Beer yeast for fluctuating winter temperatures

[Sandy Feet]

Monastey yeast?
As any of the Belgian abbaye's?
It's a very insulated set up. Big igloo cooler box, fermenter wrapped in duvets inside that cooler box and the lid closed.
I use a blow of tube as I can't close the lid otherwise

I will start some experiments. Got a batch going on T58 with temp control.
Maybe I just use that trub and see what happens when I put it in the cooler box.
Or maybe not, because that means my fermentation fridge is actually free

Yes. I did use one that went a little colder than what I would have liked (I want to say it was the Wyeast Ardennes). Maybe that isn't an Abbey but from a similar region. It smelled like a Belgian, but tasted more like an English beer at those temps.

 

[Gary Clark]

I just use a small heater in my fermenting freezer for very stable temps in the winter.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Another option to try to maintain temp is to set the fermenter in water. The thermal mass of the

Yes. I did use one that went a little colder than what I would have liked (I want to say it was the Wyeast Ardennes). Maybe that isn't an Abbey but from a similar region. It smelled like a Belgian, but tasted more like an English beer at those temps.

Yes the Ardennes strain is Belgian, but not the typical phenolic type. It is much cleaner. I used it for a Quad that came out quite tasty.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Yeah, that's my normal process, so just going to try as I am fully set up for this.

Another option is to set the fermenter into a (preferably insulated) vessel of water. That will provide a thermal mass outside the fermenter that will resist fluctuations also. (essentially insulating the fermenter with extra mass)

 

[Brew Cat]

Well get a seed mat they heat to about 68° sandwich it in a blanket around your fermenter and pitch some chico. Just check it once in awhile. I did it for awhile when I first started home brewing using a heating pad on low that had a timer on it.

 

[Brew Cat]

Oh yeah use a swamp cooler with an aquarium heater. Did that for awhile also.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Well get a seed mat they heat to about 68° sandwich it in a blanket around your fermenter and pitch some chico. Just check it once in awhile. I did it for awhile when I first started home brewing using a heating pad on low that had a timer on it.

I've done that to keep Lutra happy at night when I only had room in my chamber for a regular ale brew going at the same time. (the Lutra batch was subjected to no control and nightly temp drops) I was pressed for time so didn't want the Lutra to slow down, otherwise as noted above, it is happy with temp swings. My seed mat helped keep it above 80℉.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Another advantage to Lutra is it is done in as little as 24 hours from knockout/pitch, 48 hours on the outside. So it isn't like you have to babysit it over a week. Of course, you can let it ride a few days to drop clear and clean up a bit. But I've used it (with the heat mat) to turn a beer from a Tuesday evening brewday to serving by Noon Saturday. (using quick cold crash and a QuickCarb)

 

[Brew Cat]

Yeah I'm very rarely in a hurry these days. Low and slow is the way I prefer my fermentation. But then again I brew a lot of lagers. Before I had temp control I brewed with the seasons which was Belgian and saisons in the summer. Lagers in the winter. Ales and stuff in spring and fall

 

[Zambi]

Well get a seed mat they heat to about 68° sandwich it in a blanket around your fermenter and pitch some chico. Just check it once in awhile. I did it for awhile when I first started home brewing using a heating pad on low that had a timer on it.

Nice idea but heating is the last thing I need!

Edited to say:
Ouch, I forgot when I wrote the original message, so my above comment is a bit silly.
Comes about by sitting in 40+ oC heat the last couple of weeks.

Power was the issue, esp power at night, but that's now solved

 

[Zambi]

My issue was power based.

Got that sorted and will start using my fermentation fridge (& heat mat) again soon.

In the end I didn't brew much during winter. Started going again when the temperatures came up