Brewing in a cold (50-55) basement

[FermentedNovice]

Silly newbie question here: My basement gets pretty chilly in the winter time (I don't currently have any means of controlling my fermentation temps), so I had planned on brewing up a hybrid now that the weather's been cold for awhile. However, I finally got a thermometer to see what the actual temp is in the corner of the basement where I brew...and the temp appears to fluctuate between 50 and 55 degrees, a little colder than I thought it would be. I'm concerned this is too cold for the California Common or German Alt I was planning on brewing per the "optimal" fermentation temps from the package...but also seems a little warm for a lager (I'm guessing -- I've never attempted a lager). Am I overthinking this? Should I just try a hybrid or lager yeast and see how it turns out?

Thanks.

 

[waldoar15]

Some lager yeasts will work in that temp range.

 

[bullinachinashop]

wlp862

 

[ChrisS68]

50-55 is about perfect for most lager yeasts. Go for it!

 

[ArcaneXor]

You are good for lagers if you have some means of actually lagering them post-fermentation. If you can't lager, you can still use lager yeasts, but the beer won't be quite as crisp. It's definitely too cold for ale yeasts without some way to heat up the fermenter, be it a heat lamp, heat blanket or something else. Going much below 62 degrees makes it difficult to work with ale yeasts.

 

[bullinachinashop]

I'm surprised your basement is that cold. I'm 2.5 hours north of you and my basement floor is 62 degrees. For me that is perfect for ales.

If I was as cold as you, I'd build an enclosure around a window area and make a huge lagering room, dampering the window as needed to maintain 50 degrees.

Or, like I said before, WLP862.

Bull

 

[PT Ray]

The past couple months I've been using an ale/lager yeast blend and have been very happy. It really comes into play when you want a yeast that can perform in that gray area and you can choose to lager or finish it like an ale. You can buy a blend our just pitch a lager and ale yeast.

Don't expect the concept to turn out a great ale or lager. It provides a way of blending the two for something different and practical.

 

[FermentedNovice]

Thank you all for the great responses. The area I keep my brew is underneath the basement stairs. No windows, but an old block foundation and plenty of air leaks where the foundation meets the frame make it pretty cold down there (we also keep our house pretty cold this time of year, around 60-64). I'd like to pick up a chest freezer to use for lagering (and of course convert to a keezer down the road), but current budget and space constraints mean that for at least this winter, I'll likely be stuck in this range for a few months with no ability to lager after fermentation.

Bull -- the WL yeast you recommended looks like it has a similar "optimal" fermentation temperature of 55 degrees on the low end as a few other yeasts I was considering, including Wyeast's German Ale yeast, which I was considering for trying a German Alt. However, since my basement space can get as much as four or five degrees below that floor, do you think this will work for me at a few degrees lower, or am I better off fermenting at the "high" end of a lager yeast without actually lagering after fermentation?

Also -- has anyone tried any beers that used lager yeasts without lagering? Any recommendations on a lager yeast and/or a recipe that might produce an interesting beer?

Thanks again for all the newbie help.

 

[KevinM]

While I have no recommendations, I have used a lager yeast like an ale yeast (I'm sure many have). Actually, I didn't quite realize I had used a lager yeast until I looked at the first part of the name afterwards (saflager w-32). Not knowing any better at the time (two months ago), I just used it the same as any of my ales. 4 separate single gallon batches and while I don't have an educated palate to be able to describe, my testers found that they really liked two of them, while two they didn't like quite as much. I had used the same recipe for all 4 so I figure it's temperature variation etc since it was a 68-72 degree location.

They weren't too bad, they had the pale clarity and lighter flavor of a Helles (compared to the ipas that I've been doing). But I know one of them had some estery offtones, slight bubblegum and banana, not highly noticible, but there. Which in retrospect isn't surprising to smell based on my temperatures. (I'm working on reattempting a lager yeast and actually lagering, just as soon as I see if I accidentally infected my last one or not.)

 

[cuart682]

i use my pantry to ferment my beers in and when it gets cold i just put a space heater in there and set it for the temp that i want to ferment my beers at

 

[mlyday]

Nottingham yeast works at that range. Remember the fermentation temp will be higher than the air temp, and a blanket around the bucket will help keep the heat in. I did a cream ale with notingham in a chest freezer with a temp controller set at 56, and it came out really clean tasting. It was one of the best beers I have made.

 

[eelpout]

yea thatsthe range of my basement too, but i just made a box outta that shiney reflective insulation board. just the heat of fermentation keeps it at about 63. got no problems.