What Temps are TOO Low to Ferment?

[thepudgeman]

I am working on my first batch (an American Brown Ale) I have been keeping my fermentation at about 65 deg. F for the first week. Outside temperatures have dropped into the single digits and now I am struggling to keep it at about 60 deg. F. This is at the very low end of the temp. range that my yeast packet said it would accept, so I am concerned that the yeast will go dormant.

I have kept a blanket over the fermentor to insulate it the whole time fermentation has been going. I just moved it to a warmer room in hopes of raising the temp back up. Fingers Crossed.

The questions still stands.

At what point in the temperature range should we start getting seriously concerned that our yeast has gone dormant and stopped fermenting?

Secondly...

At what low point in the temperature range will the yeast continue to ferment but just take longer to finish.

Caveat... I don not have a Hydrometer, so I do not have an original gravity to compare to.

 

[renegade]

I just dealt with this myself.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/sometimes-you-need-improvise-446498/

 

[twistr25]

Get a hydrometer for sure, even if you don't know the OG, you need that to determine the beer is finished fermenting to avoid too sweet and bottle bombs. It all depends on the type of yeast. If you are more than 5 degrees, just guessing, below the recommended range, I would say you are in danger of them going dormant. Typically, you can move it to a warmer area and just swirl the bucket a little to rouse them up.

 

[progmac]

generally speaking, i would worry if my carboy thermometer was reading lower than 60 for an ale unless it was a specialized yeast. when you get below 65, it is very important to be patient.

in this particular case, since fermentation is probably almost done, i would go ahead and shoot the temperature up to 70+ by whatever means necessary for a week or so. then put it in the coldest part of your house for conditioning.

 

[thepudgeman]

Get a hydrometer for sure, even if you don't know the OG, you need that to determine the beer is finished fermenting to avoid too sweet and bottle bombs.

Ok, so what reading on a hydrometer should I be looking for if i never took the OG to determine finished fermentation?

 

[renegade]

Ok, so what reading on a hydrometer should I be looking for if i never took the OG to determine finished fermentation?

My guess would be between 1.010 and 1.015

Edit- Tell us what the recipe is and yeast you used, we should be able to give you a guess as to where it should finish

 

[Ster]

I believe that yeast had a very wide range of temps where they will do their thing. Outside the recommended temps will cause off flavors.

I ferment around 60, but I am sure it gets a little under that. Results have been excellent so far. Just keep as close to 60 as possible for the first 3-4 days. After that the bulk of rapid fermentation is over and the temp affect on taste will not be nearly as noticable.

 

[thepudgeman]

I used the brown ale extract kit from the Beer Nut in SLC...

6lbs. Bries Light Malt Extract
Unknown Specialty Grains
1 oz. Unknown hop pellets at 60 min.
1 oz. Willamette Hop Pellets at 15 min.
11.5 g safale us-05 yeast

 

[beertroll]

I can echo Ster's experience. The stout that's currently in my glass lived in a 58 degree basement and it fermented quite vigorously.

 

[Cyclman]

Keg bucket, aquarium heater, water bath...problem solved for not much $$$. Just use a good thermometer to be sure the heater is calibrated.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

If you were at 65F during the first week, your great. Even so S05 can handle 58-72 or something crazy like that...so even at 60 your fine...

Like the others said, check the wort and see what gravity you get, if its in the 1.014 or lower range than your golden and should bring it into a warmer room and let it get up to 70ish to finish any work its got then bottle!

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

My personal experience is that US-05 likes things a little on the warmer scale. Nottingham doesn't seem to mind upper 50s at all, but the 05 just seems to crawl unless it's in the mid to upper 60s. Just my experience though.