Is my primary temp too low?

[nimo23]

I cooked my first ever batch yesterday, an American Pale Ale from a Brewer's Best kit. Did everything according to "How to Brew", kit instructions, and the direction of you fine people on this forum.

One question, I've got my primary fermentation bucket down in my basement where the temp stays a constant 63F. Is that too cool of a temp for fermentation?

Thanks for being here!

 

[unionrdr]

What yeast did you use? That'll make the difference here...

 

[nimo23]

Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast

 

[MikeinCT]

FYI - The recommended fermentation temperature range of this strain is 14° to 21°C (57° to 70°F) with good tolerance to low fermentation temperatures (12°C/54°F) that allow this strain to be used in lager-style beer.
good luck--Mike in Watertown, CT

 

[david_42]

Notty is fine at 63F.

 

[scottland]

You're perfectly fine. Notty ferments nice and clean at 63F. If you can hold it steady at that temp you'll be very happy with the finished product. Just know cooler temps mean slower ferments. There's nothing wrong with it, just know that it'll take a couple extra days to finish up.

 

[nimo23]

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate the reassurance! Patience is a virtue I'm going to be testing through this brewing process. Can't wait to get another batch going to help that out . . .

 

[user 4295]

We are talking about fermentation temps and not the ambient temp where the fermenter is located, correct? Fermentation, being an exothermic process, can increase the temp in the fermenter by as much as 10˚F over ambient.

 

[nimo23]

We are talking about fermentation temps and not the ambient temp where the fermenter is located, correct? Fermentation, being an exothermic process, can increase the temp in the fermenter by as much as 10˚F over ambient.

Great point. 63F is the ambient temp in the room where the fermenter is located. I just placed it down there yesterday to start the fermentation process, so I would anticipate that once that process begins the temp inside the fermenter will rise. My fear was that the ambient temp would be too low for the yeast to start working, but it sounds like I'll be ok.

 

[Stauffbier]

You need to get a bucket thermometer or fermometer. Your fermentation temp might be way too high in a 63F ambient temp room. My house is at a constant ambient temp of 65F and at this temp my first few days of fermentation can reach as much as 75F if I don't cool off the fermentors. Do a search on "swamp coolers" and make yourself one! It's super easy and cheap! I always keep my ales fermenting in the low to mid 60's...

 

[nimo23]

Wow, great info. I have read about swamp coolers, I will look into it immediately. Thank you, you may have saved my beer!

 

[Stauffbier]

Wow, great info. I have read about swamp coolers, I will look into it immediately. Thank you, you may have saved my beer!

No worries! It will work great for you! Being in El Paso, TX I can't even brew in summer without using a swamp cooler. My house ambient reaches as much as 88F during the dog days of summer. I'm on the lookout for a chest freezer that I can turn into a ferm chamber before summer arrives, but if I don't find one......... swamp coolers it is!

 

[user 4295]

My cellar is 60˚F right now and the fermometer on my Better-Bottle was reading 66-68˚F the whole time during the height of fermentation on my 3 day old IPA. 72 hours to go from 1.057 to 1.013! Now that things are quieting down the fermometer is reading about 60-62˚F.

 

[joftinac]

Since the internal temp of your actively fermenting beer will be higher than your external readings, you're probably in a good range for initial/active fermentation.

Once your active fermentation stops, I'd suggest considering a way to get your fermentor at least an inch or two off the floor to avoid getting too cold from the thermal transfer -- if that's a factor with your setup -- as solid contact with basement floors could make your yeast cake a few degrees colder than your fermometer reads and slow your clean-up phase of fermentation.

 

[nimo23]

Great stuff. The fermometer is now reading 64F, and the airlock has been very active since the 24-36 hour time frame. I will monitor the temp to make sure it does not get too warm, and once it slows down I will get it off the cold concrete basement floor.

Again, thanks for everyone's input. It's much appreciated.

 

[Jayhem]

I have used Nottingham yeast twice now and it did great at about 65 ambient with the beer temp at 68-70. Get one of those stick on thermometers for your fermenter asap.