First Timer: Too Cold?

[eteo]

Hi friends,

My first time home brew! I placed my Coopers canadian blonde wort into my wine cooler for primary fermentation. The maximum temperature of the wine cooler is 18 degrees celsius. I pitched the yeast at 32 degrees. Over the 2days, the temperature reading on the strip dropped steadily to what is now 12 degrees. I am not sure why this is although the ambient temperature of of the wine cooler reads 24 degrees. I set the temperature setting to 18 degrees. I am puzzled as to the correct temperature of the wort and am afraid that the temperature is too low at 12 degrees. I have not seen any bubbling in the air lock (right from the beginnig) but there is condensation on the lid and also foam forming on the top of the wort. I also hear bubbling in the fermenter. The initial OG reading was 1040.

Question: Is it too cold for fermentation or should I somehow try to raise the temperature?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Regards

 

[Stuster]

Sounds strange with the fridge temp, but for the beer don't worry. Sounds like it is fermenting. Fermenters often don't seal perfectly. Actually, it's fine if they don't during fermentation. Just take a gravity reading and you'll see if the yeast have been busy. Have you taken a thermometer reading inside the fridge or is that the fridge read-out?

 

[Boozy the clown]

Theres a few theories floating around about temps...

Ross has just (last time I was about) let a brew go into the higher end, some belgain brewers let theirs ferment high for specific tastes.

In my grogged experience I have kept temps low but you have to allow for for longer ferment periods with lower temps. If the Belgians and local guru Ross are happy with higher temps (Nothing ridiculous QLD style mind you) you should get alright beer.

This clown would suggest not to worry about it getting 'too cold', just allow for a longer ferment period + secondary. Biggest evil is 'way too hot'. I'm going to try some warmer ferments this summer following what Le Ross has done (oh and yeah those Belgian blokes)

 

[Boozy the clown]

Yeah what stu's said, just dont 'sample' too much when you take readings. Like so many other have said and i'll gladly rip off

"Patience grasshopper"

Give it around a week between samples, if its that cool its all happening slowly so chill man. (and get rid of those plastic bottles and get some glass(or kegs as the keggers will shout)).

If like you say theres foam, somethings going on, so let those fungi yeastie friends make you some booze. (Or a nice drink as the coniseourres (sic) would say)

 

[Ross]

Hey Boozy - I've never recommended pitching at 32C!!!

I always pitch low, the highest being approx 21c for a wiezen. With some yeasts like Belgian yeasts I allow the ferment to take it higher, but if making a Coopers blonde I'd be keeping cool, cool, cool.

Back to your question Eteo - 18c would be perfect for your brew, pitching at 32c was very risky, the early stage of the ferment is very important, hopefully the temp dropped be for the action really started, otherwise you're going to have some funky yeast flavours at that temp. The strip on the outside of the fermenter is insulated by the plastic from the wort, so the air temp of the fridge when it's in cooling phase is likey to throw the reading out. If you are concerned, buy a cheap digital thermometer & check the actual temperature of your wort, as yes, 12c is way too low. Those wine coolers from what I've heard, are pretty inaccurate & are influenced by the ambient air outside, so not the best for really hot weather.

cheers Ross

 

[Screwtop]

Yeast need to bud or incubate to kick the colony off. Here's a quote from the Wyeast Site "Yeast Education Info"

Uniform Temperatures are important...
keep at 75 F until fermentation is evident, and then adjust to the desired temperature. Fluctuations from night to day need to be minimized.

Also have a look here Wyeast re temps.

And from the fermentis site Directions for use:
Rehydrate using either sterile water or wort at a ratio of 10 times the weight of yeast to be used. Mix gently to form a cream and allow to stand for 15-30 minutes. Then mix vigorously and stand for a further 30 minutes prior to pitching into the wort. The temperature of re-hydration is important (27C 3C for Safbrew and Safale, 23C 3C for Saflager).
An alternative method is to sprinkle dry yeast direct into the wort and allow to stand for 30 minutes before mixing to distribute and aerate the wort.

To achieve the correct pitching rate use one sachet per 20 litres of wort for ales. Use one sachet for lager when fermenting at room temperature and two sachets for lager when fermenting cold e.g. 12C (due to the lower temperature and slower growth of lager strains).

From their FAQ's:

2/ How long will it take to ferment?
Ales should ferment within 2 to 3 days (18C to 24C), lagers will take 5 to 7 days (12C to 14C).
(this is under optimum conditions and pitching rates, our home brews generally take a bit longer due to temp fluctuations and lower pitching rates.)

Yeast don't like the temps we ferment at, the reason for fermenting at these temps is to produce a desired flavour in the fermented wort. Lager Yeast strains will tolerate much lower temps providing a crisp, dry profile.

Dried yeast being less viable than liquid yeast is a non issue as dried yeast contains very high cell numbers per gram, much higher than liquid yeast. So basically, when using liquid yeast pitch at the recommended propagation temp to build colony numbers allowing a free rise then reduce to the required fermentation temp once krausen has begun. Or if the recommended pitching rate is gained by propagation using a starter, lower the starter temp and pitch at fermentation temp. For dried yeast, rehydrate at the recommended temp for an hour then lower to fermentation temp and pitch into the wort at the required fermentation temp. If you sprinkle dried yeast directly onto the wort, then the wort should be at the recommended rehydration temp, allow a free rise then lower to ferm temp once krausen has begun.

So, pretty much if you prepare your yeast in the recommended manner and pitch at the recommended pitching rate then do it at fermentation temperature. If you don't want to go to the bother of preparing your yeast for pitching then pitch into wort of the recommended propagation/rehydration temp and allow fermentation to start before dropping to fermentation temp.

A bit of a logic exercise eteo, IF THEN ELSE, but I hope this helps.

 

[dirty mac]

32C whoaa baby Get a stick on thermometer for your fermenter I find mine very accurate (+ - 1 degree I get from another inside fridge thermometer). Welcome to the most addictive hobby known to man. :beer:

 

[pint of lager]

Screwtop's post is very informative and includes excellent links for keen brewers. While I do agree with most of the information, I think for newer brewers, the best bit of advice is to have the wort at the correct fermentation temperature and sprinkle the yeast on top.

Next time you brew, use less boiling water to dissolve the malt extract so you are closer to the correct ferment temperature. Making up iceblocks in clean covered plastic containers helps if you are in a hot climate. Dumping a few litres if ice in the brew will bring it down before pitching the yeast.

If you have good control over your fermentation temperature, then you may get away with pitching warm. If you do not have good control, then with a good active ferment, which does also generate some heat of its own, the fermenation may be half over by the time you rein the temperature back.

You really need another known accurate thermometer so that you know, is the wine cooler correct, or is the stick on correct. Most of the stickons are ok as a general guide. If you grab a handful at the local HBS, they are all generally close to the same colour. Don't splash boiling water on them, they don't like it.

Don't let the ferment go below 18, the yeast that comes with the kits will often stop working below 15. It will start back up when the wort warms again, but stopping and starting yeast can lead to more problems.

 

[eteo]

Hello friends. Thanks a lot for your advice. Looks like I will just wait and watch. I will get a digital thermometer to put in the wine cooler. The temperature reading currently is part of the wine cooler and I read it on the top of the wine cooler. As I said, the funny thing is the temperature on the strip on the fermenter reads 12 to 14 degrees. Will probably be a couple of weeks before I can bottle. I don't intend to do a secondary fermentation. Will let you know how it all goes. I may stick with lagers from now on although I like IPAs.

 

[RobboMC]

Don't worry eteo, my first brew ended up at 32 deg C as well. As the thread is saying, get going on about 2 litres of clean ice that you make yourself in sealed containers. Also try pre-cooling about 10 litres of clean water in a normal fridge overnight. This should get your brews down to 20 deg C. As a thought, maybe turn the wine cooler off and just use it's insulating properties. Some brewers then use some plastic bottles of ice in the cooler but outside the fermenter to create some controlled cooling. I use a normal fridge and cycle it on and off at the power point with a 'kambrook' timer to try and maintain constant temperature. Keep praticing, this is only your first go at this. After 5 or 6 brews you will be much better at temp control.

 

[eteo]

Thanks RobboMC for you advice. I will give it a try with the ice in bottles. But will the fluctuating temperature have an effect? I was under the impression to try and keep the temperature as constant as possible. But turning the wine cooler on and off seems a great idea.

Regards