first time beer brewing temp advice

[funboy]

Hi all

I'm about to start my first ever beer brew. it's coopers mexican cerveza. can anybody advise me on the ideal temp for while it's in the fermentation container. and also for when it's been bottled ?

thanks in advance :thumb:

 

[IainM]

About 19C is spot on for the fermentation and first two weeks in the bottle. Then chill. Happy brewing!

 

[terrym]

@funboy
First +1 on what IainM has said. :thumb:
Next suggest you have a look through this too, which might be of help.
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum
Finally don't rush trying to package your beer. Leave it at least two weeks or more until it has started to clear to minimise yeast carry over.

 

[funboy]

Brilliant thanks for the advice guys :)

 

[Fil]

Generally as a rule of thumb, the kit or yeast pack if bought separately will publish an optimum temperature range for the fermentation, as this is a feature of the yeast strain selected. fermenting at the lower end of the range published will generally produce a cleaner crisper taste, while fermenting at the higher end can result in more esters which can provide more fruity flavours. Tho each strain has its own qualities tho. As said its a general rule of .

 

[ExpatBrewer]

The Coopers Cerveza kit actually comes with an ale/lager yeast blend. Is this the yeast you are/will be using? If so, the 7g supplied is barely enough so kicking off 'warm' wouldn't be a bad idea, but once fermentation is under way you could ferment at a much lower temperature if desired which would favour the lager yeast more.

 

[ericmark]

Do you really have an option? I now use a brewing fridge/freezer and can control the temperature quite accurately, however when I started my only control was where it was placed in the kitchen, I had a stick on thermometer which changed colours in 2°C steps, the central heating turned off at night, and 40 pints is quite a mass, so it would stay some where between night and day temperatures, placing a body warmer over the fermenter after first day would in the Winter keep it a little warmer, the air lock would stick out of the neck.

OK today my brew is more consistent, but the old method still worked, the down side was did not really know how long it would take, today with temperature control I can say it takes 21 days, but back in the old days, anywhere between a week and two months, so the hydrometer was important if you wanted speed, I also had a well sealed fermenter so air lock activity was a good indicator, today inside the freezer compartment don't use an air lock not enough height just a rubber bung lightly sitting in the hole. The door on freezer stops anything reaching the fermenter anyway.

I still use old plastic pop bottles, mainly as only need 12 bottles when time to bottle, but in early days it was good to be able to feel the bottle without needing to open one, so if you make an error and bottle too early you know about it, and can do something, release pressure or return to fermenter. Better than a bottle bomb. Oh and even with 2 litre bottles still only half a spoon of sugar to prime.

In the first 3 days temperature is important, too low and the alcohol is slow to form so can get infection, two high and taste changes so aiming for the lower end of the temperature range published, but once that first 3 days is over, too low it stalls for a time, but no real damage, and too high would need to be really high to do any damage, so likely by time you read this it will not really matter, after the first 3 days all the temperature does is change how long it needs to stay in fermenter.

OK once your really into beer brewing you will do things like cold crashing, but as first brew no real need to worry, if the room temperature is good for you to live in, then also good for brew, it likes the same temperature as us. OK there are exceptions but for first brew just take it easy and enjoy.

 

[Ciaran12s]

Like ericmark says I was exactly the same. Fermenter put in the cupboard under the stairs with a blanket wrapped around it. It stayed between 18 and 22 depending on how often the heating was on.

I find for kits that one kettle full of boiling water is about enough to get It to 20c by the time it's topped up with cold water. Keep and eye on It as you get to say 18 litres and maybe add drop of hot water if needed. 20c should be about where you want it is say.

 

[terrym]

The Coopers Cerveza kit actually comes with an ale/lager yeast blend. Is this the yeast you are/will be using? If so, the 7g supplied is barely enough so kicking off 'warm' wouldn't be a bad idea, but once fermentation is under way you could ferment at a much lower temperature if desired which would favour the lager yeast more.

In my view the Coopers kit yeasts all work fine in the quantity provided and there is no need to start them warm. I often brew the AuPA which also comes with the ale/lager yeast and set the fermentation temperature throughout to 19*C. That said Coopers Euro lager and the Pilsner come with a full lager yeast and although Coopers suggest brewing at ale temperatures some forumites have successfully brewed at low lager temperatures with the kit yeast alone, although I tried this and it didn't work. Hence my advice to anyone wanting brew a Coopers lager type beer at low temperatures is to use more lager yeast than is provided with the kit to guarantee success.

 

[funboy]

Do you really have an option?

Yeah I have spots in my house where the temp varies wildly.

i plan to use the yeast that comes with the kit

thanks everybody the advice is sound

 

[terrym]

Yeah I have spots in my house where the temp varies wildly.

This is an a cheap effective way of brewing at a consistent temperature if you have some space.
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[ExpatBrewer]

This is an a cheap effective way of brewing at a consistent temperature if you have some space.
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

I can vouch for this this method. It's very effective. I use the deep tub we have in our laundry which provides a larger volume of water than the bucket shown and hence a greater thermal mass. I think this helps further buffer against ambient temp variations, i.e. overnight temperature drops. I monitored and recorded the temperature a couple of Winter's ago for three days or so. With a low-powered aquarium heater and the whole thing covered with a large towel I was able to achieve very stable temperature, within a fraction of a degree. :thumb:

 

[ExpatBrewer]

In my view the Coopers kit yeasts all work fine in the quantity provided and there is no need to start them warm. I often brew the AuPA which also comes with the ale/lager yeast and set the fermentation temperature throughout to 19*C.

Yeah, when I say "warm" I actually mean ale fermentation temps e.g. 19ºC. I was just thinking that once fermentation was established the brew could optionally be fermented more at lager temperatures which in this case may suit the Creveza kit. :)

 

[funboy]

and what temp is lager temp expat ?

 

[Fil]

and what temp is lager temp expat ?

Thats again strain dependent, yeasts used for lagers ferment at cooler temps in the range 12-16c some cooler.

as said home brew lager kits are generally supplied with ale yeasts that perform in warmer temps more readily found in the quiet corners of homes without any cooling required. though more and more 'specialist' and forgive me for using the term 'craft' kits or premium priced kits are available with lager yeasts.

So depends entirely on the stain used. With kit supplied yeast your only clue to the type of yeast supplied is the temperature range they suggest in the instructions.

btw probably worth mentioning that regardless of the temperature you ferment at a consistent temperature is far better than a varying one..

So to properly benefit from and employ lager yeast strains the ability to maintain a cool consistent temp throughout the primary fermentation which can be more challenging requiering more input and equipment.

 

[terrym]

Yeah, when I say "warm" I actually mean ale fermentation temps e.g. 19ºC. I was just thinking that once fermentation was established the brew could optionally be fermented more at lager temperatures which in this case may suit the Creveza kit. :)

The Cerveza kit is supplied with a mix of ale and lager yeast as stated earlier. If the kit yeast alone is used and if the temperature drops past 16-17*C the fermentation might just grind to a halt, and depending on where it is in terms of progress it might not be able to restart again, and so will end up stuck. Personally I would just leave it to ferment out at 19*C , since any difference in quality and taste is likely to be negligible.

 

[ExpatBrewer]

The Cerveza kit is supplied with a mix of ale and lager yeast as stated earlier. If the kit yeast alone is used and if the temperature drops past 16-17*C the fermentation might just grind to a halt, and depending on where it is in terms of progress it might not be able to restart again, and so will end up stuck. Personally I would just leave it to ferment out at 19*C , since any difference in quality and taste is likely to be negligible.

Actually I used the Coopers Ale/lager yeast blend often through the Winter here in NZ. Seems to chug along quite well at cooler temps but the main advantage was when it came to bottle conditioning in a cold garage. Using a pure ale strain this was often a problem over Winter as I don't really have anywhere warm enough in my house to condition my brews. Using this blended yeast solved that problem!

 

[funboy]

So I have this brew on now...getting a little worried as 24 hours in the airlock isn't bubbling. the sticky thermometer on the side of the fv reads 24c ..but my digital thermometer i placed in the cupboard reads 22c. i can see a thin layer of froth (krausen) on the surface bit that's pretty thin. I guess I'm probably being impatient though

 

[LED_ZEP]

Hi all

I'm a wine maker but have the same temp control issues so I made this:

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72860

Cheap and easy to make, nice and light so easy to move about and lower running cost than a water bath as it's insulated.

Paul.

 

[Fil]

So I have this brew on now...getting a little worried as 24 hours in the airlock isn't bubbling. the sticky thermometer on the side of the fv reads 24c ..but my digital thermometer i placed in the cupboard reads 22c. i can see a thin layer of froth (krausen) on the surface bit that's pretty thin. I guess I'm probably being impatient though

fermentation vessel lid seals are notoriously leaky, especially brew buckets, and co2 will find the easiest way out, you have visible signs of fermentation, and a clue that the yeast activity is heating up the brew from the differing temps tho that could be the difference in accuracy between devices?
Sticky on thermometers are not known for spot on accuracy


And yes you are being a little impatient, sounds good to me so far..

airlocks are at best only an indicator of fermentation, the only test you can rely on is the gravity readings you take, and its too early to consider taking any further readings yet.

22 is a little high as an ambient temp if your target is circa 19c, a nominally cooler spot closer to the target even slightly under would be ideal with a simple insulating wrap to contain any heat generated by the yeast once it really gets going.

a warmer faster fermentation may produce more fruity flavours than you want in a lager?