StevenM3 Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Hi All Have been reading the forum for the last few days and getting very excited about brewing my first beer Got a DIY Kit for Christmas (YEHHH) I\u2019m busting my gut to get started and my only concern is with temperature control. The DIY DVD tells me to keep the wort (??) within a range of 21-27C but reading the forum most people on the forum talk about 18C. The only place I can setup my Kit is in the garage and the temperature varies quite a bit. I\u2019m trying to get my hands on an old fridge to try and keep the whole thing at a consistent temperature but this is proving to be difficult and I\u2019m not sure how much longer I can wait. What will happen if I try to brew the beer in the garage without any type of insulation? What will happen if the temperature fluctuate outside of the 21-27C Thanks Guys appreciate any advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andris Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 well, basically, too cool = yeast go to sleep = no beer, too warm - yeast farts off-flavors = foul tasting beer for very long time, get a bit warmer = yeast dies from a heat stroke = no beer again. so, keep it within the temp range. I usually ferment my ales at 20-22C, works very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Rivers Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 I have brewed 12 beers with the kit in the garage.Temps vary a lot tops being 32Celsius and lows 23 celsius during summer. The yeast seems to work fine in that range. Could be the superb yeast Coopers sell. I am pleased to say I have not had a bad brew fingers crossed. During Winter I use a heat pad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 There is also a mention about temp' in the Hints section of the DIY Beer DVDROM. Look to ferment at the lower end of the temp' range[biggrin] . The higher the ferment temp', the more funky aromas/flavours are produced. You will notice that most of the recipes on the How to Brew section suggest lower ferment temp's. Having said that, many people are happy with the beer thay make when fermented at higher temp'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenM3 Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 Thanks for the advice guys I got a hold of a fridge fix guy today and he sold me a busted upright freezer for the grand sum of $15 (to degas), I gave it a wipe out and pulled out the compressor and pipes out and off the back and I think it will be a great little place for you DIY kit to call home. I'm going to mix up the larger that comes with the kit tomorrow night and see how we go I have decided my next purchase will be a basic min/max digital thermometer so I can keep track of the temperature to see if the baby is doing its job Thanks for the advice guys and I\u2019ll try to post a photo once I have my first batch all setup. One other question I have is in regard to moving the kit once I have it everything mixed and ready to go is it ok to move it out to the garage or should I wait to put in the yeast once it have it in the old freeze Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andris Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 you can finish everything including yeast and then move where you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenM3 Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 Thanks Andris i'll post a photoa tonight after it is all serup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenM3 Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Hi All I have made my first batch and it all looks good [biggrin] , I must have used a bit too much hot water at first as I had some trouble getting the temperature back down to below 26C I ended up using 2 litres of ice cold water from the fridge. move the fermenter to to the old freezer and put it on the shelf and it must be near breaking point as it has bowed down about an inch [annoyed] but it should be right, might have to find something stronger for next time. At first the wort had a lot of bubbles it tried to gently stir these in but quickly gave up and added the yeast, I checked it after about 10 minutes and it has settled down and the yeast is sitting on the surface. Had a bit of trouble reading the SG as far as I can tell it was 1033? Does that sound right? Anyway guess I should stop looking at it and go to bed. Will let you guys know how it goes and hopefully I don\u2019t end up poisoning myself [happy] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I always pop a few bottles of water in the fridge on the day before brew day. It really helps regulate the temperature. Don't worry about the bubbles Steven as that is the sign of a nicely aerated wort - just sprinkle the yeast on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewS6 Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I also got a kit for christmas and I'm slightly concerned about temperature. I've got mine brewing in the pantry it seems to be the coolest place in the house. I want to get myself a fridge or something as well so I can brew all sorts of different beers that require lower temps etc. Question, the freezer you obtained is that just acting as a dark insulated box or is it actually operating? I just want to get control over the temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biermoasta Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I just sat my fermenter on the ground next to the wall and surrounded it with three MDF boards. Chucked in three frozen water bottles in the morning and at night and kept it all covered with a towel. The air temperature next to the fermenter keeps steady at around 17C, whilst the ambient air temperature in the house varies from 22C-30C+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenM3 Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 The Freezer is just a insulated box I made my first brew lastnight and final temp was 26C just checked earlier and wort was still 26C I have a few water bottles in the freezer that I will pop in tonight to try and bring temp down to 22C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.