Help with first brew

[quickerNu]

Hey everyone, I am just getting started into homebrewing. Guess I'm just tired of what I can get a hold of locally! My old college town had better selection at the grocery store than what I can special order at the liquor store here!

I am down here in Texas, and it's hot right now! I am worried about keeping my fermenter at a decent temp. My first brew is a simple Texas Ale (like shiner blonde) from AHS. The ingredients are:

Extract: 6 lbs. Liquid Malt Extract (5lbs xpale, 1 corn)
one oz brewer's gold
danstar nottingham dry yeast

I have a closet cleaned out for my fermenter and was planning on keeping it in a water bath with some ice in it. The closet stays btw 72-74, what should my target be? Since my tub for the fermenter is only half as tall, will there be a big temp difference between the top and bottom of the fermenter, and will this cause any problems?

 

[frothdaddy]

I live in Miami, so I have a similar problem with keeping things cool.

I put my primary in a tub with water halfway up. Then I freeze a couple 2 liter bottles of water and throw them in the water when I leave for work and the A/C is turned down. Even after 10-11 hours, the temp is still lower than room temp, as long as it's in closet, window-less bathroom, etc. Then, when I get home from work and turn up the A/C, it stays cool without ice. I just switch out the frozen bottles every morning, and I've been able to maintain a 65-70F temp ... and that's when the rest of my apartment gets in the low 80's.

I don't think you have to worry about the bottom of your primary being cooler than the top. If there's a difference, it's very minimal. The top of my primary still stays cool to the touch, even when it's not submerged.

And, your target temp depends on the yeast you're using. Generally, you want to stay between 65-70F, but I don't think it's a big deal to edge over that a little bit. You won't ruin anything if you go a little high, but you may get some off flavors.

 

[quickerNu]

Thanks! This site has been so helpful it's nearly an information overload!

 

[cardiac_cadet002]

do you fill the tub with cold water only?

 

[CharlieB]

throw a wet t-shirt over it also. it will even out the temp even more than just sitting in water.

 

[quickerNu]

Cool, I figured I would freeze a half gallon milk jug to leave in the tub during the day, and take it out at night when we crank the a/c down a bit. Good idea about the shirt, might give it a wick affect.

 

[quickerNu]

the water bath temp will be cooler than the brew itself, so how do I take the brew's temp? And what do y'all use as a wort container to check spec grav? I hate tossing out so much wort, but a tiny container makes it touch the sides and not get a good reading. Thanks for the help!

 

[BierMuncher]

Yep...wrap a shirt around that fermeter and then get an oscillating fan in there. The evaporation effect will get you 4-5 degrees cooler than just the wet shirt.

 

[c.n.budz]

And what do y'all use as a wort container to check spec grav? I hate tossing out so much wort, but a tiny container makes it touch the sides and not get a good reading. Thanks for the help!

for a wort container for taking readings get a carboy thief, you don't waste much and just give it a spin to keep it from sticking to the sides

 

[quickerNu]

Allright, just got home from work and the air lock is going crazy. The temp in the closet is about 72. Not shure if my thermometer is working 100%- there are 3 dots of blue just floating over the solid line. Hmm.

Thanks for all the help so far walking me through my first brew. I am still a little worried since I didnt use any campden tablets, didn't know any better yet. Guess that can be a good excuse to hurry up and start a second batch as soon as my primary is free!