Kevin Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Paul, can you advise which is the best way to keep a brew warm enough in these coming cooler months? I have just bought a heating belt. Is that a better option than a heating pad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 I use a heat pad but I don't sit the fermenter directly on it because it's not a great idea to warm the yeast sediment. I stand the heat pad up located next to the fermenter wall and run a timer switch to control temp. A better option would be to have the whole lot inside an insulated box or old fridge and use an air conditioner thermostat (or the like) to control temp more accurately. The brew belt will work okay, it's fairly low wattage and may need some form of insulation to help keep the temp on cold days/nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Thanks for your quick reply, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Just brew with a real lager yeast to get up your lager stocks for summer. That way you won't need to worry about a heat pad. They'll go down to 12C or so. Just make sure the temp is constant, and remember that the lower temp means that fermentation will be slower. The Cooper's Pilsner and Bavarian Lager come with a true lager yeast. Paul, as the Pale Ale and Heritage Ale are an ale/lager yeast blend, is it OK to brew these down to the low to mid teens. (i.e. will it work?) Do any of the other brews come with lager yeast or ale and lager mix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Yes it will work...it will be a different brew to the intended character of the final beer. To help attenuation you might want to get the dry yeast started in a mini-wort before pitching into the main wort. Brewmaster Selection Pilsener and International Series Bavarian Lager have 100% lager yeast. International Series Australian Pale Ale and Premium Selection (Sparkling Ale, Australian Bitter, Traditional Draught and Heritage Lager) have ale/lager yeast blends. Having said that I wouldn't be so motivated to brew the Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale at low temps because their intended style really asks for those fruity esters achieved at temps above 18C. As for the others, I'll certainly be brewing them through Winter, so give 'em a go!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Great, thanks for that, Paul. You're right about it probably being a bad idea to brew the ales at a lower temp due to it buggering up the flavour profile. Might give it a miss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Of course it could give you something truly special..... Cheers, Greg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bricka Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 i was wondering how would a heat belt in a fridge work for heating as it will be in a isolated area... can this still work?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 If the fridge is operating you would probabty need to rig a thermostat up to keep temp constant. Since the fridge is such a good insulator and fermentation generates heat - the heat belt may not need to do much. Someone else out there may have some first hand experience with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bricka Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 yer so if the fridge works just ust the thermastat in the fridge if not just use either a heat pad or heat belt?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 If you want thermostatic control - you will probably need to rig up a thermostat with a wider temperature range than the fridge thermostat. I reckon you should be able to get something suitable from Dick Smith Electronics or similar store...some Home Brew Stores may be able to help you out also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil S. Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 I’ve heard, and read here, that I should not sit the fermenter directly on my heater pad because it's not a great idea to warm the yeast sediment, and yet the pads appear to be designed to sit the fermenter on. What happens to the yeast sediment or presumably can go wrong if it is warmed ie the fermenter is sat directly on the heat pad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 8 hours ago, Phil S. said: I’ve heard, and read here, that I should not sit the fermenter directly on my heater pad because it's not a great idea to warm the yeast sediment, and yet the pads appear to be designed to sit the fermenter on. What happens to the yeast sediment or presumably can go wrong if it is warmed ie the fermenter is sat directly on the heat pad? Hey Phil, I am guessing, and only guessing here. This could end up heating the yeast cake and therefore the yeasts cells rapidly declining into death and basically spewing their insides up. This can create some pretty funky tastes to beers. And not good funk either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 (edited) Talk about resurrecting an old thread...14 years! But yeah I think the captain is pretty much on the money there. The pads might be designed that way but it doesn't make it a good design, at least not for brewing anyway. Edited June 12, 2019 by Otto Von Blotto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab Cat Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 I'm 2nd guessing...yeast have a given range of working temperatures. So heat directly applied to the the bottom heats the yeast first and is likely to cause it to get too warm, before any noticeable change in wort temp is achieved. Depends how cold the wort was to begin with though. I was loaned a pad and without a fridge, it was pretty ineffective. In a fridge just laid up against a wall, it would probably work well. I just use a pan of warm or hot water. For ales this time of year, I don't need to adjust temp much it's pretty stable even without the fridge on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Talk about resurrecting an old thread...14 years! I wonder if this old thread got picked up accidentally? There's a new one on the same topic that's now drifting down the topic list... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 I figured that's probably what happened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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