Winter Conditioning

[hermanpeckel]

So I've got me a pretty sweet brewing setup at the moment. Being winter in sunny Sydney-town, I've set up a big tub in my basement, filled it with water and chucked in a fish tank heater, and now I've got a constant 20 (or whatever I dial in) degrees to ferment in. All good!

Being that I seem to be drinking my beer as fast as I am making it becomes a problem. I can only fit two fermenters in my tub at a time. If I was to brew each batch for two weeks then pull them out and condition in the ambient temperature, would that have any adverse affects? Would it even be worth "conditioning" them if it's in the ambient temperature?

I'm assuming not, but these Sydney mornings are getting pretty freaking cold. Maybe it will just crash chill the yeast out as well. Any advice much appreciated.

 

[nathanvonbeerenstein]

Assuming fermentations complete and the yeast have cleaned up any of their icky fermentation by products at the 20*c, i couldnt see any harm in doing that! Heck, most people cold-condition for the entirety of the beers life straight after fermentation anyway by kegging them and fridging them straight away while carbing.
Flavours will meld better, oxidation (if any) will occur slower, hop flavour/aroma will be preserved longer and sediment will settle out faster!

 

[IsonAd]

"these Sydney mornings are getting pretty freaking cold"

Cry me a river. Love Canberra.

Go Brumbies!

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Hot water system cupboard here for Northern Tasmania.

 

[JDW81]

So I've got me a pretty sweet brewing setup at the moment. Being winter in sunny Sydney-town, I've set up a big tub in my basement, filled it with water and chucked in a fish tank heater, and now I've got a constant 20 (or whatever I dial in) degrees to ferment in. All good!

Being that I seem to be drinking my beer as fast as I am making it becomes a problem. I can only fit two fermenters in my tub at a time. If I was to brew each batch for two weeks then pull them out and condition in the ambient temperature, would that have any adverse affects? Would it even be worth "conditioning" them if it's in the ambient temperature?

I'm assuming not, but these Sydney mornings are getting pretty freaking cold. Maybe it will just crash chill the yeast out as well. Any advice much appreciated.

I condition all my beers on a cold garage floor through a melbourne winter. Takes a few weeks to carb up, but it is worth the wait.

Buy a box of Oetinger (german pilsner) 500mL cans to get you through a few weeks. They're cheap and tasty and will give your home brew a rest while you build up your stocks.

JD

 

[zooesk]

I put a light in a cupboard hooked up to a stc 1000 works well don't know about the electricity bill but and I seen a guy put them in a box then chucked Xmas lights in

 

[hermanpeckel]

Cool! Thanks for the advice guys. Cold conditioning it is.

I'm now wondering if there is any point keeping the beer in the fermenter after the two weeks at 20 degrees is up. I would be just as well off bottling then and there no?

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Cool! Thanks for the advice guys. Cold conditioning it is.

I'm now wondering if there is any point keeping the beer in the fermenter after the two weeks at 20 degrees is up. I would be just as well off bottling then and there no?

Yeh given its winter - I just move the fermenter at around 10 days into the cold shed (ensuring the gravity is where I'm at) - leave it there for 1 or 2 days and bottle/keg away. I usually put a bit of wood or something under the bottom front of the fermenter to move the sed to the back during these days. Think it works pretty good.

 

[pat86]

Cool! Thanks for the advice guys. Cold conditioning it is.

I'm now wondering if there is any point keeping the beer in the fermenter after the two weeks at 20 degrees is up. I would be just as well off bottling then and there no?

Sometimes an extra week or so on the yeast can help clean it up, depends on the beer though. If you are using a slower yeast or the temps drop, I'd leave it a little longer.