ferment temp issues

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

alright so, ive got a situation, where searching didnt render me much of an answer so i hope i dont get jumped on but ill ask any way

i brewed my first batch ever last night. finally in the primary bucket at 2am. at about 3pm the air lock was bubbling like a mad man... im happy! but! my house is at a stable 62*f and the bucket is on a concrete floor in my laundry room. the house is on a slab. i put it right next to the furnace, about 2 ft away... im just worried its too cold to keep things going for the 7 to 10 day primary. will i be alright? i upped the house temp to 64*f but i cant go much more because my room mate keeps turning the damn thermostat down... (the house is freezing any way >.> ) i told him to knock it off if he wants good beer... should i be alright? or do i need to do something to keep the temp higher?

thanks for your time and info gang.

 

[fogley]

some yeasts vary in their optimum fermentation temps, but don't worry about it 64 will be perfect... i like to ferment in the lower 60s its up into the 70s that you will get esters and other undesirable off-flavors... Bubbling @ 12 hours means everything going well... go ahead and get it off the ground and be patient for your first homebrewed beer !

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

thanks fogley, ill see if i can get a crate or something from work to put it on, good suggestion. i appreciate the timely reply as well!

 

[C-Rider]

In the room it's 62 but in the bucket w/fermentation going on it could be 5* higher which is still OK. Keep it in the primary for at least 3 weeks, give the yeast a chance to really finish their work and settle to the bottom After 2 weeks check the FG and it it's the same for two checks you should be done. Don't rush, slow and easy is best. I do 3 weeks in primary and 3 weeks in bottle.

 

[RM-MN]

When the ferment slows down you could put the fermenter in a tub of warmer water (72 to 75 degrees) and try to keep this warmer. An aquarium heater would work good for this and it won't take nearly as much to keep the water bath in the tub warm as it would to heat up the whole house.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

In the room it's 62 but in the bucket w/fermentation going on it could be 5* higher which is still OK. Keep it in the primary for at least 3 weeks, give the yeast a chance to really finish their work and settle to the bottom After 2 weeks check the FG and it it's the same for two checks you should be done. Don't rush, slow and easy is best. I do 3 weeks in primary and 3 weeks in bottle.

the recipe calls for 7 to 10 days in my primary bucket, and then 2 weeks in my glass carboy, and then another 7 to 10 days in the bottle... its a honeycomb amber... would deviating from the recipe do anything negative? i have no clue what will happen as im a virgin brewer.

 

[unionrdr]

The time tables in most instructions are a bit too fast as we've found here. Leave it in primary till it hits a stable FG. Then give it 3-7 days more to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then prime & bottle. Put the bottles in boxes &/or dark place for at least 3 weeks at 70F or better. Sometimes,even with pale ales,I've found 4 weeks can be better. Then at least a week in the fridge for chill haze to settle,if any. And get co2 into solution well. 2 weeks fridge time gives thicker head & longer lasting carbonation.

 

[C-Rider]

the recipe calls for 7 to 10 days in my primary bucket, and then 2 weeks in my glass carboy, and then another 7 to 10 days in the bottle... its a honeycomb amber... would deviating from the recipe do anything negative? i have no clue what will happen as im a virgin brewer.

Are you adding anything to the secondary? If not no need to move it as it's just another chance for an infection.

Kit sellers like you to move on fast so you'll buy another kit.

Here is some good info on bottling:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

Hope this helps.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

so, the only reason i would move to the carboy is to free up the primary fermentor? then i will most likely move it to the carboy, because id like to start a second batch of something different, right away. man there is so much to learn its almost over whelming... ive got alot of research. not even sure what the final gravity is... thats what im looking for next lol.

 

[RM-MN]

so, the only reason i would move to the carboy is to free up the primary fermentor? then i will most likely move it to the carboy, because id like to start a second batch of something different, right away. man there is so much to learn its almost over whelming... ive got alot of research. not even sure what the final gravity is... thats what im looking for next lol.

If you can spare about $15, buy another bucket fermenter and save the carboy for something else like a good apple cider or apfelwine or maybe even a mead.

I have 3 bucket fermenters and one carboy. I use all 3 buckets at times but in 4 years I've used the carboy 3 times. Waste of money that was.

 

[unionrdr]

And don't be too eager to rack to secondary just to free up the primary. The beer should be at FG before racking anyway. Otherwise it could stall out for lack of patience on your part.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

well, im not too worried, i mean, id like to drink my beer, but i understand it takes time. and time, ill give it.

so my friend has some gear hes going to give me, actually alot of stuff, and all he asked in return was a local brewery that doesnt distribute, a 6 pk from them... i offered erik the red, i know they distribute, but hes never had it... so in return for that, im getting a 4 gal kettle, a second bucket, a capper, some bottles, caps, things i dont have and a couple things i have. its always nice to have double. and i can see this becoming a huge hobby, so many batches at once will be nice.

new question. the air lock stopped rocking and rolling between yesterday and today. i pitched on sunday at 2 am...(saturday night really) and it was going strong through monday. so i moved the bucket to my living room where there's carpet (im concerned the bucket got too cold and might have killed off the yeast)... should i be concerned that the air lock is no longer bubbling?

 

[Toadsticker]

No. The fact the airlock isn't bubbling, only means it isn't bubbling. The only true measure of fermentation is by hydrometer reading.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

No. The fact the airlock isn't bubbling, only means it isn't bubbling. The only true measure of fermentation is by hydrometer reading.

touche! it infact, does mean that lol... i digress.

now, should i be concerned and/or try to figure things out? and if so, how might i go about doing so...

 

[Toadsticker]

First question would be, what yeast strain are you using? Different strains like different temps.

 

[freeflydude]

Patience is the hardest part of brewing. Best advice I can give is to let it do what it does. Keep it between low 60's to low 70's and in primary for about 3 weeks then bottle. If you are fermenting in your bottling bucket you'll need to transfer to secondary first but secondary isn't necessary. I would recommend fermenting in a 6 gallon Carboy for 3-4 weeks then straight to bottle. I only secondary if I'm going to do some specialty additions like a dry hop. Whatever you do don't rush it. There's nothing more you can do after its in the fermenter other than keeping the environment at an appropriate temp range. Plastic is not an oxygen barrier so if you do continue primary in a plastic bucket you might get some oxygenation of the brew but would still be drinkable. There's lots to learn but this forum is a good place to start. There are also some good books out there so keep learning and you'll have it down before you know it.

 

[unionrdr]

Plastic buckets aren't very o2 permiable at all. Just moreso than glass with it's crytaline structure. Some have let them sit for months with no ill effects. It is possible,but at a very miniscule rate on our scale of brewing. I put it in the same category as autolysis. Dead & gone...

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

First question would be, what yeast strain are you using? Different strains like different temps.

the yeast is Fermentis S-04

 

[beergolf]

the yeast is Fermentis S-04

That yeast is fine down to 59 degrees so your house at 62 is great. Let the yeast do its job and enjoy some good beer when it is done.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

good to know, ill do a search for a chart on yeast temps and characteristics.

new question lol... my air lock looked to have lost water. the level was less than at the fill line today by about 3/8"... i opened it and filled back to the line... why did it lose water?

 

[neosapien]

suck back from change in pressure and/or temperature most likely. nothing to worry about. in the future, consider using cheap vodka or some star-san water to fill it. that will help prevent possible contamination from water.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

will do! thanks.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

well its been 7 days so i took my readings last night... not sure what any of this means. i just know that if the gravity stays the same for 3 or 4 days im good to bottle?

heres what i got...

6% sugar (balling)
20 specific gravity @60*
6% potential alcohol by vol

also a friend gave me something called a refractometer? it looks like a kaleidoscope sort of thing that you put two drops of the beer on, then look into and it gives you a reading? think he said it gives specific gravity?

9 on 0 - 25%

btw this is a honeycomb amber

 

[unionrdr]

I trust by "20",you mean 1.020? If so,it isn't done yet.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

I trust by "20",you mean 1.020? If so,it isn't done yet.

not really sure... first time reading a hydrometer... now im going to have to go grab it and look at it lol.

what am i looking for/what do i do?

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

well this is embarrassing! haha... it was late and i had a few, doing other hobbies last night... it does indeed, mean 1.020... i didnt see the scale on the top or at 1.050 or 1.100

 

[unionrdr]

Ok,looking at the SG scale,"1.000" is water at the temp the hydrometer you have says is the temp of water when you check it. Then you see long lines with 10,20,30,40,etc with smaller lines that denote 2,4,6,8. You read a straight line through the meniscus,or where the liquid curves up the side of the hydrometer. So the liquid level on the 20 line would read as "1.020".

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

yesir, thats what i did... is there a chart or something i can use to know what my goal is? ive been searching these forums for a week to no avail for a tutorial or something.

 

[unionrdr]

Not that I know of. But the beer recipe instructions should give the OG/FG range.

 

[DuffTheTaxidermist]

good call, the recipe has the following ratings that i had no clue what they meant, until a second look...

SG 1062
FG 1014
13 SRM (no clue what that means... sugars?)
21 IBU (though the hopps taste when i drew my hydro sample last night, was far stronger than i anticipated)

so, im assuming the FG is 1.014?

what should the beer have looked like when i opened it up? it looked rather flat, and that there wasnt much of any activity... is that normal? and i understand its going to be flat as in non carbonated... i mean flat as in not fermenting? idk, this is all so new, im still learning. i hope my questions arent annoying.