Fermentation temperature

[Luke1993]

Hi I have just started my first home brew kit which is razorback IPA. I have it fermenting in my airing cupboard and the temperature is reading between 16 and 18 degrees which is lower than the temperature stated in the instructions. Will it still ferment properly at this temperature and are there any time differences I should allow?

Thanks for taking the time to read, no smart ass or unhelpful comments please.

 

[peebee]

It'll ferment just fine at those temperatures. Some might even prefer to ferment at those temperatures (fermentation can be "cleaner", another word for "tasteless", and may be marginally slower). Personally I prefer 18-21C, but that is only personal preference.

Sorry though; I am a "smart ass". But it is tricky to type with these hooves.

 

[Sandimas]

In my experience, if you ferment below 18C with a yeast that is meant to be 18C and above then you are risking a stuck fermenttion, where the brew starts OK (possibly due to the increase in temp that occurs in the first few days of fermentation) then runs out of steam before it's finished, around the 1020 mark. It won't always happen, but sometimes it does: do a search for "stuck brew" on the forum.

A real easy solution is a cheap garden trug filled with water: put your FV in it, buy a 50w fish tank heat to heat the water in the trug to 18-20C.

 

[Luke1993]

In my experience, if you ferment below 18C with a yeast that is meant to be 18C and above then you are risking a stuck fermenttion, where the brew starts OK (possibly due to the increase in temp that occurs in the first few days of fermentation) then runs out of steam before it's finished, around the 1020 mark. It won't always happen, but sometimes it does: do a search for "stuck brew" on the forum.

A real easy solution is a cheap garden trug filled with water: put your FV in it, buy a 50w fish tank heat to heat the water in the trug to 18-20C.

Thanks very much pal

 

[terrym]

Like this
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-set-up-a-water-bath-for-your-fv.66407/

 

[foxy]

Hi I have just started my first home brew kit which is razorback IPA. I have it fermenting in my airing cupboard and the temperature is reading between 16 and 18 degrees which is lower than the temperature stated in the instructions. Will it still ferment properly at this temperature and are there any time differences I should allow?

Thanks for taking the time to read, no smart ass or unhelpful comments please.

I have a fermenting room controlled by a reverse cycle air con, Th lowest setting is 17 C actual temperature in the room is 16-16.5 C, the fermenters external temperature is 18-18.5 C due to exothermic action of the yeast, the core will be another 1 C at the core, so ending up at around 19 C which is ideal. So in the airing cupboard 16 -18 is a good ambient temperature.