Too cold for lager!

[bigmike86]

So I just pitched my starter into my recently brewed lager wort, go out to check the temp and it droped to 41 degrees! I never realized, hows it gonna warm up to 50f if its 30 degrees in the garage!! So i quickly put a space heater on a 2nd temp controller in the freezer.

Is this going to work? It already seems that the space heater is quickly heating the outside of the beer probably more quickly than I would like. Hopefully the temp will stabilize quickly. Any suggestions?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Just set the temp controller to come on at 50 and the beer will follow suit. Seems like a simple solution

 

[bigmike86]

I guess my point is that the heater is soo hot even on lowest setting in the small space, that the outside if the beer with the probe taped to it rises very quickly, i think by simoly setting and forgetting it its going to be heating and cooling very rapidly. Although at this point im not sure I have any other options...?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The probe is your problem. Just let it hang in the air till the beer comes up to temp then tape it on probably tomorrow. Will take hours. Your raising the beer 10 degs. The heater will be running foe hours and turn your fermenter into an oven the way your going now'

Its how I do all my beers. Chill to around 90 to 100 degs, put fermenters in chamber. Set controller to whatever pitch temp I want with the probe hanging in the air and pitch the next day. Then attach probe.

 

[jparrette]

Instead of using a space heater, I use one of those dip-sized mini crock pots. They're dirt-cheap, and warm the inside of the fridge enough so the temp contoller can do its job. I've left them on for weeks at a time with no problems at all.

 

[mongoose33]

You could bring it into the house to warm up....while you figure out a good way to add warmth in your freezer.

Do you have a heating pad?

You also might possibly use a light bulb if you cover the fermenter so no light enters it.

I have used both a 40-watt fermwrap and a 20-watt seed warmer mat to warm my fermenters. Just use a bungee cord or two to wrap them around the fermenter. A light bulb, so long as you prevent light entering the fermenter, would likely work as well, though take longer than the wraps around the fermenter.

 

[bigmike86]

Lots of good advice, thanks! I detached the probe from the bucket and it seems to have worked pretty well. Ill give it another day and then stick it back on. The space heater is a little much, will definitely explore different options. After this batch im probably in the clear until next winter.