# 16-18 Degrees Too Low



## rawz25 (7/10/09)

just wondering if 16-18 degrees is too low for tooheys improved home brew which i bought at coles
had it at roughly 20 degrees to start with but the cold weather has stuffed it,also the air lock still works every 
40 seconds or so do you think my brew is ruined? <_<


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## bum (7/10/09)

16 is a little low but 18 is ideal. Keep it around there if you can.

Your beer is not ruined. Might in fact be better than if you'd followed directions to the letter.


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## rawz25 (7/10/09)

bum said:


> 16 is a little low but 18 is ideal. Keep it around there if you can.
> 
> Your beer is not ruined. Might in fact be better than if you'd followed directions to the letter.


do you think as it has been 11 days that i would go a little longer than 2 weeks to bottle


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## b_thomas (7/10/09)

At 16c it could take 2 - 3 weeks to ferment out for a regular Ale yeast. 

If you're in a rush, give your fermenter a big warm hug - for the next few days - yeast love to be loved


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## bum (7/10/09)

Have you taken any hydrometer reading, RAWZA?


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## rawz25 (7/10/09)

bum said:


> Have you taken any hydrometer reading, RAWZA?


it says 2 beer start here i no that its not ready for bottling its a strange hydrometer
and theres a green line for when its ready
cheers for the replie


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## KGB (7/10/09)

RAWZA said:


> it says 2 beer start here i no that its not ready for bottling its a strange hydrometer



WTF does that mean?!?!?
Basically if the temp comes back up a bit then it could be finished in 2 weeks. Just keep an eye on your airlock activity and when it slows down and appears to have stopped, start taking hydro readings every day or two.
When you get consistent readings over 2-3 days then its pretty safe to say its finished fermenting and you are right to bottle.

The temp falling will most likely have no harmful effects on your brew.


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## bum (7/10/09)

RAWZA said:


> it says 2 beer start here i no that its not ready for bottling its a strange hydrometer
> and theres a green line for when its ready
> cheers for the replie



Ignore those colour bands, they don't really mean anything. What is important is the numbers. It will most likely say something around 10 at the orange beer finish area and 40 at the beer start line. When you take note of your gravity just add a 1000 to whatever it says - so 10 becomes 1010. These numbers taken for your reading will help people work out what's happening in your fermenter - and then we'll tell you so you know how to do it yourself.


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## rawz25 (8/10/09)

bum said:


> Ignore those colour bands, they don't really mean anything. What is important is the numbers. It will most likely say something around 10 at the orange beer finish area and 40 at the beer start line. When you take note of your gravity just add a 1000 to whatever it says - so 10 becomes 1010. These numbers taken for your reading will help people work out what's happening in your fermenter - and then we'll tell you so you know how to do it yourself.


cheers mate
rawz


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## Pennywise (8/10/09)

I'd hazzard a guess that you have used the yeast that came with the tin, in which case most of those yeasts are far more hardy than you'd think. I currently have an ale sitting at 14deg (only because I found a new cold spot in my house) and she's going nicely, slowly, but nicely. I reckon 2 weeks will get you to terminal gravity, 3 weeks will be good for this brew to clean & clear itself. You've just done youself a favour IMO.


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## thunderchild (8/10/09)

Don't trust the airlock - Use your hydrometer -An ale yeast will work fine at those temps just a little slower - do NOT rush it.

TC


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## Screwtop (8/10/09)

KGB said:


> The temp falling will most likely have no harmful effects on your brew.




No, it will not have any harmful effects on your brew. 

BUT IT WILL HAVE AN EFFECT ON YOUR YEAST, IF THE TEMP FALLS ENOUGH YOUR YEAST WILL DROP OUT AND FERMENTATION WILL STOP, THE TEMP DEPENDS UPON THE YEAST STRAIN, SOME CAN ONLY COPE WITH A DROP TO 16 THE PROBLEM CAN BE CAUSED WHEN OVERNIGHT TEMPS DROP TO SAY 12 OR SO THE YEAST WILL DROP OUT.

More crap info for a newb :angry:


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## boingk (8/10/09)

I think a direction to the 'Starter FAQ' is in order.

Summary here:

1) Clean equipment well with sanitiser and rinse well with plenty of water. This includes the fermenter tap, and bottles before bottling.

2) Add ingredients to sanitised fermenter and top with water to the desired level.

3) Add yeast immediately before fitting sanitised lid and airlock.

4) Ferment at 16~20'C for ales and 10~12'C for lagers. 

5) Measure SG with a hydrometer to determine finishing of fermentation. Generally 1.008 to 1.015 for ales and lagers, can be higher for darker beers. Constant reading over several days usually indicates a finished batch if it is within these temperatures.

6) Sanitise bottles, prime with sugar and start bottling. Cap with a proper lever-press 'Superautomatica' type capper.


And thats about it. If you keep it clean and simple, you won't go wrong. Common problems include bottling before the beer is ready (overgassed bottles), letting it ferment too high (poor taste), and infections caused by poor sanitation (poor taste/smell/bottle bombs).

Cheers - boingk

PS: Welcome aboard, RAWZA.


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## rawz25 (8/10/09)

bum said:


> Ignore those colour bands, they don't really mean anything. What is important is the numbers. It will most likely say something around 10 at the orange beer finish area and 40 at the beer start line. When you take note of your gravity just add a 1000 to whatever it says - so 10 becomes 1010. These numbers taken for your reading will help people work out what's happening in your fermenter - and then we'll tell you so you know how to do it yourself.


it was 20/1020 is this doing alright its now 12 days since brewed


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## Bribie G (8/10/09)

I often ferment brews with ale yeasts at fairly low temperatures, 16 or 17. They can produce some very clean tasting ales, particularly 'fake lagers' that you would swear were real lagers  
However the price I pay is a longer fermentation compared to a fast and furious 22 degrees. Usually 2 weeks wraps it up with an ale yeast such as US-05. Sounds like you are on the right track, welcome to the craft.


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## rawz25 (8/10/09)

BribieG said:


> I often ferment brews with ale yeasts at fairly low temperatures, 16 or 17. They can produce some very clean tasting ales, particularly 'fake lagers' that you would swear were real lagers
> However the price I pay is a longer fermentation compared to a fast and furious 22 degrees. Usually 2 weeks wraps it up with an ale yeast such as US-05. Sounds like you are on the right track, welcome to the craft.


cheers what reading should i bottle at and you reckon leave it nearly 3 weeks


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## Bribie G (8/10/09)

RAWZA I rarely bottle to 'readings', usually if it's starting to clear out at the top with maybe just a little 'lily pad' or two of small bubbles on the surface then I rack into a second fermenter and chill it down for a few days in my good fridge in the garage to let the crap settle out, add finings then bottle. I use 'cold conditioning' for 4 to 10 days depending on the style. Then bottle and start doing sneak tastes from about 10 days onwards :icon_cheers:


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