Fermenting with the power out in the cold

[Alchemy]

Up in Connecticut here and going on day 6 without power...

This makes for an interesting problem when fermenting

the yeast i used (ec-1118) is only rated down to 50 degrees but temps have been dipping to below freezing at night and staying between 40 and 50 during the day.

Fermentation still appears to be going strong despite the cold. Any ideas what this might do to the fermentation process? My conclusion is that the colder it is (Within reason) the less fusel alchohol will be created and the less "hot" taste the mead will have.

What do you think? Will this make the mead come out better? worse?

Took a video of the two meads i have in the closet. The one on the bottom is joes grape mead and the one on the top is the same but with more honey and some cranberries [ame="http://youtu.be/WWCL5l2w1wA"]http://youtu.be/WWCL5l2w1wA[/ame]

 

[ExoticMeadMaker]

I would assume it would just slow the fermentation process down. I would recommend that you get the carboy off of the bare floor, I personally sit mine on a couple layers of cardboard. My reasoning is a bare floor will suck any heat energy out of the vessel.

 

[DNSDies]

Cardboard will suck the heat out just as well as bare floors.

You need a buffer between the cold area and your carboy, and nothing insulates like air.

put your carboy on a rack suspended a couple inches off the ground and swaddle it in cloths if you can.

That will help it maintain temperature as long as possible.

 

[huesmann]

I think you should hug your carboy to provide some body heat for your yeasties.

 

[Devo9]

I think you should hug your carboy to provide some body heat for your yeasties.

I am thinking about doing this, even without any temperature problems here...

 

[Atek]

I am thinking about doing this, even without any temperature problems here...

Hahahaha! Make sure someone gets a picture of that

 

[BetterSense]

Cardboard will suck the heat out just as well as bare floors.

Wrong. You can prove it by looking at the R-value of insulation between cardboard and your floor. Unless you are talking about carpet, or even then, cardboard will still help.

You need a buffer between the cold area and your carboy, and nothing insulates like air.

This is also wrong. Newton's law of cooling, very basic, says that the rate of heat transfer is proportional to the temperature difference. When a carboy is naked, the ambient air can circulate around it. With a blanket or foam or other insulation, air is trapped and can't be refreshed by the cold outside air...its the basic principle of all insulation. The best insulation is mostly air, but with pockets to trap the air so that it can't circulate away.

 

[ExoticMeadMaker]

Wrong. You can prove it by looking at the R-value of insulation between cardboard and your floor. Unless you are talking about carpet, or even then, cardboard will still help.

This is also wrong. Newton's law of cooling, very basic, says that the rate of heat transfer is proportional to the temperature difference. When a carboy is naked, the ambient air can circulate around it. With a blanket or foam or other insulation, air is trapped and can't be refreshed by the cold outside air...its the basic principle of all insulation. The best insulation is mostly air, but with pockets to trap the air so that it can't circulate away.

Maybe I should have specified corrugated cardboard, lulz