14.5 Degrees – Too cold to Ferment? – Coopers Pale Ale

[Steve012]

Hi

With the cooler weather in Sydney at present, I was wondering if it's too cold to brew a simple coopers pale ale (from the can)

The location is a consistent 14.5 degrees and heating the vessel would be a challenge (no electricity at the location)

 

Is the whole  brewing process just going to take longer or will nothing happen at all?

Thanks - Steve.

[Classic Brewing Co]

20 minutes ago, Steve012 said:

Hi

With the cooler weather in Sydney at present, I was wondering if it's too cold to brew a simple coopers pale ale (from the can)

The location is a consistent 14.5 degrees and heating the vessel would be a challenge (no electricity at the location)

 

Is the whole  brewing process just going to take longer or will nothing happen at all?

Thanks - Steve.

Hi @Steve012 14.5c is way under the desired temp for brewing an Ale ( a Lager for example would be OK ) you really need around 18c minimum to get a Pale Ale & Ale yeast going.

Most Ales are best fermented at 18-20-22c so I am almost certain the yeast will be struggling but it may start but you risk off flavours.

What happens if the fermentation temperature is too low?

If the temperature is too cool, the fermentation will be sluggish, resulting in an opportunity for the growth of contaminants, such as wild yeast and bacteria. 

I would wrap the FV in an old quilt/blanket - anything to try to bring the temp up a bit.

Good Luck.

 

[thebeerpig]

Hi Steve - as far as I know the yeast satchel that comes with the Coopers Pale Ale can contains both an Ale yeast and a Lager yeast. If I'm correct, you should have no problems fermenting it at 14.5 degrees.

[Pale Man]

As Phil mentioned wrap it in a blanket, the process of fermentation creates its own heat. So if you can start off at around 18 degrees, you may be able to kick it off nicely, and the blanket insulation will keep the temp up a bit from ambient. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Hi @Steve012 14.5c is way under the desired temp for brewing an Ale ( a Lager for example would be OK ) you really need around 18c minimum to get a Pale Ale & Ale yeast going.

Most Ales are best fermented at 18-20-22c so I am almost certain the yeast will be struggling but it may start but you risk off flavours.

What happens if the fermentation temperature is too low?

If the temperature is too cool, the fermentation will be sluggish, resulting in an opportunity for the growth of contaminants, such as wild yeast and bacteria. 

I would wrap the FV in an old quilt/blanket - anything to try to bring the temp up a bit.

Good Luck.

 

A bit more information on Pale Ale, I don't endorse the comments on the supplied Coopers Ale yeast however there are some valid points in there.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=802c07cdd69e3e98JmltdHM9MTY1ODM4NDk0NSZpZ3VpZD00MGFlOWNiZi1mYjE0LTQ1ZWYtYjUyNS1iM2FkY2ZlMGQ0NTUmaW5zaWQ9NTM5Mw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=6ae0bbd3-08be-11ed-afed-b85ec33c124e&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9pbGlrZWtpbGxuZXJkcy5jb20vMjAxNi8wMi9pbXByb3ZpbmctY29vcGVycy1hdXN0cmFsaWFuLXBhbGUtYWxlLWV4dHJhY3QtdGluLXRpcHMvIzp-OnRleHQ9Q29vcGVycyUyMGFyZSUyMG5vdCUyMGV4YWN0bHklMjBmb3J0aGNvbWluZyUyMGFib3V0JTIwd2hhdCUyMGtpbmQsbW9yZSUyMGxpdmVseSUyMHllYXN0JTIwZm9yJTIwYSUyMGNvdXBsZSUyMG9mJTIwZG9sbGFycy4&ntb=1

[Pale Man]

16 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

A bit more information on Pale Ale, I don't endorse the comments on the supplied Coopers Ale yeast however there are some valid points in there.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=802c07cdd69e3e98JmltdHM9MTY1ODM4NDk0NSZpZ3VpZD00MGFlOWNiZi1mYjE0LTQ1ZWYtYjUyNS1iM2FkY2ZlMGQ0NTUmaW5zaWQ9NTM5Mw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=6ae0bbd3-08be-11ed-afed-b85ec33c124e&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9pbGlrZWtpbGxuZXJkcy5jb20vMjAxNi8wMi9pbXByb3ZpbmctY29vcGVycy1hdXN0cmFsaWFuLXBhbGUtYWxlLWV4dHJhY3QtdGluLXRpcHMvIzp-OnRleHQ9Q29vcGVycyUyMGFyZSUyMG5vdCUyMGV4YWN0bHklMjBmb3J0aGNvbWluZyUyMGFib3V0JTIwd2hhdCUyMGtpbmQsbW9yZSUyMGxpdmVseSUyMHllYXN0JTIwZm9yJTIwYSUyMGNvdXBsZSUyMG9mJTIwZG9sbGFycy4&ntb=1

Scathing attack there on the Coopers Yeast 

Ive never had a problem with it, and one of my best AG beers was using Coopers Yeast.

What they have written could really appy to all yeasts, depends on where you buy it, and how long you store it before its used.

[Classic Brewing Co]

9 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Scathing attack there on the Coopers Yeast 

Ive never had a problem with it, and one of my best AG beers was using Coopers Yeast.

What they have written could really appy to all yeasts, depends on where you buy it, and how long you store it before its used.

Yeah I agree but a lot of the other information is pretty spot on, Coopers wouldn't put the yeasts on the tin if they weren't going to do the job, as you know a novice just using the Brew Enhancers will still produce a good beer. Once you start upping the recipe ie: grain/extra malt etc 7gms of yeast ain't gunna cut it. 

There was a discussion some time ago that the basic Coopers Ale yeast was very close to US-05 but we probably won't be able to find out.

In closing I have never had a problem with any of Coopers yeasts but 7gm vs 11.5gm makes a whole lot off difference.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Classic Brewing Co

[Pale Man]

1 minute ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Yeah I agree but a lot of the other information is pretty spot on, Coopers wouldn't put the yeasts on the tin if they weren't going to do the job, as you know a novice just using the Brew Enhancers will still produce a good beer. Once you start upping the recipe ie: grain/extra malt etc 7gms of yeast ain't gunna cut it. 

There was a discussion some time ago that the basic Coopers Ale yeast was very close to US-05 but we probably won't be able to find out.

In closing I have never had a problem with any of Coopers yeasts but 7gm vs 11.5gm does a whole lot more.

Totally agree with the amount, my before mentioned brew was using two 7 gram packets.

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, Pale Man said:

Totally agree with the amount, my before mentioned brew was using two 7 gram packets.

Yeah I have used 2 x 7gm packs quite often as you amass a lot of Coopers yeast packets when you are experimenting with other strains, the result is always pleasing & strangely not a yeasty taste in the end result. 

[DavidM]

4 hours ago, Steve012 said:

Hi

With the cooler weather in Sydney at present, I was wondering if it's too cold to brew a simple coopers pale ale (from the can)

The location is a consistent 14.5 degrees and heating the vessel would be a challenge (no electricity at the location)

 

Is the whole  brewing process just going to take longer or will nothing happen at all?

Thanks - Steve.

If you are happy to change Yeast, @BlackSands has had a lot of success using Nottingham Yeast at low temps, for Ale's.

I will be doing that next winter.

[Pints]

4 hours ago, Steve012 said:

Hi

With the cooler weather in Sydney at present, I was wondering if it's too cold to brew a simple coopers pale ale (from the can)

The location is a consistent 14.5 degrees and heating the vessel would be a challenge (no electricity at the location)

 

Is the whole  brewing process just going to take longer or will nothing happen at all?

Thanks - Steve.

Try warm up your water, i often use boiled water, not a lot,  and mix it in the FV with the room temp water. Mix it all together and add little pours of boiling water until you get 22 or 24 on your thermometer. Pitch yeast and wrap FV in blanket so that the temp will drop down very slowly. You should get a nice quick start and the temp will drop to 20 then maybe 18 or lower in 2 or 3 days once initial fermentation is complete. 

[jennyss]

12 hours ago, PintsMeLocal said:

heating the vessel would be a challenge

How about a hot water bottle as an emergency booster to the blanket? 

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 hours ago, jennyss said:

How about a hot water bottle as an emergency booster to the blanket? 

Good idea but ideally you want an even distribution of heat rather than concentrate on one area. A Heat Pad would be better as heat rises upwards throughout the FV.

But as Steve said - no power.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Classic Brewing Co