Properly measuring temperature..

[NickW]

Hi again guys, sorry for yet another post.. but I've got so many questions qhizzing around in my brain!

My brews are being kept in an airing cupboard, with a soon to arrive oil radiator that will regulate temperature to whatever I set it, preferably 22degrees or something similar.

Am I right in thinking that if the surrounding area around my bins is 22degrees, my cider/beer/wine within the fermenting bin willregulate to that same temperature - or am I missing something here?

Cheers guys! :

crE

 

[BrewStew]

actually your beer will be a couple of degrees higher than ambient, as the yeast generates heat itself while doing it's thing.

i'd be very careful about doing that if i were you :?

 

[A T]

I use a lightbulb in a cupboard hooked up to a thermostat. I find setting it to 17 or 18 degrees leaves the beer fermenting just lovely

 

[Aleman]

I have found that regulating the 'room' temperature is not very successful at maintaining a set (stable) fermentation temperature in the FV. On one occasion I have measured a temperature difference of 5C between the 'set' value (22C) and the fermenting beer (27C) . . . more than enough to ruin the beer. . . . . I have seen a thermobox FV where the wort temperature was well over 30C, from an 18C ambient. . . . it is very easy to over do heating

One of the most important factors you can control in brewing the the wort fermentation temperature . . . the more stable you have that, the better your beer (and more reproducible from batch to batch).

I measure the temperature in the wort and cool the wort directly . . . The FV is insulated from the surroundings

 

[Vossy1]

I do as Aleman now for the same reasons he stated, but when I first started brewing I used a lightbulb as A T does.

The results with the light bulb and thermostat were always very drinkable, nothing wrong with them to be honest.
I think for a newbie to brewing your radiator will do you just fine :thumb:

You can always look at fine tuning your set up at a later date.

If however you want to be able to control the internal temp of an fv and have some spare cash....ask away

 

[NickW]

Some interesting replies!

Does the same apply when brewing cider and wine? i.e - the brew will be a few degrees higher than the external temperature??

My thermometer in the airing cupboard reads pretty much between 20-24degrees as far as I can see..

Is this bad? If so... what should my average temperature be? :S

Let me know, as I dont want to ruin my cider :shock:

Cheers! :

 

[BrewStew]

i've personally found that my beer/cider sits 2 or three degrees above room temp.

if you set your room temp at 18'c then i think that's a safer bet. at least then you know your yeast wont go and hybernate and drop out of suspension, but at the same time, wont make a diacyl (sp?) flavour, or worse, over heat.

 

[NickW]

Got you, so you'd recommend around 18'c for both beer and cider.

It's just my kit says "store in a warm place between 20'c and 25'c) - but this is not the case?

Also - what diacyl?

 

[Vossy1]

crE have a look here http://www.bjcp.org/faults.php

 

[BrewStew]

Got you, so you'd recommend around 18'c for both beer and cider.

It's just my kit says "store in a warm place between 20'c and 25'c) - but this is not the case?

Also - what diacyl?

i've had kits that said "leave in warm place like and airing cupboard" before. that's just crazy talk in my opinion. some airing cupboards get hotter than 30'c which would kill your yeast.

such generic and unspecific terms are begging failure... which is a shame. because most brewers, like you and me, start out with those kind of kits, and it puts off brewers before they've had a decent chance!

 

[NickW]

Have turned the temperature right down a couple of degrees below 20, thanks guys :)

crE :

 

[NickW]

Hi guys,

I've just started my second wine kit, a more expensive fancy red shiraz - but again it's saying store between 20'c and 25'c (22'c for optimum effect)

Surely they wouldnt be tellnig me this if it could ruin the brew??

:wha:

 

[Aleman]

Surely they wouldnt be tellnig me this if it could ruin the brew??

Red wines can be fermented at slightly higher temperatures . . . certainly no higher than 25C (Measured in the brew not room temperature) . . .. Whites should be fermented somewhat cooler between 16 and 18C.

Chris Hogg at Hamstead Homebrew did a series of experiments when he was setting up the winery, and concluded that with his yeast reds should be fermented at a room temp of 21C and white wines at 18C . . . . And his wines are very nice :)

 

[NickW]

Thanks aleman great quote!

So wines will still ferment at a couple of degrees higher than the outside temperature?

 

[MEB]

I use an AC unit(cos i had one) in a chamber i have built. My main issues out here in NZ is keeping things cool enough. The AC unit keeps the ambient temp at 18 and my FV's are about 2-3 degrees C warmer. Once the fermentation has almost stopped the FV's start coming down to 18C. It's not perfect but it works for me and cost me nothing to build apart from a days work.

I'll probably change this to directly cooling the wort in time. But for me at this stage, it's perfectly adequate.

 

[Aleman]

So wines will still ferment at a couple of degrees higher than the outside temperature?

The process of fermentation is an exothermic one (ie It generates heat), how much higher than ambient depends on how much liquid is fermenting and how well insulated the FV is.

 

[Rabmaxwell]

I have alway's used a light bulb for heating my fermenter works for me.The most important thing i find what ever you use to heat & cool the probe must be placed in the fermenting wort for accuracy

 

[ciderman]

Good evening to everyone on the forum, :thumb:

I have just racked off a young brew buddy 40pt cider kit. The instructions say to leave the barrel in a temp of 20 to 25 degrees for four days, I have measured the temp in my kitchen which is approx 18 or 19 degrees. :wha: Also the instructions say that after 4 days like this, the barrel should be moved to a cool place. What do they mean by "cool"? Is this normal practise, :hmm: as i don't want to ruin my brew at this late stage.

Any advice appreciated as always,

Thanks,

Ciderman.

 

[A T]

You're kitchen is perfect if it's constantly at that temperature but personally i'd leave it at that for 10 days

 

[ciderman]

Thanks for the advice AT. Do I still need to leave the barrel in a "cool" place for four days, after this ten day period in my Kitchen? or do I just leave the barrel where it is? :wha:

Ciderman