How Cold To KIll Yeast?

[earthwormgaz]

Got 80 pints of two different ales fermenting in the lounge, and the fookin' boiler has blown up! How cold can I get away with in here before it ruins my beer?!

Argh!

I also dropped and smashed my hydrometer :rofl:

It's 14 degrees on the kitchen hydrometer.

 

[DirtyCaner]

should be fine mate.

Cold conditioning yeast doesnt seem to kill it so game on!

Let us know how u get on...

 

[SloeBrewer]

The yeast just goes dormant and will wake up again when the temperature rises.

 

[earthwormgaz]

These beers have fermented down to 1020 and got stuck because it's so cold in here! The Mrs got me a new hydrometer today. It's 14 degrees in here again.

Having fermented down to this point, what can I do? Realistically, it's going to be a couple of weeks until I get a new boiler fitted.

Is this beer ruined?

 

[SloeBrewer]

You could use a heat belt, or sit the FV in a builder's bucket, fill the bucket with water and use an aquarium heater to keep the water bath at 20C.

 

[evanvine]

COLD does NOT harm anything!
Your ferment will take a little longer.

 

[earthwormgaz]

So it might just keep going? What about the fact that it's sat on that dead yeast cake for longer? Might I get some off flavours or something?

How long might it take to get down to 1010 at 14 degrees?

I suppose this will be good for the barrel that's dry hopping, it'll have longer to pick up the taste?

The hoppy one started at 1054 ish at 25 degrees, and the malty one 1042 at 46 degrees. So they've been working a bit.

 

[ryanshelton]

I was about to ask the same question as ive got 40 pints in the lounge and our boiler packed up last night its currently 16 degrees in there brrrr

 

[winelight]

16 should be fine, some yeasts work down to that anyway. Or just get a brewbelt or cheap aquarium heater.

 

[earthwormgaz]

The only other th I ca think of id to put the barrels on the bsck sest and drive yhem yo the office!

 

[winelight]

Or a neighbour's house... pay them in pints!

 

[earthwormgaz]

I bought two of these today. £15 bloody quid each!

Will it work? I ran two kettles of boiling water over them, and they're stuck to the barrel inside, set to 20 degrees.

 

[winelight]

It will work, but you don't need to stick them to the side. Probably they will unstick anyway. Actually they are better off as near the bottom as possible. Others dangle them through holes in the lid, if you see what I mean.

 

[earthwormgaz]

The bloke in the garden centre seemed to think the top wasn't water proof.

It's one of these badgers ...

http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Submersible ... B000HHM03G

Do those hops look okay? There's a strong smell in there, but hopeuflly it's just their aroma, not impending vinegar? I had a taster of it a week okay, and it seemed okay, if a little sweet at this point.

 

[evanvine]

Your pic says "Submersible"!

 

[BigYin]

I use an aquarium heater, it sits in the FV on the bottom of it. Works a treat. Just need to be rigorous with sanitation as there are lots of little nooks and crannies where nasties could lurk...

 

[kev]

Wouldn't you be better putting the FV in a big bucket filled with water and use the heater on that water rather than risk infection, etc?

K

 

[earthwormgaz]

Wouldn't you be better putting the FV in a big bucket filled with water and use the heater on that water rather than risk infection, etc?

K

Yeah, that might have been wise. Too late now! Should I be seeing the creamy yeast head develop in there again then as they come back to life and work down from 1020 to 1010?

 

[evanvine]

Yeah, that might have been wise.

As long as you clean the heater and cable well, there should be no problem.
Concern about infection tends to be a little paranoid.

 

[earthwormgaz]

Yeah, that might have been wise.

As long as you clean the heater and cable well, there should be no problem.
Concern about infection tends to be a little paranoid.

I tend to be more paranoid about using chemicals myself. I trust in the power of boiling water out the kettle.