Temperature control question

[NewkyBrown]

I live in Canada and most of the year my basement stays a nice 60-64 F. Other parts of the house are around 68-72F.

I am finding I can keep ferm temps pretty consistent (using the stick on thermometers) but obviously I can only control them so much. My beers do seem to turn out pretty good though.

My question is, if I can keep the first few days within the range of the specific yeast temps then move the primary somewhere a bit warmer to finish and always have a 3 week primary, is there a real need for me to invest in a fridge, temp controller, etc? Will I see a great benefit?

Thanks.

 

[JimRausch]

My viewpoint, and my practice, is to do whatever needed to control the temp in the range needed. I am, like you, living in a Northern cold (sometimes damn cold) climate. I generally control temps pretty well with swamp coolers, sometimes with ice jugs, most time without. Occasionally I have to go the other way and ferment in a Styrofoam lined box with a heating pad. The key for me is to check the temp of the fermenting beer twice daily and adjust accordingly. Plus knowing the usual temps of various areas of my basement and garage. I actually take the temp. of the beer through the airlock hole. Although if it's in a swamp cooler, the temp of the water bath is approx. equal.
Your specific Q- Yes, much more important to keep the temp on the low edge of your yeast's preference in the 1st 48-72 hours. Then it's OK, and even preferable, to warm things up a bit to help the yeast finish their job.

 

[scottballz]

It is really up to you. If you are consistently making good beers then I would say no. I have made great beers for years with a similar setup. I also have a basement that stays around 62-65 degrees and an up stairs closet thats around 70. I figure once I absolutely need one, I'll build one. Certain yeast strains aren't as forgiving as others so I would just stay away from them for the time being.

 

[NewkyBrown]

Thanks for the replies...
I guess as long as my basement stays cool in the summer then I should be ok. We have a pretty old fridge in the kitchen that maybe retired this year so I could use that. Like you say though, if the beers are good then I may as well continue as is.

 

[joshesmusica]

If you're already churning out good beers and your temps stay as consistent as you say, it sounds like you're doing pretty good, and I would turn the old fridge into a kegerator!

 

[fishslayer]

I live in upstate ny and my basement can get colder in the dead of winter. I put my carboy in a large rubber maid tub of water and put a submersible heater in there set to temp. It works pretty well. In the spring and fall the basement stays at 65 and I do nothing. In the summer sometimes it is in the 70s and I put it in the water with a towel wrapped around the carboy for evaportive cooling, although i have to admit that is only in the dog days and this year i may open the AC vent in the basement.

 

[Ole_Smoky]

I ran into the same issue as you with a really cold basement in the winter, I just started brewing at the beginning of this year so I managed to do everything upstairs but having 2 or 3 batches laying around my kitchen at a time is getting old quick. I want to move my brewing into the garage so I picked up a free fridge and an STC, for the cost/time I figure you cant go wrong, then you know EVERYTHING is right where it needs to be!! Plus I want to try my hand at a couple lagers here and there so the fermentation chamber is needed for that.