Looking for a low temp fermentation recipe, any suggestions?

[thePAK]

Hello all,

My name is Patrick and I'm pretty new to homebrewing. I will be out of town for three weeks beginning in mid-December and I may have an empty carboy to ferment something in while I'm gone. I live in western Washington state and winter temperatures here usually vary from ~35F to ~55F during this period. The average is somewhere in the 40s. This is a La Nina winter though, so there is a chance the temperatures could fall to 25F.

Anyone have a suggestion for a beer that can survive in the 35F to 55F range (with daily variations in temperature, because the carboy will sit in my garage and will essentially follow the outside temperature), and can be restarted (or even better, somehow restart itself) if the temperature drops to such a level that the yeast go dormant?

Sorry if I left something out, but I think that does it. Preferably nothing too dark since I will have an imperial stout in the bottle during this period.

Thanks,
Patrick

 

[BryceL]

Lagers do well with low temperatures. If you could set up your carboy in some kind of swamp cooler to keep a more stable temperature, that would be ideal. You really want to try to keep the temperature swings to a minimum.

 

[944play]

No. You will need a mechanism to damp temperature fluctuations that broad. With a water bath and an aquarium heater, you should be able to achieve a pretty constant temp.

 

[Skyforger]

Hm. A lager would be your best bet, of course. The Carlsburg strain and the Ayinger strain have the best cold tolerance, to my knowledge (those are the Wyeast 2042 Danish Lager and the White labs WLP 833 German Bock Lager, respectively). I have only heard of the capabilities of the Danish lager. The Ayinger strain I have fermented down into the mid 40's. Things don't tend to go much lower than that. The Danish strain is good for crisp lagers, the Ayinger strain gives maltier, richer beers.

Temperature fluctuations are a problem with most yeasts, especially if you're already pushing them to the limits of their temp range. They could well fall dormant, and be difficult to rouse. Or they might just pop right back to work once the temp rises. I've seen both happen.

I'm not sure I could guarantee excellent results from these conditions. But there is a fair chance of it working, weather permitting. You could increase your chances by a)insulating your fermenter; and b) getting your yeast really healthy before pitching. That's the best I can say. Consistent temp control is pretty important for successful, consistent fermentation.

 

[Skyforger]

I also agree with both posts above mine. A water bath is a good idea, and a aquarium heater would help get the temp up a bit into more sane lager fermentation ranges, if the average is indeed about 40F.

 

[thePAK]

Thanks all for your advice. I'm not going to leave something electric running in my garage (or anywhere in my house for that matter) while being out of town for that long. I might be able to convince my wife that inside the house might do, since the interior temp will be set around 50F...

 

[Skyforger]

Yeah, that would work well. Maybe put it in a slightly cooler part of the house; I feel that an ambient temp of about 48deg is ideal for most homebrewed lagers.