
Get it off the floor and let it start fermenting just the way it is right now. If the thermometer is showing you 58 then internal temperature of the beer during ferment is more around low to mid 60's which is ideal for US05.

 

[rahmdog]

Wrapping it in a blanket will have the opposite effect until the yeast start active fermentation, and the temp in the bucket is above ambient.

I just started a batch a few days ago at this temperature with WLP001, it is now vigorously venting through a blowoff. Found this thread by searching "too cold to ferment" because I had the same concerns.

 

[jdoneski]

Well, I think I can tell you what NOT to do... I had a similar problem, an imperial ale, US-05 yeast. My bucket got down to 55 the first night as a result of super cold outdoor temps. I warmed it on day two with an electric blanket over the course of the day. I got it up to 70 and turned off the blanket. By the third morning the fermentation was raging and the temp had gone up to 75! (according to external, adhesive thermo). I moved it to a cool room in the house but I read that too warm gives off flavors. Ugh! Controlling temps in the cold part of the world is tricky without breaking the bank...