Keeping Tabs on Temps

[Waldo]

I started a Green Apple Riesling kit this morning and wanted to share my idea for keeping tabs on the must temp. I bought a thermometer with a long probe on it and it fits perfectly in the grommet hole for the airlockon the fermenter. I just leave it in place and a quick glance lets me know how the temp is doing.

Edited by: Waldo

 

[smurfe]

Ingenious!

I have a thermometer like that but I don't know if the probe is long enough. I do have one for a turkey fryer with a long probe but off the top of my head, I don't know if it reads a temp in the range needed for wine making.


Smurfe

 

[masta]

Hey boo boo that Waldo is pretty clever...don't tell the ranger!


Excellent idea!

 

[bmorosco]

Waldo does that reach the bottom ? If not is there a temp flux from bottom to the top? Also how do you keep anything from getting in?

 

[Wade E]

I just use the old floating thermometer!

 

[masta]

Benny,


There really shouldn't be a temperature difference from the bottom to the top since the fermentation really mixes the batch. The C02 bubbles carry the solids (bentonite, oak, etc.) up to the top and they get released and drop to the bottom.


I did a mead fermentation oncein a carboy with chopped dried fruit and it was quite amazing how much the batch was mixing since I see the whole thing.

 

[Wade E]

My Raspberry wine looked like a lava lamp!

 

[masta]

You should also remember from a previous lesson that this is why we add the bentonite on day one so it gets recirculated numerous times by the churning action of the CO2 bubbles during fermentation. As it's stirred up, it has a chance to come in contact with proteins, aminos and colloids, attach to them through molecular adsorption, and pull them from suspension.

Yup I am obsessed and a freak!

 

[Mack]

My experience with temperature of the must is that it is not critical
as long as there are no great swings in temperature. I bought a small
heater with temperature settings and keep it on 70 degrees most of the
time during the fermentation stage. I try to keep my carboys/buckets on a table and not on the floor so there the bottom part will not get cooler
than the rest. So far, it works. Thanks.

 

[ScubaDon]

Waldo,
It would be neat to stick on a tempstrip on the outside and compare the two to see if the stickons really workwell enough for our needs.

 

[ScubaDon]

forgot,
Waldo you are good with the camera and posting the pictures!! A picture is wortha 1000 words.

 

[Wade E]

Welcome Mack! Open a bottle, sit down and share your experiences with some of the friendliest people out there!

 

[wolfman]

I purchased a floating thermometer which means I need to take the lid off to read. I assume this is okay to do.



My basement is currently reading 64.8 so I am going to try a heating
blanket to bring up the temp. I also have a small enclosed
closet under my basement stairway that I am going to take temp readings
from. In the closet is flood light that I will keep on to see if
that changes the temperature.

 

[scotty]

Boy thats a simple and great idea. I laughed at myself because it is so obvious and i have 2 of thos thermometers in diferent lengths.
Thanks waldo

 

[Wade E]

Hey Wolfman, I believe the heating pad will work but will shut off on
you or so I've heard from others. I just bought 2 brewing belts for my
batches that are going in my basement where it is around 60*

<table ="table" align="center" ="#ffffcc" border="2" bordercolor="#cc0000" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" height="100%">
<t><tr><td width="10%">5008 </td>
<td width="10%">

</td>
<td width="50%">

Brewing Belt


Designed to wrap around most primary &amp; secondary fermenters.</td>
<td width="10%">N/A</td>
<td width="10%">$19.99</td>
<td width="10%">
<div align="center">$19.99 </td>
<td width="10%">
Stocked </td>
<td width="10%">Order</td></tr></t>
</table>

 

[Waldo]

forgot,
Waldo you are good with the camera and posting the pictures!! A picture is wortha 1000 words.

It has been my experience scuba that the strips are not really that accurate. I have seen as much as an 8 degree differential in what they were showing vs a thermometer. But I guess it could have been my thermometers that were inaccurate though.NOT!!

 

[bmckee56]

Also how do you keep anything from getting in?

You could drill a hole into the top of the lid and insert the temp. probe and then use food grade silicone on the outside lid to seal it inplace. The probe can be removed if necessary and reinserted because the silicone is applied to the outside of the primary lid.


You could go one step further and use a "HoBo DataLogger" type devicewith a thermocouple attached and insert it into the primary and log your temperatures. Then you could review the temperatures over a period of time. Cost for something like this is about $100.00 but it uses are endless. It connects to your computer and you can actually monitor the temperature 24/7.


I use one for my Wine Cellar area (Temperature and Humidity logging).


Salute!

 

[RkyMtnWine]

Hi Wade.







I do see a lot of information on desired temperatures for the must, another after racking, and another for wine bottle storage. I do the initial fermentation in the kitchen letting it sit in the corner on the countertop.. temperature average is 71. When I transfer it to carboy.. I have to lug it upstairs to a spare bedroom andmaintain that temp at 65... this will also be my wine bottle storage area. See any problems with that? Other than tripping on the stairs and dumping the whole batch.

 

[Wade E]

I would keep the wine at that 71* until the wine is degassed as its hard to degas a wine at cooler temps. Also if you are using a fining agent you will want to keep that temp until your wine is cleared as cooler temps will prevent your fining agent from working. If you are not using a fining agent then degas and then move it to the cooler temps as the wine will clear faster at cooler temps without fining agents.

Cooler temps are better for aging once all that stuff is done but constant temps are most important. temp fluctuations wreak havoc on your wine as the wine actually expands and contracts in the bottle causing t to breath and exhale and that causes premature aging.

 

[Jwhelan939]

I am a little weary of using the brewbelt. I used it a few times and it brought my low 60°into a high 80°.