fermenting temp

[captjack]

I am goint to brew an scottish ale i am thinking about fermenting in my frig. What is the coldest i can ferment at? If i do a secondary how cold should that be ? thanks

 

[CU_tony]

Fermentation temperature depends on the yeast strain you have. You can google the strain and the spec documentation will tell you what temperature range the yeast will work best in. You really shouldn't go lower than the advised temperature range or you risk your yeast being too cold to work.

Ales for the most part ferment well above refrigerator temperature though there may be a few strains that can thrive at lower (50/60) temps, but to my knowledge you arent going to have much luck fermenting ale in a fridge set to food temps.

 

[BeerAddikt]

Most modern fridges are set to 38 degrees which is way too low for an ale. If you turn up your fridge to ale temps you risk your food so unless it's a dedicated fridge exclusively used for fermenting I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Bradlo]

Good pick going with Scottish ale. Worth the trouble. Nottingham yeast min temp is 58 degrees. My latest wee heavy fermented mid 60s. I had another before at low to mid 70s. Both great but lower temp is better.

If you have a dedicated fridge see if you can set the temp high enough and go for it. If not, you could try a modified swamp cooler or carboy cooler with ice packs. Maybe set the fermenter in a a trash bag, to prevent leakage, and wrap it in blankets or towels. I found that LME containers make great ice packs. Get the wort temp down before pitching your yeast.

 

[C-Rider]

I have a couple of small Apt sized fridgs and ferment it them, but I have temp controls on them.

BTW for a Scottish ale forget the secondary.