Fermentation temperature

[fozzie14]

I just bought a Mr. Beer kit, and I'll be brewing my first Porter batch soon. I'm reading all I can about brewing, and have a question.

The Mr. Beer video says to ferment the beer at 68-76 degrees. I live in New England, and in the winter we keep the house at 60 degrees overnight (and 50 in some areas). My friend, who has brewed beer, says that he has fermented at 50 degrees with no problems. Can I keep the fermenter in a room that is a constant 50 degrees, or in a room whose temperature varies between 60-66 degrees? How does lower temp affect fermenting? Does it affect the beer, prevent the yeast from working, or just take longer to ferment? Is a constant 50 degrees better than a fluctuation between 60 and 66? My local beer brewing supply store says to put a lamp over the fermenter (covered to keep out the light) to raise the temp. I could do this, but is it necessary? Thanks for your help.

 

[EPS]

What kind of yeast are you using? Im not familiar with the Mr Beer kit. But 68-76 seems high. Its prob an Ale yeast of some type. So 60-66 would be best prob. But post what kind of yeast it is. And people can help you much better.

 

[Brulosopher]

The dry yeast you got with your Mr. Beer kit will ferment beautifully around 60F, though 50F is pretty chilly, which could stress the yeast. However, you're talking about ambient temperature of the room, which means the actual fermenting beer will be 5 to 10 degrees warmer. I'd go ahead and keep it in the room that fluctuates between 60-66. Most importantly, pitch your yeast once your wort (the beer before there's yeast in it) is around 62F... which probably goes against whatever your Mr. Beer instructions say... but trust me, you'll make better beer. Also, if you can keep the fermenting beer under 69F for the first 2 days, you can stop worrying and just let it free rise up to 72F; it's those first 48 hours where most off flavors develop. If you keep your fermenter in the 66F room, I wouldn't worry about heating it with a lamp, though a better alternative is a cheap heating pad from Walgreens

Generally, lower fermentation temp can cause ale yeasts to be sluggish or, if too cold, go dormant. Too warm of temp can cause the yeast to create off flavors. You want it just right. Your 50 degree room would be great for fermenting hybrid ales like Kolsch, California Common, Altbier, and anything you might use those specifics yeasts in (like Blonde Ale).

 

[GrogNerd]

agree... low to mid 60s is good

 

[snowtires]

You must have alot of sweaters

 

[HeadyKilowatt]

Yeah, keep it in the room with the fluctuating temps. Remember, the temp of the beer isn't going to respond instantly to changes in ambient temp because of its thermal mass- the beer temp should actually fluctuate less than ambient.

 

[fozzie14]

Thank you all for your advice. Another question: How much does the fermenting beer smell up the house? This 60-66 degree area is upstairs next to our bedroom, so I don't want my wife to be annoyed by the smell.

 

[freisste]

Not nearly as much as boiling wort. In my case, I can only smell it when I am right by the airlock. You may notice as you walk into the room where you store it, but in a minute you won't notice it at all.

 

[snowtires]

I used to place my mr beer fermentor inside the box it came it. I could only smell it when i opened the box and it protected it from sunlight and children

 

[fozzie14]

Following up on my first post, I took the ambient temp in a couple of areas of my house. One ranged from a low of 58.5 degrees F at night to a high of 66 degrees during the day. The other area ranged from a low of 60 degrees to a high of 71 degrees. Which would be better for fermenting my Porter batch? It's a Mr. Beer kit, so I can't tell what kind of yeast it is. I would think that the lower temp range would be best, but I'm not sure if I'm taking a risk if the temp gets below 60 degrees.

 

[Brulosopher]

Following up on my first post, I took the ambient temp in a couple of areas of my house. One ranged from a low of 58.5 degrees F at night to a high of 66 degrees during the day. The other area ranged from a low of 60 degrees to a high of 71 degrees. Which would be better for fermenting my Porter batch? It's a Mr. Beer kit, so I can't tell what kind of yeast it is. I would think that the lower temp range would be best, but I'm not sure if I'm taking a risk if the temp gets below 60 degrees.

The cooler of the two would be best.

 

[petey_c]

I would keep it in the slightly warmer place. Mr. B's yeasts aren't the best so I'd try to keep them as happy as possible. Also, if you haven't already read it don't follow thw Mr. B instructions too closely. I'd give it at least three weeks in the primary and three weeks in the bottle.

 

[bulgarianbrewmaster]

I liked the mr beer kits at first but it's really easy to start your own small scale brewery with things
From Walmart and you will get a better end result and try using grains next time too and that can add some good flavors