Can't Believe This Weather

[Bribie G]

First time in my brewing career I actually cant get the beer over 16 degrees :blink:
With nighttime temps in SEQ dropping to 4 degrees or so, even the relatively balmy 20 degrees aren't making much of a dent so for the first time I'm putting my brews to bed in the fermenting fridges with a hot water bottle.

$500 hot box hahahaha

Making the most of it with Yorkies that enjoy 16 degrees, and faux lagers. I'm also going to do a Danish Lager yeast true lager at ambient, probably a Carlton Clone for the comp season. :icon_cheers:

Edit, popped a cube of IPA out the laundry door last night to take advantage of the snap and this morning there were 3 cane toads snugged up between it and the wall, obviously glad of a warm nights sleep

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Actually not too bad down here tonight, about 14 degrees.. winds blowing but its not cold at all, quite strange but not unwelcome.

Wll you survive Bribie? get yourself a $25 reptile heat mat, they work a treat and when things get back to normal you can plug it in outside for
the toadies...

 

[Effect]

Brew to the seasons mate...

For some that might mean:

Summer: Wheat Beer
Autumn: IPA
Winter: Stout
Spring: Pale Ale

But for me it looks more like:

Summer: IPA
Autumn: IPA
Winter: Stout
Spring: Stout (because you love stout so much that you keep on brewing it until summer creeps in)

 

[winkle]

First time in my brewing career I actually cant get the beer over 16 degrees :blink:
With nighttime temps in SEQ dropping to 4 degrees or so, even the relatively balmy 20 degrees aren't making much of a dent so for the first time I'm putting my brews to bed in the fermenting fridges with a hot water bottle.

$500 hot box hahahaha

Making the most of it with Yorkies that enjoy 16 degrees, and faux lagers. I'm also going to do a Danish Lager yeast true lager at ambient, probably a Carlton Clone for the comp season. :icon_cheers:

Edit, popped a cube of IPA out the laundry door last night to take advantage of the snap and this morning there were 3 cane toads snugged up between it and the wall, obviously glad of a warm nights sleep

6 C when I headed off this morning :angry:
Saison stout is wearing a heat belt.

 

[matho]

what are you complaining about near my place, winter time is lager time up the mountains my back room is sitting at a constant 11 deg, just get stuck in to brewing some kolsch beers.

cheers matho

 

[petesbrew]

+1 Matho.

I've got a dodgy temperature probe sitting underneath my lager. It's averaging around 12-14c in my garage at the moment. Yeah i could empty my brewfridge and get it down to 10c, but it's hardly worth it.
Just bought a fresh WLP838 last week and have a couple more lagers planned for this winter.
Loving the cold snap, and winter's just getting started!

 

[barry2]

Lager and pilsener brewing time for me.15.1 degrees in the garage this morning.

 

[bcp]

Making the most of it with Yorkies that enjoy 16 degrees

So Wyeast1469 West Yorkshire enjoys 16 degrees? Or are you using a different yeast? Just about to start a run of Yorkies.

 

[ekul]

My fridge hasn't been turning on too much either. All the fridge is doing at the moment is buffering the temperature. I was emptying a fermenter into a keg the other day so the probe was outside the fridge. Fridge was reading at 16, outside it was reading 14!
My cubes are generally sitting at 24C when i pop them in the fridge, last two have read 16 as soon as i put them in, perfect for coopers yeast

 

[donburke]

First time in my brewing career I actually cant get the beer over 16 degrees :blink:
With nighttime temps in SEQ dropping to 4 degrees or so, even the relatively balmy 20 degrees aren't making much of a dent so for the first time I'm putting my brews to bed in the fermenting fridges with a hot water bottle.

$500 hot box hahahaha

Making the most of it with Yorkies that enjoy 16 degrees, and faux lagers. I'm also going to do a Danish Lager yeast true lager at ambient, probably a Carlton Clone for the comp season. :icon_cheers:

Edit, popped a cube of IPA out the laundry door last night to take advantage of the snap and this morning there were 3 cane toads snugged up between it and the wall, obviously glad of a warm nights sleep

bribie, how often are you changing the hot water bottle and what sort of effect is having ?

i've got the same problem down here, average temp is around 14 deg which is ok during active ferment, which kicks it up a little, but to finish off i need it a little warmer

 

[Bribie G]

So Wyeast1469 West Yorkshire enjoys 16 degrees? Or are you using a different yeast? Just about to start a run of Yorkies.

I always run 1469 a bit cooler as it's an old Yorkshire Stone Square yeast, and those brews were traditionally done cooler than the Burton / London ales - they were pitched at 58 F, allowed to rise to 62 then dropped back to 60 for the rest of the fermentation (15.5 C) Works well but looking at primary of 10 days or so, "2 Sabbaths". Running 1469 at more common ale temps such as 20 works fine but quite estery I've found.

 

[[email protected]]

find yourself an old fridge, buy a heat pad, sit the heat pad in an old fridge, and sit ya brew on top! thats what im going to have to do i think! nowhere in my house am i going to get beer any warmer! sucks!

 

[Bribie G]

Yeah I've got 2 fermenting fridges, an old beer fridge and a brand new kegmate, both running on fridgemates - I'll actually try wrapping the spare single electric blanket from Tidal Pete's room loosely around and see how that goes on low setting.

 

[raven19]

Smurto's & Raven's fridges dont even flick on with temp controllers during these winter months in the hills!

Heat pad in the fridge works a treat though!

Geez Bribie, next you will be complaining about your tan with all those low 30 degrees days mate!

 

[Bribie G]

The police won't let me go to the beach anymore.

 

[Malted]

The police won't let me go to the beach anymore.

I heard it was more the issue of you walking about on your house roof whilst in the nude.

Edit: picture to add.

 

[stux]

I have a 100W lightbulb in the bottom of my fermenting fridge. Its connected to a tempmate with a thermowell probe.

This will get the fridge up to about 25C in the middle of winter in the mountains (6C overnight temperature)

Currently got 50L hefeweizen fermenting at 17C, without the light it wouldn't peak above 12C.

And I can then crash the brew down to 0C at the end of fermentation

Good for doing diacetyl rests etc too.

My other fermenting/cold storage fridge I can use a heat belt with the tempmate, and that works pretty well too

 

[bcp]

I always run 1469 a bit cooler as it's an old Yorkshire Stone Square yeast, and those brews were traditionally done cooler than the Burton / London ales - they were pitched at 58 F, allowed to rise to 62 then dropped back to 60 for the rest of the fermentation (15.5 C) Works well but looking at primary of 10 days or so, "2 Sabbaths". Running 1469 at more common ale temps such as 20 works fine but quite estery I've found.

Tip of the week. Cheers.