Too cold to ferment?

[Britcitchris]

Hi everyone.

May I seek some advice, please?

I made a wort, on Sunday but I've had no activity in the airlock, except yesterday.

I called someone who brews his own and he thought it needed a better stir than what I may have done on Sunday.

I also spoke to my dad who advised to be patient.

Well, being impatient I went with the first advice and there was a small amount of airlock activity, after a stir.. A couple of bubbles moved through, over a few hours. Then nothing since.

I'm thinking it's too cold as after Sunday, the temperature outside dropped radically below the recommended minimum of 18 degrees.

Now, I don't have a heater to keep around it or on it, all the time, so I've wrapped it in a blanket and it's in our kitchen.

Am I on a fool's errand, trying to do this without the correct heat?

Will the yeast go bad, soon?

To make matters worse, my stick on thermometer doesn't seem to work, the last few days

I enclose a picture!

As you can see, there has been some activity but the question is, what next: patience or action?!

Chris.

 

[terrym]

Below about 17*C some yeasts go to sleep, and lager yeast excepted the lower it goes the more likely this is. . And if even you have pitched at about 20*C and the wort slowly cools to say less than 18*C it may struggle to get going at all, until its at the 'right' temperature. So if you fall into that category all you can do is to find a warm place. And its no good wrapping your FV with a blanket unless it is warmer than the room, it will make no difference to the heat loss, and in fact if the room warms up it will insulate the cold in. If you have no normal means of heating your room you could try making a tent of some sort and then put an electric lamp inside it (provided its not running a low energy bulb!) and put your FV in that and you might find it warms up the FV. Worth a try anyway.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Just to add to Terrys post -

I am sitting in my unheated kitchen now and its 20c do you have a thermometer?

1 - Do not use an airlock as indication anything is or isn't happening many FV's are not airtight let it be for at least a week then take a hydrometer reading you will then know for sure if its fermenting.

2 - Your dad is right.

 

[Britcitchris]

Thanks, Chaps. I know the patience thing is a given but it's only my second brew.

So, if I can't warm it, the yeast goes to sleep, I get that now but will the wort go bad after a while?

 

[Britcitchris]

Just to add to Terrys post -

I am sitting in my unheated kitchen now and its 20c do you have a thermometer?

1 - Do not use an airlock as indication anything is or isn't happening many FV's are not airtight let it be for at least a week then take a hydrometer reading you will then know for sure if its fermenting.

2 - Your dad is right.

I didn't take an o.g. so a reading next week won't help, right?

 

[terrym]

The longer it goes without the fermentation starting the bigger the risk of things going pear shaped. So to minimise that risk keep the lid on your FV (ie dont keep removing it to look inside) and try to find a way of getting gentle heat into your brew.

 

[chrisb8]

Your picture appears to show that high krausen has a taken place and receded to leave its mark behind. This would indicate that fermentation is well under way and I would imagine that the issue is with a poorly-sealed fv. Having said that, sorting out your temperature issue, even if this is as simple as being able to measure the room temperature at this stage, is a must.

 

[labrewski]

Yep definitely looks like it started maybe u stopped it by checking regularly opening the lid ?? And in doing so didn't close it properly i never ever open lid only when its done and im transferring or bottling to get last bit out or to add some hops which is done quickly and carefully any room in the house should be ok for temps at this time of year unless you have it on a cold tiled floor thats all i can think of

 

[labrewski]

Maybe not stopped it but didnt hear bubbles as the air was sneaking out the sides

 

[Britcitchris]

Yep definitely looks like it started maybe u stopped it by checking regularly opening the lid ?? And in doing so didn't close it properly i never ever open lid only when its done and im transferring or bottling to get last bit out or to add some hops which is done quickly and carefully any room in the house should be ok for temps at this time of year unless you have it on a cold tiled floor thats all i can think of

I've only opened the lid once since making it and that was yesterday.

 

[Britcitchris]

Reading the replies (for which I'm very thankful), a poor seal looks quite likely and I've ordered some new grommets and a thermometer.

Meanwhile, I've got a loan of a thermometer, from tomorrow.

Thank you all again.

 

[Britcitchris]

Your picture appears to show that high krausen has a taken place and receded to leave its mark behind. This would indicate that fermentation is well under way and I would imagine that the issue is with a poorly-sealed fv. Having said that, sorting out your temperature issue, even if this is as simple as being able to measure the room temperature at this stage, is a must.

Just managed a reading from the stick on thermometer of 22, so that's encouraging.

 

[labrewski]

Just stick with it so give it 2 to 3 weeks bottle and u should have some nice beers and by the way what kind of kit or recipe is it u will get more info if someone has done this type before

 

[Britcitchris]

Just stick with it so give it 2 to 3 weeks bottle and u should have some nice beers and by the way what kind of kit or recipe is it u will get more info if someone has done this type before

I'm brewing Geordie Scottish Export. It's nothing fancy but I really like it.

I have a pressure barrel but this time, if all goes well, I'm bottling a few for comparison, to give a couple away and to save a bit, in case things go wrong in the barrel

 

[terrym]

Reading the replies (for which I'm very thankful), a poor seal looks quite likely and I've ordered some new grommets and a thermometer.

Meanwhile, I've got a loan of a thermometer, from tomorrow.

Thank you all again.

If you want to seal the lid on the FV place 4 strips of cling film across the rim of the FV and then clip the lid down. Thats what I do. And I don't bother to sanitise the cling film since it comes straight off the roll.

 

[Sandozer]

I live in Scotland, it is always cold.. Ok freezing.. My room temperature for my beer is around 15C or 59F in old money. I have just started brewing again after decades away. I went back to what i did then, and use a tropical fish heater, set to 22C / 72F. On my second Brew of Ritchie`s Bitter, first one excellent.
Started a new ferment yesterday, in approx 20 hours I have this . .
The heater is this one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B011G5B7EA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Britcitchris]

I live in Scotland, it is always cold.. Ok freezing.. My room temperature for my beer is around 15C or 59F in old money. I have just started brewing again after decades away. I went back to what i did then, and use a tropical fish heater, set to 22C / 72F. On my second Brew of Ritchie`s Bitter, first one excellent.
Started a new ferment yesterday, in approx 20 hours I have this . .
The heater is this one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B011G5B7EA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1View attachment 24533

That's really good
How are you relieving co2 pressure?

 

[Alex.mc]

As mentioned above, Leaks in the bucket lid seal!

I have one bucket that regularly did this, and I only discovered it by tightly wrapping insulation tape all around the lip/seal. Then my airlock burst into life! I don't use those buckets much at all these days having moved to Bigmouth Bubblers( I love watching the fermentation through the clear plastic!), but when I occasionally do I always tape the seal.

 

[Sandozer]

There is enough space where the power wire for the heater goes in. I could not get a lid for the ferment vessel, it came from a builders yard :) Covid times, unable to shop around !

 

[Crappyfish]

Don't worry yet I had a FV that never bubbled through the airlock and my brews were fine. One thing my dad always told me it's a bit weird but it worked, take the lid off and take a big sniff though the nose if its fermenting you will feel the tickles in the nose. A bit bizarre but I done it loads of times..