Brewing - brewing in a cold place?

[fnord]

so granmda has 18 gallons of wine brewing but shes scared her house is too cold(40-45 degrees)is this too cold?whats the minimum temp for yeast to be active?

@jatekala you dont have a brewing tag/prefix in the alcohol forum?

[Jatelka]

^^^ I do now dear!

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks and happy holiday travels.

[hh339]

Maybe one of those small things you put in the aquarium that regulates temp could work? I don't know what it's called in english, but it is known to work well when brewing booze ghetto-style

[fnord]

well grandma has a problem with electricity,she has a extension cord that can power her space heater or her rv, plugging in both causes a fuse to blow so she cant really use this method.

[bcubed]

Here's what SWIM'd do:

Fermentation is modestly exothermic (releases heat). Thus, proper insulation should allow for a fermentation temp in excess of ambient. Perhaps get a cardboard box large enough to enclose the carboy/fermentation vessel, fill the loose space inside with sleeping bags/blankets/etc, and place a slab of that foam insulation used in construction (usually blue or pink sheets) on all sides of the box. This is very similar to what SWIM does to hold cooked grains at a constant temperature so that the enzymes in malt can do their thing, and it works great for that.

Oh, and GET it up to temp before insulation: because yeast activity depends upon temperature, satarting off at low temp might result in the reaction NEVER getting fast enough to keep the heat in. Also perhaps spend the $ for a "turbo" yeast: SWIM recently switched from brewer's yeast to baker's and was disappointed at the slow fermentation.

From Wikipedia: going from glucose to ethanol liberates 118 kJ/mol. If SWIY makes 0.5 gal of absolute alcohol in 3 days, then that's 14.9 moles, averaging 0.2 mol/hr, averaging 24 kJ/r (or 6.67 watts or 22.7btu/hr or 5.74 kcal/hr). Now, if you know the power liberated and the temperature differential to keep (+30F?), the necessary R-value can be computed.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Dont worry, just trust me.Im sure i can fly.

[beentheredonethatagain]

I am sure or at least almost sure that your Nana's homemade wine will be just fine in above freezing temps. The fermintation will take place .
After all I have seen the bottles in the refrigerator being converted by a wine lover/maker.

[fnord]

ah yes we call them hayboxes,you take a bunch of potatoes/grains/whatever heat it up to boiling then put it in the ground for 4-5 hours and its cooked,so i dont see why this wouldent work indoors with a box/styrofoam/blankies!

thanks.

[Jasim]

I know this is an old post, but my friend Clover the Turtle is wanting to start making some wine at home. He was thinking of doing this out of the way in the garage, but it being winter the garage is damn cold, especially at night. Has anyone had any success or experiences to share in doing alcohol brewing/fermenting in very cold situations?

[bman1]

Winter wold not be good because if temp gets below freezing the liquid could freeze and the yeast die. 40-45f would not harm yeast. This only would slow fermentation. If one likes lagers go that route. 40-45f is ideal temp te ferment a lager for 6 months. wine is usally in the 60s and ferments in 2 weeks befor aged. it may take 2 months or more at a lower temp.
Also if in a garge the temp changes. this will effect the taste. one kind of needs a constant temp. but as long is it never gets below freezing it should ferment. The lower the temp the longer it takes.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good information, some things I hadn't thought of.

[Jasim]

Originally Posted by bman1

Also if in a garge the temp changes. this will effect the taste. one kind of needs a constant temp.

Ow, Clover never thought of that. Thanks, Clover is now wanting to do it indoors.

Swiy mentioned specific temp ranges for different types of brews. Clover's home is between 70-74 Fahrenheit all the time. Is this okay for wines?

[bman1]

Originally Posted by Jasim

Ow, Clover never thought of that. Thanks, Clover is now wanting to do it indoors.

Swiy mentioned specific temp ranges for different types of brews. Clover's home is between 70-74 Fahrenheit all the time. Is this okay for wines?

72f is perfect for most wine, 68f for an ale although 70-74 is near perfect for both

Swib pulled this from another site

- Fermentation Considerations

* Temperature plays an extremely vital role in the fermentation
process. If the fermentation temperature is too cool, the yeast
may not be invigorated enough to ferment. It will simply remain
in the juice, dormant.

If the fermentation temperature is too warm, the yeast may
ferment fine, but the flavor of the wine will usually suffer.
This is because of the increased production of unwanted enzymes
by the yeast and the possible growth of micro-organisms that
thrive in warmer temperatures.

[Sven99]

The exact temperature isn't too critical, but having a fairly stable temperature will produce a better wine. Unfortunately SWIM doesn't know fahrenheit