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Currently got my first batch of beer underway (Coopers IPA) now all the temp ranges are 20-27c ish. However as we have no proper heating and it's winter down under I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep this up.
Have a 30l Plastic brew setup, what do you use to warm it? Seen either heat bands or warming plates but neither have thermostats/adjustment.
At what point will it stop fermenting?
Cheers (hopefully)
Does your stated temp range include night time temperatures? If so you wont need to warm the batch. I've fermented batches at between 14-18C (house temp) in the winter without any problems (just had to ferment for a longer period).
The last batch I did, an american pale ale, fermented for 2 weeks at about 18-20C before bottling. If you are going to rack into a keg, you're probably looking at 5-6 days for the primary fermentation(maybe less if the min temp is 20C). just keep checking the gravity.
WHat JD said - the temperature of your house will be warm enough
Cheers guys, going into bottles so I guess the wait is on!
One Burgundian winemaker that favors the use of only wild yeast is Domaine des Comtes Lafon which had the fermentation of its 1963 Chardonnay batch take 5 years to complete when the fermentation process normally only takes a matter of weeks
I think it'll be ok.
Coopers is ace! Just picked up their stout kit yesterday, one of the best kits out there. And got myself a plasterers stirrer for the drill from Screwfix to try for the first time to mix it all up.
If I find temperature getting too cool in winter in our hall where I brew, I just stick a sleeping bag round it, does the trick.
I had lots of success using an aquarium heater for homebrew, one of the submersible ones that plugs in to a wall socket. You can adjust the temperature easily in one degree increments (essential for keeping tropical fish apparently!).
Alternatively I've got hold of the lager-style yeasts that ferment at lower temperatures, some as low as around 10 centigrade. It does change the taste of your beer a wee bit, but at least it brews and is drinkable! With a bit of experimentation of adding some hops you can easily get the taste you want anyway.
I think temperatures are fairly forgiving for most basic homebrew set ups, I don't get concerned as long as I'm within the 15 to 25 range and never had a problem.
Having said that I tend to get better results (from a final gravity perspective) if I can keep the temperature consistent.
Fermenting in the garage where there's greater temperature fluctuations (night and day) and I'm struggling to get down to the target FG, close but usually a couple of points short.
Our living room tends to hold a fairly steady temperature and I nearly always hit my target, several times I've exceeded the claimed attenuation figure.
e2a: and what Peyote said regarding the aquarium heater, I use one in the colder months with decent results.
A few tips that ive learned for bottling.
rack the beer into a bottling bucket with the primer, and leave to stand for 24 hours before bottling. this will still leave enough yeast in the beer for conditioning, but the end result will have less sediment in the bottle
dont use finings to clear the beer; they tend to stop the yeast packing down at the bottom of the bottle. the beer will take longer to clear down, but it will be easier to pour a clear pint.
A bottle drying tree like [url= http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Bottle_Drainer_77_80_Bottle.html ]this one [/url], is very useful when your washing a sterilising a load of bottles.
A bottle filler with a cut off valve like [url= http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Bottle_filler.html ]this[/url] makes bottling much easier as well (almost turns it into a 1 man job)
good luck
I wouldn't about a few C, it will taste like pish regardless!
My coopers did anyway.
Insulate the bucket? Stand it on a square of styrofoam , wrap a blanket or sleeping bag round it. Put a pillow or cushion on top.
You really do want a rise in temperature, it will go exothermic , but 30L will cool to ambient quite fast.
Too slow and the yeast wont get going, you wont get a fast drop in Ph which the bugs dont like . The amount of food for the bugs stays high , and your yeast count doesnt increase significantly quickly.
The rise in temp and activity are neccessary. You really want the fermentation over in 5 - 6 days.
Too much gravity taking increases the risk of infection as well.
Do you have a hot water bottle you could stand upright against the fv and then wrap a sleeping bag round that?? The yeast will love it.
If you're going to use an aquarium heater,it can help to put the FV in a large trug full of water,and put the heater in the trug,so temperature changes in the FV aren't so rapid,you'll need to calibrate the heater setting against the temp in the FV though.
Sorry for the hijack but fancying giving home brew a go
Any recommendations for a good tutorial or site?
Wouldn't mind trying a nice German style Pils
I have a fermenter box which holds 3 30l fermenters. Heat pads in there connected to a little electromajickery box that keeps the temp steady. Depending on beer I ferment at about 19-21 degrees constant. Variations can modify the beer quite a lot when you get picky on flavor. Just try and keep it reasonably stable temp and it should be ok. If you start warm you will generally find the yeast will kick off anyway.
jota180 - try a BIAB setup - pretty easy and godo output. Google.
Cheers Col will look it up
Jota, [url= http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk ]Jim's Beer Kit[/url] is a great place to start, has instructions and separate sections for the different methods of brewing