Temerature

[Peter Dear]

Hey, i'm very new to home brewing, and have my first one on now.
i'm struggling to keep the temperature above about 15c. i understand that 18-30c is recommended.
any tips/hints?

thanks
pete

[Pilgrim]

Not sure about the Carbo Drops as I've never used them but would think a good shake up would help to dissolve them. What does it say on the Instructions?
As for time and temperature. You are doing a secondary fermentation in the bottle in order to get some CO2 into your beer, so you want to keep the bottles at around the same temperature as you had your fermenter for around two weeks, then you can refrigerate ready to drink.
Of course you may not be able to wait that long :-)

[Peter Dear]

no instructions unfortunately, apart from 2 drops per 750ml bottle!

[Mike Neilson]

No need to the yeast will eat them anyway.

[Matthew]

I've used them once before and gave the bottles a quick shake. Seemed to do the trick.

[Peter Dear]

awesome, 2 weeks is goin to be a struggle with my willpower!

my PET bottles aren't gonna explode are they?

[Pilgrim]

Guys at the local engineering company hooked a 2 litre PET bottle up to the compressed air line. Got it to 140psi before it blew. I think you should be OK :-)

[Peter Dear]

awesome!
so after a cpl of weeks in the warm (fermenting for a 2nd time), i can refridgerate them or leave them in the cold?

just wondering as i have my next brew on the go and will need the space!

[denimglen]

That's the one, I'd leave them three weeks warm before refrigerating just to be on the safe side, but if you're keen go for it.

That's good to know about the 2L PET bottle Pilgrim.

[RopenutS]

So are you meant to have your newly bottled beer at the same temp that you had the beer fermenting at??. I had my fermenter at a pretty constant 14 C, and now i have the bottled beer sitting at a warm 20 C. Its been there for almost 2 weeks. Is it a bad thing?

[denimglen]

Nah, doesn't matter too much, as long as it's between about 10 and 25C you're sweet as.

If you want to be ultra-nazi about it then yeah, keep it at ferment temperature. When carbonating warmer temps will carbonate faster, either way, after 2 - 3 weeks you should be good to go.

[RopenutS]

Sweet as, thats all good then. Everything ive read has said to have the bottles at warm at a warm temp. But is that still true for lagers?? Sorry dude, should have asked before

[denimglen]

Nah, I'd say keep 'em warmish for lagers too, the yeast have pretty much done their thing you just want them to eat that last bit of sugar to carbonate.