How cold have you gone?

[Brewsmith]

This isn't a panic OMG! thread where I'm asking for help, but I am just curious on how cold people have taken some yeast with success. My triple single hop brews are in the fermenters and due to the fact that my fermentation fridge is not up and running yet, they are sitting in my garage, a little at the mercy of the weather. I have t-shirts on them and a small space heater near them to keep the temp up at night, but the ambient temp has probably still averaged about 62-64. They are still bubbling and the one in glass still shows about an inch of krausen on top. Friday will be a week and I pitched White Labs 001 CA Ale.

Anyone have any success with this or any other yeast at colder than normal temps?

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

I just started a thread on this in the General Techniques section. I brewed an IPA with Wyeast British Ale yeast and put it down in the basement where I normally do my ferments. I was shocked the next morning to find that the temp was 61 degrees F. It has been hovering between 59 and 61 or so since then. It has a t-shirt on it. It took about 48 hours to get going, but now it has been bubbling away for about 24 hours and is looking good.

 

[nosnhojr]

I keep lowering my fermentation temps, and I'm thinking of trying my next IPA at 62-64F. This morning, I came across the following (in an ad for Pacman yeast):

I ferment almost all my beers at 60F; once in a while for certain styles I'll ferment as high as 70F, but never higher. Use lots of oxygen, and a high pitch rate. I never repitch past the 6th generation, and I always use Wyeast Yeast Nutrient.”
- John Maier, Brewmaster, Rogue Ales

 

[Monk]

I normally pitch yeast around 70F and then put the carboy in my freezer/fermenter which is set at ~62-63. With the yeast activity, it tends to stay around 65F and ferments very nicely with either Nottingham or Safale 56 and 04. Haven't tried it with liquid yeast strains.

Shouldn't be a problem, I don't think. My only problem is that my freezer's outside, and now the ambient temp is in the 50's at night and the inside of the freezer is getting down to that temp as well. Somehow need to warm it up inside the freezer.

Good luck with the weather.

Alex

 

[dantodd]

OT: A 60 watt light bulb on a controller will heat the inside nicely.