George J Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Just put down an original series lager last weekend. Unfortunately, the temperature here has dropped and the brew has been ranging between 12 and 18 degrees since Monday. I do not have a brewing fridge or heat pad, and am not in a position to invest in one yet. SWMBO will hit the roof if I spend any more funds on brewing! [lol] From what I have read on the forum, I understand that the cooper's yeast supplied with the kit is probably a blend of lager and ale yeasts. am I correct? if there is a lager yeast in there, then i probably don't have to worry about the temp dropping below 18, right? I also have another Lager brewing in the same shed with a Saflager S-23 and that one is bubbling along happily.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 The coopers hybrid yeast should be ok down to about 15C can you wrap it in a blanket or something to keep it a bit warmer. Keep and eye on it and take a hydro reading to make sure the gravity is dropping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George J Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 yep, it is wrapped in a blanket and that is maintaining the temp for the past 2 days at about 16 degrees. i'm heading out of town for the easter weekend and the weather is expected to get colder so I am concerned about it because I will not be around to keep an eye on it. Will take a hydro reading tonight to see if there is any change and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Tell SWMBO the more you drink the more you save. Women should understand this logic. Women will argue the more they buy shoes on sale, the more they save. Same deal. A heat belt on Ebay is about $30. It will pay for itself in a couple of brews. Just remember to keep drinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS2 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I normally wrap the fermenter with a electric blanket when it gets too cold. Once fermentation kicks off I turn off the blanket but leave it wrap. And give it a boost each day for one hour. Only have issues with low temps in Auckland in mid winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Electric Blankets are a bit of a fire trap Brian - I'd be cautious using that method [rightful] George you could just build a simple insulated box and use a reptile heater, heat belt or pad, or hot water bottles to heat the box. Cheap and cheerful [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George J Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 hahahah.. so true Anthony. but when have you experienced logic when trying to compare shoe shopping to anything else with women! just the other day she sorted her shoe cupboard. i dont think i have owned that many shoes in all my 30 years of life!![pinched] i'm scared to use an electric blanket for the same reason as Muddy says.. my brewing is done on a wooden bench in a wooden garage where I stock my firewood! [lol] for now I have used my old motorcycle jacket's inner to wrap the fermenter. those inners are really warm. the insulated box is an idea.. or maybe I could use an old chilly bin if the size is right. might do that once I am back home on Monday. thanks for the idea Muddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George J Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 forgot to mention, the SG has dropped to 1016 from 1039 in 5 days. I guess it will take longer to get to FG because of the colder weather? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 A chilly bin would be perfect George. I didn't mention that as most people don't have one big enough [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 The OS lager kit gets an ale yeast best between 68-72F. But some of the folks on homebrewtalk.com have taken it down to low-mid 60's (F) with good results. Just take a little longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George J Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Checked the SG last night and it is at 1013 @ 16 degrees. I have got the same reading for 3 days now at the same temp. So, I moved the fermenter into the dining room since that is the warmest room in the house. This morning the temp is up to 18 degrees. I might leave it inside for another week before bottling. Or do you guys suggest racking to secondary today and leaving it for a week? (i prefer bottling from primary but if someone can advise why secondary would be better, I am willing to give it a go. The samples for testing are quite cloudy so I am sure there is still quite a bit if yeast in suspension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Just leave it in primary George - You wont get any benefits from racking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George J Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Ta, Muddy. I was hoping you'd say that. I don't want to go through the added stress of racking it.. too lazy, u know? [lol] Btw, I tasted one of my Irish stouts last night.. bee-u-t-ful! still not exactly like Guiness, but getting there. also too much carbonation. I should have used 1 carb drop in each bottle instead of 2 drops. Also, how long would SafLager S-23 take to ferment at about 16 degrees? its been 14 days since pitching, SG is 1010 and extremely cloudy samples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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