Sculpty Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 G'day, Please forgive if this question has been asked before (I tried searching first). I recently moved from Adelaide to Mount Gambier - where it is very cold and getting colder ;-) I am having trouble keeping my bottles at a temperature where the secondary fermentation can take place. I therefore have 2 questions please... - Any suggestions for space and energy efficient ways of keeping bottles warm for a week or two? - Will the yeast have any problems getting started again once the bottles get up to temp... should I shake them or anything? Thanks so much. PS, I've been brewing for about 8 years, but I have had a spell of 5 years where I have not done any... just started up again and finding all sorts of new challenges due to the location. I still have loads to learn. On ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 G'day Andrew - Welcome [biggrin] I tend to keep my beers in the living area and kitchen cupboards for a couple of weeks when the weather is cold. But I'm in Sydney and it doesn't get too cold here. Have you got an indoor hot water heater? If so kee the bottles near it to keep them warm. If you have an old fridge (working or not) you could use it as a warm box using a lamp in a terracotta pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sculpty Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Cheers for the quick reply Muddy Waters. Yeah... no hot areas at all, only gas heating in family room... I have all the bottles in front of the heater at the moment and the wife isn't all that happy about it (fair enough too - it is a bit of a hurdle to jump over on the floor). I'm trying to find some styrene boxes to store them in but no luck yet. Night times it gets around 5-7 degrees at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 If you're really keen and you have the space you could build a foam lined box or cupboard (or get a broken fridge) and use, as I mentioned earlier, a light globe in a terracotta pot. Or a reptile heater or something. A good way to control the temp is to use on of THESE which are great for brewing and would suit a bottle conditioning box. Most people use them for controlling their brewing fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sculpty Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 That temp unit looks quite good and is really cheap for what it does. Hmmm, might have to explore some options. - I'll have another (quite flat - cough) stout and think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewF111 Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I have the same problem at the moment, my botles are not warm enough. been 3 weeks, had a taste last night. poured well but head dissapeared. tasted like it was'nt finished 2nd ferm. is the brew salvageable if i get the temps up? it is my second brew, coopers pale ale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Yep, it may take a bit longer to carbonate but the beer will be fine. It'll need longer in the bottle for a better head too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 $20 Fish Tank heater (variable) $10 plastic/crate tub Enough water to satisfy the depth needed to cover the heater sufficiently, or no heater, use hot water bottles and insulate your storage area/crates with blankets. Cheap single bed electric blanket? Not exactly efficient but kept on lowest setting and a timer switch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sculpty Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 Cheers for the replies - I will have to do something (electric blanket idea seems the easiest as long as I can find a cheap/old one somewhere) as I am planning some very ritzy brews coming up! For the moment the gas heater seems to have done the trick... covering up the bottles over night with a thick blanket has helped as well. Cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Saw single bed elec. blanket for $19 @K-Mart today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Electric blankets are pretty dangerous and are a major fire hazard - I'd look at another method if I were you [rightful] ...and stay in school [tongue] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sculpty Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 Point taken M.W. Electric blankets are especially dangerous when old (wires become weak and frayed from wok hardening over the years) and when folded/coiled... as they generate hot spots. I will keep this in mind if I go down that road. As far as staying in school goes... I plan to as I am a high school teacher [ninja] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewF111 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 thanks for the great info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyA2 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I've just found moving my bottles from the spare bathroom to the kitchen cupboard next to the dishwasher seems to have partially solved the same problem for me. Run the dishwasher in the evening and the warmth overnight helps stop the bottles getting too cold. The spare bathroom was the only relatively cool spot for summer but definitely too cold for winter in Melbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigsALE Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 If you're really keen and you have the space you could build a foam lined box or cupboard (or get a broken fridge) and use' date=' as I mentioned earlier, a light globe in a terracotta pot. Or a reptile heater or something. A good way to control the temp is to use on of THESE which are great for brewing and would suit a bottle conditioning box. Most people use them for controlling their brewing fridge. So do these temp control units just act like thermostats and turn on the fridge motor as soon as the temp gets too high. Isn't the fridge temp controller accurate enough. I guess it isn't going to help in my broken fridge which does not cool but has great seals still in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Craig - Yep they switch off or turn on the power to the fridge or heat source when the temp gets outside your set range. The average fridge thermostat doesn't have the kind of controls to give you a range suitable for brewing as food is stored a fair bit lower than even the coldest lager would be brewed at. You'd have even less chance of setting it at an ale temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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