Temperature control in basement needed?

[Doliss]

I've been reading that temperature control during the fermenting is huge in quality of the finished beer. My basement is most likely where I will store the fermenting beer, but I have to wonder if the temperature is too cool. My basement tends to stay around 67-68 degrees. It's been a while since I've taken bioochem but should the fermentation process warm up the brew a bit? I'm just wondering if that ambient temp in my basement will be sufficient

 

[andy6026]

The fermentation will warm the beer above the ambient room temperature. It's ideal to use stick-n thermometers to keep an eye on the actual temp of the brew. I'd say you're fine at that temp for many kinds of beer (such as ales). The ideal temp for each beer is dependent on the yeast you use for each typical beer, so you can check those stats. If you do want to go cooler than that then a 'swamp cooler' is a cheap and effective method for bringing down temps. Search the threads on how to make one if you need to.

 

[finsfan]

that temp should be fine but a few degrees colder, even down to 60, would be best. fermentation adds about 5-8 degrees to the fermenting wort, so whatever your ambient temperature is add 5-8 degrees and that is NORMALLY the inside temp or your brew

 

[Clanchief]

A lot depends on which particular strain of yeast your using. Remember also that it will be 5-10 degrees warmer inside the fermentation vessel than it is on the outside thanks to the release of gasses during the fermentation process. Ultimately though, look at your particular yeast strain. Some like it hotter, some cooler. I've been a big fan of the Wyeast 3711 for all of my Belgian style beers because it can go hotter, and in fact prefers it a little hotter than some other options. Lagers need to be cooler. English ale yeasts are typically better at a lower temperature.

The best answer is that if you can precisely control the temperature, then you should. At your temperature, I think you're probably OK for most yeasts, not including lagers. You really don't need to warm that at all. But if you can precisely control the temp at which your beer ferments, that's a really good thing.

 

[tre9er]

I would do a rubbermaid full of water, fermenter in that, t-shirt over fermenter and fan blowing on it. That will keep you more in the low 60's. After krausen drops, pull the fermenter and let it warm to room temps in the mid-high 60's.

 

[Yooper]

An ambient temperature of 68 is a bit too warm for many ale yeast strains, but if that's the best you can do you can get by with a cooler/water bath as already mentioned.

Most ale yeast strains give the best flavor at 65-68 degrees (fermentation temperature, not ambient).

 

[jimmy-blue-eyes]

I have had a similar concern...not to highjack thread....

I am wanting to do a sweet bock... and I know that it needs a temp in the low 50's for a very long time...the rest of the house in the summer gets to about 80 to 83, with a/c running full time....the basement into the low 70's.....

My thought is buying foam board from hardware store, building a box with it to place my fermenter into, and in the basement, diverting an air vent to blow into the box with the constant running cool air using plastic dryer hose, to lower its temperature....do ya'll think that might help?

 

[progmac]

one of the highlights of this hobby is that you will eventually learn the exact temperature of each and every spot in your house and how they change at different times of year.

 

[beergolf]

one of the highlights of this hobby is that you will eventually learn the exact temperature of each and every spot in your house and how they change at different times of year.

That is so true. If my fermentation chamber is full I decide what to brew by what the temp in parts of my house is. My house old and big so lots of options for different temps. I often have fermenters in several different places.

This time of year, my basement is about 58, first floor about 66, second floor about 68 and at the top of the stairs to the third floor about 72-74.

 

[Clonefan94]

My basement during the winter, hovers around 60 degrees. When active fermentation is going on, the therm sticker on the side of my fermenter usually reads 66 while this is going on. So you might want to cool things down a bit.

during the summer, my basement is usually around 68 + or - a few degrees. I've found what works perfect for me is an old soft sided cooler, the rectangular kind, that my bucket fits right into, with about a foot or so of space on one side. I freeze up some water in half gallon juice bottles I have left over and I just set one of those in there next to the bucket, then wrap it all in a towel. (Make sue temp sticker is on the opposite side of the frozen bottle for more accurate reading.) Anyways, that does a great job of keeping it in the mid 60s.

 

[robertus]

I noticed a big, big improvement in my beers when I started using a swamp cooler. My basement has similar ambient temperatures to yours - maybe even a bit colder during the winter - but keeping the beer right around 60-65 degrees helped tremendously.