Priming Temp

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

I'm back to homebrewing after 5+ years, and in the past (esp in the winter) I always primed my sanitized grolsch bottles, and set them in cases near my fireplace insert (a type of wood stove I use in the winters) so the temperature would be probably close to 80f there.

I'm fermenting in my basement, which is right around 60f. My question: is there a disadvantage to priming at such a high temp? I just found it acellerated the process, and the beer was nicely carbed after only a few days, then I return them to the basement where they cool to almost drinking temp. I never noticed any problems years ago, but maybe I didn't know what I was missing...

 

[unionrdr]

Carbing & conditioning is best at 70F or a bit higher. So you should be fine.

 

[TopherM]

Temperature is a catalyst to yeast processes and conditioning processes. HOWEVER, when you increase the temps, those processes speed up exponentially to a point that they become very difficult to control.

70F for carbing and conditioning is a nice happy medium where carbing and conditioning happen in a timely manner, but don't produce the problems associated with speeding up those processes too much.

Keep it in the house, away from the fireplace insert. If you don't have room for that, it would be better to carb/condition at the 60F, but those low temps are going to slow everything down exponentially, so you'll have to factor in like 4X the time you would at 70F.

Good luck!

 

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

Thanks for the info, this confirms what I thought, and it will be easier to just carb them at room temp, especially as the weather is getting warmer outside.

 

[unionrdr]

Too many of you guys confuse ferment temps with carb & condition temps under pressure. They are not the same. My bottled beers are exposed to temp spikes of 85F,& don't come out off flavored. So his beer sitting at 80F max isn't going to ruin itself. And 60F will make the yeast go dormant,not just slow down in the bottles. Been there,done that.

 

[latium]

I think I read somewhere that Sierra Nevada keeps their beers in a room at 80-90°F for a few days for them to bottle condition, but I could be mis-remembering it. (I seem to recall that the beer is also partially carbonated going into the process, but again, my memory's not perfect.)

 

[Cyclman]

Belgians bring their bottles up to 80s all the time, carb quicker, there are virtually no flavors to produce this late in ferming, so little risk there.

 

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

Thanks again for the info, unionrdr. I shouldn't even be asking, as in the past I always did this and it always worked quickly and tasted great. So I am going to do this fast priming method again. Once I've built up a healthy cellar, maybe I will do it more slowly and see if I can taste a difference.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,if you can get them closer to 70-75F,try that for 3-4 weeks & see how they taste then. I don't think there'll be a lot of difference,but you never know in your particular situation.

 

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

A quick update: I bottled my Sierra Nevada clone on Friday, and experimented: I put 8 bottles close to the fireplace, I'm guessing high 80s there. The rest are stored at room temp, which is about 70f. I took one from the hot zone, and one from the room temp zone yesterday (48 hours after bottling), and stuck them in the fridge for a couple hours. The hot zone beer was nicely carbed (it could still use some more time obviously) but the flavour was great. The one from the room temp zone was not flat, but almost flat. I still drank it, flavours seemed the same.

 

[homebrewdad]

Yep. Fermenting at 70+ degree temps = off flavors.

Carbonating bottles at 70 degree = ideal.

60 degrees is a minimum for many yeasts for botle carbing; go much cooler, and the yeast will go dormant and take forever to carb (if they do, at all). At 60, you can expect carbing to take longer than it would at higher temps.

 

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

What I'm saying here is that carbing at possibly 90f=fast carb, no off flavours.

I fermented the beer at 60f

 

[unionrdr]

Wel now,that's the rub. Ferment temp is too low for bottle carbonation & conditioning temp. Some yeasts,like Cooper's & Muntons's will go dormant at 60F. Many will be so low as not to carb much,if at all ime.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

It's always about 59°F in my house...

How do I get the bottles up to 70° and get my bottles to prime?
The temperature has probably dropped below 60° a couple nights in my house, how do I restart the yeast?
I used D47 in one batch And I heard that can be a very temperamental yeast, am I going to have a problem with it?
I also used Safale S04 in one batch, Safale S05 in one batch & Lalvin EC 1118 in another batch..
It's already been a week and there is no carbonation at all

 

[jmh286]

It's always about 59°F in my house...

How do I get the bottles up to 70° and get my bottles to prime?
The temperature has probably dropped below 60° a couple nights in my house, how do I restart the yeast?
I used D47 in one batch And I heard that can be a very temperamental yeast, am I going to have a problem with it?
I also used Safale S04 in one batch, Safale S05 in one batch & Lalvin EC 1118 in another batch..
It's already been a week and there is no carbonation at all

A week at that low a temp will not end with carbonation. Wrap it in a blanket, put it near the heater, just figure out what you have to do to get that beer closer to 70 for carbonating.

 

[BigFloyd]

It's always about 59°F in my house...

How do I get the bottles up to 70° and get my bottles to prime?
The temperature has probably dropped below 60° a couple nights in my house, how do I restart the yeast?
I used D47 in one batch And I heard that can be a very temperamental yeast, am I going to have a problem with it?
I also used Safale S04 in one batch, Safale S05 in one batch & Lalvin EC 1118 in another batch..
It's already been a week and there is no carbonation at all

Don't worry. At lower temps (like mid-60's), it'll simply take more time. Just so the temps aren't low enough to cause the yeast to "fall asleep".

If you have an interior closet where you can sit the bottles (I keep them in boxes during carb/conditioning) and close the door, a ceramic heater with digital thermostat set at 71-72*F works well. If you need to rouse the yeast that got too cold, gently roll each bottle on the carpet a few times and put it back in the box.

The process normally takes 3-4 weeks at 70*F, followed by 3+ days in the fridge..

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I stick a sixer by the baseboard heater and I have nicely carbed beer in a couple of days. The ones sitting in the 60°ish bedroom are still damn near flat. No off flavors, just ideal conditions for a lil yeastie beastie love fest...Barry White or Marvin Gaye never hurts either, but I have found that is not an absolute necessity!

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Nothing more scientific then this on how to get my bottles from 60°F up to 70°F?
I thought someone would have some cool trick involving a heating pad or an electric blanket or something? Lol

And if I put the bottles in a box and insulate the box with a blanket inside and out how much will that but my temperature? Or will it not do anything?

 

[Ayuir]

If you just wrap up the bottles (insulate in a blanket) but don't do anything to raise the temperature of the bottles from 59F to 70F, they'll stay at a nice insulated and constant 59F. You need to raise the temperature on them. Heating pad would work, but so will a small heater in a closet or bathroom. The only problem with a heating pad or electric blanket is regulating the temperature. It'll be hard to avoid high spikes (like driving the temp to 100F and letting it fall back down - unhappy yeast), unless you have a spare temperature around you can use on the electric blanket.
I'd opt for the heater in a closet or bathroom. Let it warm up, then wrap it.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

If you just wrap up the bottles (insulate in a blanket) but don't do anything to raise the temperature of the bottles from 59F to 70F, they'll stay at a nice insulated and constant 59F. You need to raise the temperature on them. Heating pad would work, but so will a small heater in a closet or bathroom. The only problem with a heating pad or electric blanket is regulating the temperature. It'll be hard to avoid high spikes (like driving the temp to 100F and letting it fall back down - unhappy yeast), unless you have a spare temperature around you can use on the electric blanket.
I'd opt for the heater in a closet or bathroom. Let it warm up, then wrap it.

Okay, maybe I will try this...

 

[ncbrewer]

This youtube video discusses using Christmas tree lights to warm up the bottles:

 

[BadgerBrigade]

This youtube video discusses using Christmas tree lights to warm up the bottles:
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUcWADuFhTg

PERFECT! This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.... I think I'm going to build a heating box with a boat heating coil...