need a bit of temperature help!

[will4009]

hello

yesterday i had my first go at brewing by first batch of beer. i used a coopers larger kit to start off with, but i have run into a problem. i followed all of the instructions, and after i had added the cold water i noticed that it was only 16 degrees in temperature. so i filled it up with a bit of hot water and the temperature stedily rose to about 19-20 degrees. it has been over 12 hours since i added my yeast and i have yet to see any bubbles in the airlock. the temperature is still about 20 and hasnt risen overnight, i am worried that the temp isnt warm enough. shall i wait and see what happens, or is there anything that i can do?

thanks.

 

[fatherbigfoot]

if your wort temp is 20 (68F) then the temp is about right. What temp did you put your yeast in? Yeast should not be added untill the wort is down to fermentation temp or just a little more. Some times these things take time I have heard of them taking up to 72 hours. Sometimes the hardest thing is to wait.

 

[will4009]

it was 20 degrees when i put the yeast in. it says i should be aiming for about 24. so is there any way i can bumb the temp up a little bit?

 

[BendBrewer]

it was 20 degrees when i put the yeast in. it says i should be aiming for about 24. so is there any way i can bumb the temp up a little bit?

Raise it and put it a warmer place. Once it starts rocking it will create it's own heat so keep an eye on it.

 

[rwinzing]

12 hours isn't enough time either. Could take 24-36 hours and you still may not see activity in your airlock. Airlocks are just a release for CO2 so it can be fermenting and not bubbling.

 

[Pappers_]

Chill, do nothing, it will be just fine.

For next time you brew, a better way to cool your wort is to take your brew kettle and put it in a sink full of ice water. Keep track of the temp and remove it when it's at your target. Pour into your fermented and top off with room temp water, add/pitch yeast, and shake/stir like crazy.

 

[Toga]

wrap a blanket or sweatshirt around your fermenter to keep it warm. The coopers yeast seems to like higher temps. I have done a couple of their canned kits (they were gifts). The first kit I kept at a constant 24 cel and it turned out ok after a aging for a couple months in the bottle. I experimented with the temp for the second kit. I pitched the yeast at 20 cel put in the closet wrapped in a towel. 24 hours later it was burping slow. I removed teh towel I was using to insualte and it dropped to around 18 degrees cel and air lock activity ceased to exisit. I warmed it up to 24 cel (brew belt) and it started rocking away again.

Keep the temp between 20-24 cel if using the coopers yeast and let it do it's thing.

 

[will4009]

thanks for the advice, i have wrapped a blanket arount it and lets hope that works.

 

[scorchingice]

Pitching the yeast at too "Low" of a temperature will never hurt the yeast unless it actually goes so low it freezes.

The yeast is kept in refrigerators to help them survive. Yeast will not ferment until a higher temperature is reached so once you seal the primary fermenter you should place it in an area where it maintains a temperature in the range where the yeast will be active. Once the yeast are active, they will start fermenting as long as the yeast are good. I am not sure if you use smack packs or dry yeast as you never mentioned it. If you use smack packs, make sure the smack pack expands before using so you know the yeast is good. I am not sure about coopers "Larger" kits and the type of yeast used the normal kits use dry yeast.

So basic points.

Too low of temps will NOT hurt the yeast (UNLESS OF COURSE IT IS FROZEN), there is NO reason you should have added warmer water to raise the temperature when you pitched it.

Place your primary fermentor in an area where the temperature can maintain about 30 to 37 C. A little too high, a little too low is ok, but try to keep it in this range.

 

[ajf]

Place your primary fermentor in an area where the temperature can maintain about 30 to 37 C. A little too high, a little too low is ok, but try to keep it in this range.

I think the 30 to 37C is a typo. I think he meant 20 to 27C. i.e. fairly close to the recommended temperature for the yeast. I've never used that yeast, but I would try to keep it at the low end of the range.

-a.