Advice on fermentation...

[monk]

I posted earlier that I brewed Fusion Ale on the 24th. I pitched us-05 when the wort was at about 21c and put it in my fermenting freezer set at 17c. I've done this in the past, however, the difference is that my freezer is outdoors and it is winter in California. Therefore the nighttime temp is approximately 7-11c. The brew has been bubbling nicely, but today there was no bubbles. I'm afraid I shocked it out of action with the cold. I've brought the fermenting vessel indoors (22c). Do you think it has stoppd fermenting early?

[iowalad]

See what bringing it in from the cold will do - maybe give the yeast a rouse with a gentle stir or two.

I have never tried that yeast strain - could it have wrapped up business already?

I had one brew where it got a bit cold and fermenation slowed or stopped - warmed up and it took off again. I think I ended one point high in terms of FG.

[Whorst]

It's a good idea to get a a thermometer strip and attach it to your carboy or whatever you ferment it in. I would say 11C. is like 51F, which is way too cold. But, you should get some insulation from the chest freezer. It's difficult to say without knowing how cold the wort actually was. I'd rouse it and bring it inside.

[steve_flack]

I've heard that 1056/WLP001 can ferment as low as the low 50s so maybe US-05 (which is practically the same) can do as well.

[Dan]

pitching rates usually quoted by the manufacturer are often for the higher end of the fermenting temp range. If you ferment right at the bottom end you may need extra yeast

edit
fermentis fact sheet on US-05
http://www.fermentis.com/FO/EN/pdf/SafaleUS05.pdf

[monk]

Thanks for the posts, guys. I brought it in and put the bucket under the desk in our study. Yesterday the temp was probably 73F for a while, then down to around 70F. I checked the gravity and it's at ~1.023 (from 1.052). That's good news.

I'm not too worried, as I can now see it's bubbling pretty well. It's funny, it'll go silent for 30 seconds or so, then there's 3 rapid fire bubbles/burps--blubblubblub! Guess I'm used to the glass carboy and constant blubbing.

[monk]

Incidentally, I have noticed that us-05 chico strain can ferment nicely down in the upper 50's F. Since it is very clean (flavorwise), it doesn't affect the outcome much, either, i'd imagine.

The Fuller's strain, or whatever WhL 002 is, can also ferment fine down to 62-63F, in my experience. When I first started brewing I made an F's ESB and used that yeast. I didn't know any better and put it in the fermenting chamber at 62F. It fermented out in about 1.5 weeks, but lacked any esters or characteristic flavors. Kind of a bummer, and a waste of the good stuff.

[Dan]

you can ferment a lot of strains at low temps but you require a disproportional amount of yeast to get the job done
S-23 lager yeast works well at 12C when you pitch it straight from the pack. but if you want a complete fermentation at temps below 10C you are better off pitching the slurry from a previous batch.

I re pitched 1 litre of thick S-23 slurry into 40litres 1.044 at 8C (outside temp at the time) temps fell to 6-7C but it still fermented out in 14 days

fermentis suggest on their tech sheets 80-120g/hl at 12-15C
and 200-300g/hl at 9C

Im sure something similar will hold true for US-05

[monk]

Well, I checked gravity tonight and it was at 1.016. That's not bad and it's still fermenting slowly, I think. I'll give it another week and see how things are. Thanks for your support, guys.

monk

[mysterio]

I've fermented US-56 out in a porch before when the night temperature dropped below 10 (dunno what I was thinking), brought it inside and it got going again no problem.

[SiHoltye]

Did you get any lower than 1.023?

[Vossy1]

Did you get any lower than 1.023?

See 3 posts above

[SiHoltye]

[monk]

This brew has come out quite nicely, as far as attenuation is concerned. I have a couple changes I would make in the recipe, but in the end it all worked out to be a nice pint.