Best way to keep your brew between 21-27 Degrees Celcius

Kingp35

Hi guys,

I'm completely new to brewing beer, have been meaning to get into it for a while now and finally got myself the Coopers Micro-Brew kit to give it a go.

It doesn't sound particularily complicated although obviously there is plenty of techniques to learn as I get better.

Anyway main question is what is the best way to keep your brew at the optimal temperature? Living in Ireland you can't just leave it your kitchen because it will get too cold.

I was looking at www.thehomebrewcompany.ie and they have a product called The Electrim 75 Immersion Heater that is supposed to keep the brew at the right temperature. Have any of you used this before or can you recommend me a better product to use?

Also I think that you are supposed to keep your bottled beer at this temperature for a week before you can let it sit in room temperature. How exactly do I manage to keep my bottles at this temperature because the immersion heater is not designed for this.

Thanks in advance, you will be helping out a new home brewer if you could answer my questions!

Kingp35

Oh and I suppose I should ask this question too. Do you actually have to keep your brew bewteen 21-27C. What happens if it goes below this temperature?

I am going to brew a lager that came with the kit.

So any advice on temperatures to keep your brew at would be much appreciated!

_blank_

At this time of the year, any well insulated house shouldn't go below 21 Degrees, I know mine hasn't.

What I do is leave the fermenting beer on a carpeted floor (spare room, but it can stay in a bedroom too, because there is no discernable smell from it), and wrapped in a spare duvet. The yeast creates it's own heat when it's working on the sugars, and the duvet helps keep that heat in the fermenter.

Actually, my first ever brew was done in December and I didn't use a heat pad, just left the fermenter fairly close to a radiator, wrapped in a duvet.

Kingp35

Cheers, I think keeping the fermenting barrel at the right temperature is doable. I have sleeping bags etc I can wrap around it.

Is it true that I have to keep the bottles at that temperature for a week after bottling? I think that is the hard part because it's difficult to wrap 23 bottles in a sleeping bag

Saruman

First off, never let your beer get anywhere near 27 degrees.
In fact the best temp to ferment at is more like 18c. It depends on the beer and what you are trying to achieve in terms of flavour profile but 18c is the optimum for an average beer.

For the actual temperature control itself, well the best way is to use a fridge that has been modified with a temperature control sensor and a heating system in it. That will keep the inside at exactly the right temperature but that is not only an expensive option but also it takes up a lot of space.

The method I use is this. I ferment in my spare bedroom. I have a panel heater in that room which has a remote control thermostat. I set the thermostat on the remote to 18c and stick it beside the fermenter so the heater only comes on when the temp drops below 18c. Perfect in the Winter but in Summer I can't prevent the room from getting too hot.

On bottling, yes the bottles need to be at the same temp as you would ferment in. Just putting them in a cupboard should do it. Also you want to keep them in there for at least 2 weeks and the longer the better.
After 1 week you will have carbonated beer, after two it will be as carbonated as its going to get. At this point you want them to be stored at cellar temperature (14c) to condition.

Again, all of what I said is assuming you are brewing an Ale. A lager is a completely different kettle of fish. Even if you have a lager kit, you are brewing an Ale with ale yeast as Lagering requires precise cold conditioning and fermenting.

noby

Saruman's advise might be a bit of a leap, equipment-wise, for someone doing their first kit, so if I were you I would follow Des's method for now.

A cardboard box can also be used to keep the temperature some way constant.

PhiliousPhogg

I've only made 2 brews to date and I messed up temperature wise with both of them but they weren't ruined and are drinkable. The first was a lager and it went to 27 degrees before I put it in the garage and it gradually went down to around 13, (it's winter here & I initially thought I'd have to heat it).

The second was an ale and I put it on a heating pad with a sleeping bag around it and found to my astonishment it was 37 degrees after a day! I figure the pad was feeding in heat which couldn't escape and it just got warmer and warmer. So I got that down to around 23 after a day or 2.

They're both pretty poor but improving. Both lack flavour but texture is ok, and they both make a pretty decent head on the initial pour but it doesn't hold if pouring into a jug first.

I think a blanket or sleeping bag is a good idea to steady changes in temperature but I wouldn't use one with a heating pad again, either one or the other. When I got the heating pad I was told to wait til the day after brewing before switching it on. Also, people talk about using heaters, electric blankets and putting it in the hot press but I think you run the risk of making it too warm unless you're very careful.

Give it your best shot, you'll learn as you go along. I'm determined to do a better job next time round.

Kingp35

Cheers for the advice lads. I got the Coopers Micro-Brew kit and I am going to use the can of Coopers Lager brew that came with it so it's a lager and not an ale. It says on the instructions that it should be kept between 21-27C so I'll aim for the bottom end of that scale. Sure I'll give it a go and see what happens. I'm bound to mess up the first time anyway

Saruman

Kingp35 wrote: »

Cheers for the advice lads. I got the Coopers Micro-Brew kit and I am going to use the can of Coopers Lager brew that came with it so it's a lager and not an ale. It says on the instructions that it should be kept between 21-27C so I'll aim for the bottom end of that scale. Sure I'll give it a go and see what happens. I'm bound to mess up the first time anyway

No as I said earlier, the Lager kits are not lagers at all. They are ales.

A Lager uses a different type of yeast that is bottom fermenting (as opposed to top for ales). They are also fermented at cool temperatures not possible without some sort of refrigeration or a cool cellar.

Eddieken

Kingp what Saruman said is correct, the kit although it says it's a lager is actually an ale (it comes out lager coloured, nice golden colour).
I would not be too concerned with the heating during the summer, more concerned that the fermenter could get a little too warm, if it does get a clean damp t-shirt and wrap it around the fermenter to cool it, be sure to change the t-shirt every other day to stop mould.
I done the Coopers IPA and their wheat beer a couple of months ago and used this method to cool them and they came out very tasty:D

Happy brewing