Keeping my Secondaries Too Cold?

[Vedexent]

I'm only able to do partial temperature control right now. I just don't have the space to put a fridge anywhere: 600 sq foot condo with shared underground parking, the wife would prefer not to decorate the living/dining room with fridges, and the condo association would ***** if I tried to stick a fridge on my balcony.

However, I can absolutely do a temperature controller/seeding mat/insulated cooler for a primary or two, and stick it on my condo balcony.

This time of year, temperatures range from around -2 C to 15 C (28F to 60F) over the last 2 weeks - so keeping insulated primaries at Ale fermenting temperature in an insulated box is dead simple with added heat.

What I'm wondering, is what about secondaries in the pipeline: I don't really have the controllers/mats to keep them temperature controlled (at least not yet). While I can insulate them against overnight cold lows, and "smooth out" temperature swings over the day, their average temperature would probably be ~10 C or 50 F.

From what I've been able to tell through research, this shouldn't hurt the beer, but what side effects should I look out for?

Will there be effects on flavors?

Will I need to extended the "clarification period" in the secondaries? (hey, the weather might even do my "cold crash" for me )

And yes - come summer heat, I'll be moving to Farmhouse/Saison to match the temperature range (although at that point I can move indoors).

It also means that come winter, I should be able to switch to lagers

Thanks,

 

[kev211]

I would think you should be fine cold crashing outdoors, but in all honesty I would just ditch the secondary process all together. Are you aging on fruit or other substance? Theres plenty of threads on this forum discussing the numerous issues/potential issues with secondarying. So, unless you are dead set on it, I would just leave the beer in primary for an extra week and maybe stick it outside for a night or 2 to cold crash and call it done .

But if you are set on secondary, I dont wanna be "that guy" that doesnt even answer the original question... Yes, you'll be fine putting them in an insulated box. Liquid carries a lot of thermal mass, so temp swings over night/day within that range shouldnt have much of an effect on your beer if its insulated. Also, the bigger concern with putting it outside (assuming you use a carboy) is sunlight/uv rays skunking your beer

 

[Vedexent]

Thanks for the feedback

I'm not strictly talking about only cold-crashing - even if I don't use a secondary fermenter and keep it in the primary for 4-6 weeks, I'm probably going to want to have a brew day before the first batch is bottle conditioning (I'm a small batch brewer, so far).

So, I'm really wondering what effects - if any - would result with long term secondary (or weeks 2 onward in the primary bucket) without anything but the natural temperatures, when those natural temperatures average colder than the lower bound of the yeast's optimum temperature range.

Since the critical primary fermentation week will be fully temperature controlled, and it's my understanding that the "secondary period" is about clarification and the yeast "tidying up", it seems to me this would be possible to do.

But I'm very new to all this - I wanted to be sure, before I put multiple batches down the pipeline this way.

 

[kev211]

Thanks for the feedback

I'm not strictly talking about only cold-crashing - even if I don't use a secondary fermenter and keep it in the primary for 4-6 weeks, I'm probably going to want to have a brew day before the first batch is bottle conditioning (I'm a small batch brewer, so far).

So, I'm really wondering what effects - if any - would result with long term secondary (or weeks 2 onward in the primary bucket) without anything but the natural temperatures, when those natural temperatures average colder than the lower bound of the yeast's optimum temperature range.

Since the critical primary fermentation week will be fully temperature controlled, and it's my understanding that the "secondary period" is about clarification and the yeast "tidying up", it seems to me this would be possible to do.

But I'm very new to all this - I wanted to be sure, before I put multiple batches down the pipeline this way.

Ya thats fine. At that point most of the yeast has dropped out and wont be doing anything anyways. So too cold wont harm it nor will too warm. I actually usually just keep my beers temp controlled the first week and then more or less shut off the freezer/ferm chamber and let the beer hang out.