Those in colder climates, how do you brew?

[RyPA]

Back to temp control, I have a closet that sits between 61 and 64F. Would this be too low? I found a thermostat that controls heat only, so I can hook up a heat light to it and put it in the closet. Light isn't an issue with this batch as it'll be in a keg. What temp should I am for?

Here's my recipe
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/upcoming-single-hop-neipa-brew-day.697951/post-9219638

 

[madscientist451]

I would mash normally, I'd split up into 2-3 batches when ready to boil.

That would work fine, just keep good brewing and tasting notes so you can make adjustments if you decide you want to rebrew the same thing.

 

[Bobby_M]

Quoting from the first post I linked above:

"I have started putting the hops only into the smallest pot because that leaves sweet wort in the others for me to continue sampling during the boil , and what matters for alpha-acid isomerization is the boil time, not the hop concentration. (From the calculators, the difference in hop utilization based on gravity is small enough that I don't worry about the wort being more dilute.) I have noticed no difference from when I used to distribute the hops across the different pots."

This works up until the point that the small pot concentration of IBUs markedly exceeds 100 or so. If you're trying to brew a finished 5 gallon batch at 50 IBUs, the smallest amount of wort you can boil with the hops would be 2.5 gallons. If on the other hand you put all your hops in 1 gallon and then added that to 4 gallons that had no hops in it, the highest IBU your beer will have is 20.

 

[RyPA]

Thanks for weighing in. I'm going to split the hop additions between 2 kettles, with an equal amount of wort in each.

 

[vtmikko]

During winter I use wood stove in my kitchen. It is now about -10 °C outside, tomorrow (I have planned to brew tomorrow) maybe only 0°C. I my case, the colder the better

 

[tracer bullet]

Back to temp control, I have a closet that sits between 61 and 64F. Would this be too low? I found a thermostat that controls heat only, so I can hook up a heat light to it and put it in the closet.

Great start. I would still consider putting the fermenter / keg on top of something insulated just to help you to be able to better control it from the ambient air temp. I suppose a keg probably has a thick rubber bottom so perhaps not here. Normally though I would certainly put some foam or similar under it.

 

[RyPA]

Great start. I would still consider putting the fermenter / keg on top of something insulated just to help you to be able to better control it from the ambient air temp. I suppose a keg probably has a thick rubber bottom so perhaps not here. Normally though I would certainly put some foam or similar under it.

It's a torpedo keg, which has no rubber base, it's just metal. My closet floor is carpet.

 

[balrog]

Western MA currently 8°F, about as cold as I have ever brewed, BIAB, full volume in 40QT kettle over propane. I just back one car out of the unheated two car brewery, main door down, entry door open to mitigate combustion gasses but I don't sit out there, especially when my fingers will essentially stop working after 10-15 min in those temps. The only problem I have with low temps is the water hose I run 20' from front of house hose bib into garage to fill and then chill. If I don't disconnect, coil and stash near kettle during mash/boil, it'll be a hosecicle by the time I want to chill. It has happened only once.

As for temp control, I did the 2" thick foam insulation board, build a box around a 1 cubft dorm fridge bit

That's a double ferm going on by the way, one in big mouth purging exterior keg and one ferm-in-keg. The dorm fridge is kinda hidden.

 

[Spivey24]

Back to temp control, I have a closet that sits between 61 and 64F. Would this be too low? I found a thermostat that controls heat only, so I can hook up a heat light to it and put it in the closet. Light isn't an issue with this batch as it'll be in a keg. What temp should I am for?

Here's my recipe
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/upcoming-single-hop-neipa-brew-day.697951/post-9219638

You should be fine. The yeast in that recipe is fine down to 64, and I usually start my ales a couple of degrees colder than stated. I would worry about it being too warm than cool, especially for the first 5-7 days. Any time you are relying on ambient temps, you need to monitor it. A run away ferment can happen. Fermenting is an exothermic reaction, and the warmer it gets, the more vigorous it can get and the warmer it gets still. I lost a batch like this early on that got hot - it came out just awful. That’s when I bought my first chest freezer. A water bath can help stabilize temps but isn’t foolproof.

 

[RyPA]

Do you think letting the keg sit in a bucket of water will help? This would likely keep it too cold I am thinking. I do not foresee it getting any warmer than 68 in my closet..it's at 62 as we speak. And it will be under pressure after day 3 or 4, where warmer temp will not matter as much

 

[Kharnynb]

I actually use the fact that my cellar is a tad too cool for fermenting by adding an aquarium heater to my water bucket.

 

[RyPA]

Yeah I have that going right now. I just put it under pressure and raising the temp to 72F using a fish tank heater with a thermostat. Need to figure out a full hot/cold temperature control system.