AlexM15 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi guys, Its getting very cold here over night (1-2 degrees) at the moment so i have to have a heat belt on my brew. It seems to hold around 26-28 degrees. Just wondering what people do if they need to ferment at a lower temp (like lagers). Can i put something in between the belt and the fermenter to stop so much heat getting through? I think if i dont run the belt it will get too cold... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ3 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi Alex, I just put mine on a plug in timer and keep and eye on it. At the moment I have my belt heat for about 5 hours a night (8-10 degrees here at night ). Also my fermenting vessel is in a fridge that is off but used like an esky to insulate. You will get some other responses to tell you to splash out on a fridge with a STC controller, this is probably the best way to control temps and your brews will be better for it, if you have spare space and $$$.[pinched] [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ3 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Also, if you are using the Coopers Kit yeast 26-28 is at the upper end, I brew mine with this yeast 18-20. The lager kits don't all use lager yeast either, Orig series lager uses ale yeast, I think euro lager is either lager or have heard people say its a mix, on the instructions with the can there is a special section for euro lager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilboBaggins Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hey Mark, I've been waiting for one of your posts to pop up again so I could congratulate you on your signature line. [cool] Alex, if you don't have space for a fridge, definitely get one of those cheap timers for your heat belt so you can space out the bursts of heat you're giving your brew. I ferment a few degrees higher than most of the lads on this forum, but 26-28 is too high bud. What I used to do in the times before my fridge was set one of those little wheel timers to come on for one hour, then off for two etc, and adjust the intervals according to the time of the year. But yeah mate, get a fridge. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Get a fridge [rightful] Sorry, just fulfilling the prophecy from an earlier post [innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ3 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hey Mark, I've been waiting for one of your posts to pop up again so I could congratulate you on your signature line. Cool Thanks Phil, if you google beer quotes there are hundreds, that one took my fancy and seemed appropriate[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi guys, Its getting very cold here over night (1-2 degrees) at the moment so i have to have a heat belt on my brew. It seems to hold around 26-28 degrees. Just wondering what people do if they need to ferment at a lower temp (like lagers). Can i put something in between the belt and the fermenter to stop so much heat getting through? I think if i dont run the belt it will get too cold... Hey Alex Order yourself one of these, fix the probe to the side of the FV with the elastic from a pair of undies and plug your heat belt into the unit. While your waiting for it to arrive slide your heat belt up higher on the FV. Your wort is mainly water (not a good conductor of heat) and relies on convection heating (cooling) if you heat it at the top it won't get as hot. So the higher up the FV, relative to the level of your wort, the cooler your wort will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guest1525228310 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi guys, Its getting very cold here over night (1-2 degrees) at the moment so i have to have a heat belt on my brew. It seems to hold around 26-28 degrees. Just wondering what people do if they need to ferment at a lower temp (like lagers). Can i put something in between the belt and the fermenter to stop so much heat getting through? I think if i dont run the belt it will get too cold... Get one of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexM15 Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi guys, Its getting very cold here over night (1-2 degrees) at the moment so i have to have a heat belt on my brew. It seems to hold around 26-28 degrees. Just wondering what people do if they need to ferment at a lower temp (like lagers). Can i put something in between the belt and the fermenter to stop so much heat getting through? I think if i dont run the belt it will get too cold... Hey Alex Order yourself one of these, fix the probe to the side of the FV with the elastic from a pair of undies and plug your heat belt into the unit. While your waiting for it to arrive slide your heat belt up higher on the FV. Your wort is mainly water (not a good conductor of heat) and relies on convection heating (cooling) if you heat it at the top it won't get as hot. So the higher up the FV, relative to the level of your wort, the cooler your wort will be. That looks like a good idea, cheers. I'll slide the belt up for now and that should help. I'd love a fridge but my wife will cut off one of my fingers if i put a fridge in the house, and i'd rather not take up room in the shed. I guess the higher temp is why my brew fully ferments in a matter of 4 days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrewingBenny Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 I bought one of the thermostat controllers like scottie put up a link to. It worked brilliant for the fridge at lower temps whilst cold crashing, but I now use the heat setting on a heat mat to keep the bottles warm at 19c. I guess the fridge is a luxury but as for using it on the belt, I think as myself being a new brewer it is a cheap effective way to make better beers and you wouldn't be brewing in those high temp ranges. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 Another way to reduce the brew temp is to possibly reduce the setting on the heat belt so it doesn't get so hot in the first place. Of course, that's if the heat belt has a setting that allows this. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexM15 Posted May 26, 2013 Author Share Posted May 26, 2013 I bought one of the thermostat controllers like scottie put up a link to. It worked brilliant for the fridge at lower temps whilst cold crashing' date=' but I now use the heat setting on a heat mat to keep the bottles warm at 19c. I guess the fridge is a luxury but as for using it on the belt, I think as myself being a new brewer it is a cheap effective way to make better beers and you wouldn't be brewing in those high temp ranges. Good Luck. [/quote'] Bought one of these last night, should help out a lot. I know all beers are different but what sort of temp do most people brew at if 27 is too high? Say for the IPA i just brewed? or the English bitter and SMOTY i'm about to brew? Is there advantages to having a lower temp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 All beers and yeast are different but if you want a rule of thumb then ferment ales between 18-20 degrees. Not a big deal if you go a couple of degrees higher. Higher temps produce more esters in the beer and can result in some funky flavours. Extremely high temps can cause production of fusel alcohol. That it is the hot alcohol taste that gives you filthy headaches. Getting your temps under control, regardless of how you do it, is the kindest thing you can do for your beer and their little yeasty friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexM15 Posted May 26, 2013 Author Share Posted May 26, 2013 All beers and yeast are different but if you want a rule of thumb then ferment ales between 18-20 degrees. Not a big deal if you go a couple of degrees higher. Higher temps produce more esters in the beer and can result in some funky flavours. Extremely high temps can cause production of fusel alcohol. That it is the hot alcohol taste that gives you filthy headaches. Getting your temps under control, regardless of how you do it, is the kindest thing you can do for your beer and their little yeasty friends. Thanks, that makes sense. I'll make sure i get the temps down from where they are now. So about 20 would be ok for the english bitter and the SMOTY that i want to do? I don't suppose there is a chart with rough guides for different types of beers? Or does it change with the yeast brand/type too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 Hey Alex As Hairy says 20'C will be OK for the Coopers Kit Ale yeast. When you start using special yeasts just check he manufacturers specs, if buying online from Craft Brewer they list the specs on line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I don't suppose there is a chart with rough guides for different types of beers? Or does it change with the yeast brand/type too? I haven't seen one but generally as Hairy said, ale you ferment around 18-20C. Lagers are around 10-12C (these are bit more in depth as well). I'm not sure if the yeast brand makes much difference, but it is dependent on whether it is an ale or lager strain. It's also dependent on what kind of flavours you're going for. If, for example, you want a fruity English ale you might ferment it around 22C to get the fruity esters from the yeast. If you want a clean tasting American pale ale you might ferment it at 17-18C. There are a million things you can do, but the key is whatever temp you ferment at, to keep it as stable as you can. The yeast are much happier at stable temps than temps which fluctuate all over the place. And 20C is all good for the SMOTY and EB brews[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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