Home Brew in cold/cool house

[Tezz]

So I pretty new to home brewing but due to knowing my house is pretty cold I purchased a heat mat for my FV.

The only issue being I can only brew one brew at a time, I would like to have 2 going at least.

So generally my average temp is 13-15 degrees, if I am going off the instructions most require 18-24 degrees.

Can I brew at the lower temperature if so do I need to make some changes? also would this include wine?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

also would this include wine?

I cannot help with your beer question but with wine temperature isn't so important i used to make wine with no heat pad in a kitchen that often got down to 15c during the night in the winter months, i never had one stall.

As for Beer I am not sure why brewing one at a time would be an issue i think that's how most brewers here do it.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

So I pretty new to home brewing but due to knowing my house is pretty cold I purchased a heat mat for my FV.

The only issue being I can only brew one brew at a time, I would like to have 2 going at least.

So generally my average temp is 13-15 degrees, if I am going off the instructions most require 18-24 degrees.

Can I brew at the lower temperature if so do I need to make some changes? also would this include wine?

You can brew lagers at lower temperatures as well as ale at 18-20C. Insulate your mash tun when it's on the mat and buy an Inkbird temperature controller.

 

[Tezz]

You can brew lagers at lower temperatures as well as ale at 18-20C. Insulate your mash tun when it's on the mat and buy an Inkbird temperature controller.

Got a Inkbird which works well, just if I wanted to make another brew It would need to be done at cooler temps

 

[chris-s]

13-15 is going to be very restricting. Have you insulated the fv?

 

[Clint]

Get another heat pad? Wrap the fv in bubble wrap,sleeping bag,old coat etc.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The garage is at 11C the fermentation is at 20C been at that for a week.

 

[Clint]

View attachment 43814View attachment 43815

The smartest dressed fv in the land.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The smartest dressed fv in the land.

I had two coats on it but put one on for gardening as it was so cold.

 

[Tezz]

Thanks Cheshire Cat, yes he has a coat and blanket on.

Looks like am best keeping to one until the summer maybe.

 

[MrRook]

Choose a yeast that fits your situation. There's no reason you can't brew an ale recipe with a lager yeast. I just bottled a batch of Irish stout that I fermented with W34/70. It turned out good and I doubt most people could tell what yeast I used.

 

[Tommo 2]

Try using Nottingham yeast mate notorious for fermenting at lower temps and is a beast of a yeast

 

[DCBC]

This seems to be my advice on every thread, but...(!):

My brewery is heated only enough to stop it freezing - my panel heater is set to 8c in the winter - and with the fermenter on a box with holes in, a tube heater underneath, and the whole lot wrapped in a couple of turns of thermawrap and folded over the lid I can maintain 17-18 degrees fairly comfortably. That's with a 40L fermenter which is a little better at retaining heat than a 20L one, but you should be fine with this approach if your background temperature is 13C plus.