Fermentation Chamber ready to go

[devils4ever]

Okay. I've got my upright fridge setup for my fermentation chamber using my Johnson controller. I have a Dry Stout recipe using Wyeast Thames Valley yeast. So, what's the proper procedure? Start at 62F or 64F for a few days and then raise to 66F or 68F?

I might do a lager for the first time. What's the procedure for that?

Thanks.

 

[prandlesc]

I've done a lager, but not a dry stout. I moved my wort into my fermenter at 55, pitched a large yeast starter and let it start at 55 for 24 hours. Then I fermented at 52 until the gravity fell to a few points above my expected final gravity - about 2 weeks. I them moved fermentation temp to 65 for three days. Afterward I moved the beer into corny kegs and kept them at 35 for 5 weeks. I dry hopped 10 days before serving. The lager turned out great.

 

[devils4ever]

Anyone else? Info on ale temps?

Also, I can get my wort down to 68F with my IC. Do I put the carboy in the fridge and wait for it to drop before pitching the yeast? Or, pitch right away and let the temp drop over a few hours?

 

[winvarin]

It's better, if you can, to get your wort to 2-4 degrees below your desired temp, pitch, then let the fermentation warm your beer to the desired ferment temp.

You can start warm and try to chill it to ferment temps. I have to do that sometimes with lagers and during the hottest part of the summer if I am in a hurry. The main risk you run there is chilling too fast and sending the yeast into dormancy. You can address this by warming back up a bit. It just increases your lag.

If you have the time an patience, I would try to chill the beer before you add your starter so that you decrease the chance of off flavors from a hot ferment.

Pitch a couple of degrees low, free rise into your ferment range. Then as fermentation begins to slow, bump it up another 3 or 4 degrees. This allows the yeast to attenuate fully, then clean up any off flavors it might have left behind

 

[prandlesc]

Anyone else? Info on ale temps?

Also, I can get my wort down to 68F with my IC. Do I put the carboy in the fridge and wait for it to drop before pitching the yeast? Or, pitch right away and let the temp drop over a few hours?

Fermenting ales in general is easier for me because by basement stays about 65 year round - maybe cooler in summer because the A/C in the house creates cool air that drops into the basement. I ferment ales in the 64 - 68 range, but I've never fermented a dry stout, so that may be different. The yeast you use should have a temp range and that would be a good guide.

I'd get the wort down to pitching temp first and the pitch.

 

[BryceL]

As mentioned before, ideally you want to chill your wort to at or below your fermentation temperature prior to pitching the yeast. I used to have the same problem where my ground water was not cold enough to cool my wort down enough. What I did is used a pond pump and a cooler of ice water and would recirculate that through the immersion chiller. I picked up a pump from home depot for about $30.

 

[mblanks2]

I've done a lager, but not a dry stout. I moved my wort into my fermenter at 55, pitched a large yeast starter and let it start at 55 for 24 hours. Then I fermented at 52 until the gravity fell to a few points above my expected final gravity - about 2 weeks. I them moved fermentation temp to 65 for three days. Afterward I moved the beer into corny kegs and kept them at 35 for 5 weeks. I dry hopped 10 days before serving. The lager turned out great.

Not to hijack this thread, but did the dry hopping cause any clarity issues with your lager?

 

[biestie]

Ales, cool down to at or slightly below the bottom of the temp band for that yeast. Once I see signs of active fermentation (so within about a day), I ramp up a degree or 2 per day until at the top of the temperature band for that yeast.

For lagers, I chill down to about 44ish, when I see signs of fermentation I ramp up t0 50 over a few days. When It's about 2/3 done, I ramp up to mid sixties over a week and leave it there until I get around to kegging. Then lager in the keg for however long the beer calls for, typically a month, higher gravity will lager longer. I'm pretty sure this is about what JZ recommends in brewing classic styles, that's where I got it from.

 

[prandlesc]

Not to hijack this thread, but did the dry hopping cause any clarity issues with your lager?

No, no clarity issues.

 

[mblanks2]

No, no clarity issues.

Great, thanks for the information.

 

[devils4ever]

Things are going well. I placed my stout wort in the chamber set to 64F yesterday. Today the fermentation is calm enough that I don't need my blow off tube. So, I replaced it with my airlock. Nice!

My wort temperature is also about 64F. I don't see any temperature rise. In a day or so, I'll raise it a few degrees.

EDIT: I keep this setup in my garage and it's supposed to get into the 30's tonight. I hope it doesn't get too cold since I don't have anything to heat the chamber. I'm hoping keeping the door closed will keep the heat in! Otherwise, I may need to run out a buy a heating pad or something.

 

[GuyBob]

@devilsforever. What size upright fridge are you using? Also what kind of controller and how much? I've seen controllers used for aquariums. Thanks

 

[devils4ever]

@devilsforever. What size upright fridge are you using? Also what kind of controller and how much? I've seen controllers used for aquariums. Thanks

It's a smallish upright top freezer model in the 14 - 15 cu ft range. I'm using a Johnson A419 controller.

This AM the garage was about 40F but inside the fridge it was about 64F. So, maybe the fermentation is generating enough heat to keep it warm.

I do have a seed germination heat pad. If the temp drops, I could use this to boost the temp during the cold overnight period.

 

[GuyBob]

Interesting. I am looking to get a 4.5 cu ft fridge. I was wondering if a Carboy with a airlock would fit. U want to use that to control my fermenting. I don't have a lot of room to do this.

 

[devils4ever]

Interesting. I am looking to get a 4.5 cu ft fridge. I was wondering if a Carboy with a airlock would fit. U want to use that to control my fermenting. I don't have a lot of room to do this.

You should measure before purchasing. I think this might be a little tight.

 

[GuyBob]

Yea. I will have to. It's gonna be close. Not sure what else I could use due to space. Really don't want to use a cooler with bath water if I don't have to. Any other ideas. Space is a issue right now.

 

[devils4ever]

I put a seed germination heat pad in the fridge this evening to see what would happen. The temperature started to rise right away. A little too fast.

This is a 90 W unit, so I guess this is too much. I'm guessing that I need less than 25 W. Maybe, I can use a light bulb (shielded to not expose the wort to the light)?

Are there any mechanical engineers out there that can calculate this? I know there a lot of variables such as heat loss, outside temp, etc. But, anyone take a shot at this calculation?

 

[Pilotpip]

With an ale, I wouldn't mess with it too much. Worst case fermentation sticks a little. When the temperature rises your yeast will wake back up. I have a lot of trouble with this in the winter. My fermentation chamber is on the cold side of the basement. On a couple brews I've had to move them over by the furnace to let the temp come up a little higher and the bubble started again.

Also remember that fermentation is an exothermic reaction so the temp inside the vessel may be a couple degrees higher. I've done a couple brews with my controller set 2-3 degrees below the low end value and had no ill effects aside from fermentation activity being a little slower and taking a little longer.

I made an Oatmeal Stout with that yeast this past winter with my controller set at 62*. Turned out great.

 

[devils4ever]

Thanks for your experience on this. This morning I saw the fridge temperature at 58F. Hopefully, the wort is at least a few degrees warmer. I'm guessing the fermentation is slowing a bit and not generating as much heat.

Temps are supposed to warm over the next few days, so hopefully this will not be an issue any more.