Room temperature?

[568ml]

So what is room temperature?

The way we know it is time to put on a jumper is when the nutella is hard.

We live in a 120 year old end off terrace house, oop north. At the most we fire up the central heating to heat the room we are in, just to take the chill that the jumper can't do. When it is right brrr we got a wood burner that heat the front room well and cosy.

Compared to our friends and family houses. I know that we must be running at a cooler temp, because when we visit I strip down, nono not that much, to shorts and t-shirts even in the deepest darkest winters.

So do you think that it would be wise to put on an Blonde Ale about now. Since I read that it need a temp about 18-20c. I don't have access to heating or cooling equipment, just the bog standard Coopers DIY kit. No funds to invest in more gear atm. It's either beer or equipment. We don't often heat the rooms we are in for long periods, to keep a constant temp.

 

[Just]

Room temp for fermentation is as you say somewhere between 18-22 depending on the exact brew. If you can't keep a bucket in an area that can maintain that temp for a week or two you'd be best holding off until the spring. I've got a fridge with a tube heater, so if you have a cupboard you could do similar and pipe heaters are not mega bucks. A cheaper alternative could be a plate warmer off ebay and wrap it around the bucket, less precise but very cheap and easy.

 

[dbg400]

I use an aquarium heater, but not directly in the FV. I have the FV sat in a 40L garden trug/tub with the heater in the trug. That has no problem keeping the whole lot within 1C of the target temp. The only time I had trouble is with a recent Young's New World Saison kit that wanted to be between 25 -32C, and maintaining 28C was a bit too much for the one heater. As I have two similar setups I just stuck in a second heater. I do all the brewing in the garage, and it can get pretty cold, so the extra heating is needed. I had the first heater anyway, but was pleased enough with results to get a second 50W one which was just over £7. I use it with a small pump to keep the water circulating and save getting any hot spots, though it probably isn't necessary. The pump, heater & trug only cost (£20) about the same as a brew belt, and maintains the temperature better. It's a bit more faff, as you have to syphon off the water in the trug first, but I've got used to that now!

 

[568ml]

Thanks, I will try to find a spare £20. I have read about the bucket and fish tank heater. The next problem is to find a bucket that is big enough to take the FV (mines got a tap) and small enough to fit into the "brewery" corner of the kitchen.

 

[MyQul]

Thanks, I will try to find a spare £20. I have read about the bucket and fish tank heater. The next problem is to find a bucket that is big enough to take the FV (mines got a tap) and small enough to fit into the "brewery" corner of the kitchen.

I 've got a similar set up to the piccy's above except I have the opposite problem an ave to use ice bottles because even now in november my flat is in the mid 20's

Anyway get a 23L fermenter from wilko for a tenner and it'll fit into the 40L trug bucket - you'll just need a syphon to get the beer out

 

[baggybill]

Nice pics DBG :thumb:

Where do folks get those 40l trugs? Do Wilkos do them?

 

[MyQul]

Nice pics DBG :thumb:

Where do folks get those 40l trugs? Do Wilkos do them?

B&Q 4 quid

 

[rodwha]

There's a fellow here who brews in 2.5 gal (~10L) Mr Beer fermentors. He has moved his family into the in-laws house, and so space is limited. What he did was used some wood that he had to build a frame and bought insulation to build a box sized to work nicely with two of these. He had a small fan and bought a thermostat. Down here the problem is heat so he uses a bottle of frozen water to cool this box and it works. I see no reason a light bulb used to heat wouldn't do the same thing.

If you are handy you can make it look nice and use the top to store some of your brewing gear.

Maybe you can find old crates or wooden pallets that nobody wants.

 

[rodwha]

Maybe scratch the wooden pallet idea as SWMBO just told me they are generally treated with something that's not good to breathe in your home.

I'm not sure you'd even really need insulation though as long as it's all sealed up and kept indoors.

 

[568ml]

rodwha: Yes you can cook a whole chicken with a 100w light bulb, in a well insulated box, it just takes its time but.

 

[dbg400]

I 've got a similar set up to the piccy's above except I have the opposite problem an ave to use ice bottles because even now in november my flat is in the mid 20's

Anyway get a 23L fermenter from wilko for a tenner and it'll fit into the 40L trug bucket - you'll just need a syphon to get the beer out

Wilko FVs are under £8 at present, with their 20% discount on home brew stuff :) Just picked one up last week.

This is the 50W heater I bought - copes fine with the volume of the FV + the water in the trug. Used with this pump I get consistent even temps :)

 

[rodwha]

Quite frankly I think just building a frame and covering with a sheet or blanket would likely be plenty enough to hold the heat of a light bulb inside of your home. Just ensure the bulb is far enough away so as not to combust the blanket!

 

[alby]

just use a yeast that can live with hard nutella conditions

as its a blonde IPA, either US-05 or Nottingham both will do the biz down to 15oC just fine, in fact for blondes like this I much prefer to ferment cooler, ok its going to take a few days longer for primary (at most) but then there's less, if any cleaning up to do so less work in conditioning/maturing

I say keep your jumpers on and throw a blanket over the fermenter after 4 days or so

 

[568ml]

Thanks all.

This is the Blonde I'm playing to have a go at.

1.7kg Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale
1.5kg Thomas Coopers Wheat Malt Extract
500g Light Dry Malt
25g Motueka Hop Pellets
25g Vic Secret Hop Pellets
One sachet of BRY-97 (or Ale yeast of your choice)
Coopers Carbonation Drops

Got all the gubbins, just need to set it off. I think I will wrap it up nice and warm and see how it goes.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

Room temp is about 16oC...Strange you might think...that's way too low. Just take a few minutes and walk around your house and check it out, now obviouslsly (sp ) are going to think you are a total loon, But at 16oC you will feel comfortabale

 

[568ml]

Yup that is what I think, too many places here in the UK just boils. For me room temp is what ever the room temp is when I walk into that room, even if the heating or windows have been open all day.

The pour red hot radiators that just jump and dance on the wall. For some reason it is normal when the temp outside goes below 15c it to ramp up the indoor temps to 25-30c. I know having worked as a delivery person who had to do call back at night to collect money. Nearly all houses I called back at, I was hit by a wall of heat, just like when you open up the oven to check on your hot crust buns and forget to move your head away.

Many of my friend in Holland and Denmark has the thermostat set at 18-19c and only heat the room they are in. Since we do not have a thermometer and use jumpers. I wondered what the link was between room temp and prime brewing temp and if I needed to put a jumper/heater on the FV.