No Secondary Fermentation w/ Brew Belt?

[ShepherdQ]

Hi all,

I've been using my in-laws heated basement to make wine since we moved to freezing Calgary, but the distance/time is inconvenient. So I'm going to get a Brew Belt and set up in my 10C (50F) basement.

I explained this to buddy guy in my LHBS, and worried about the explicit Brew Belt manufacturer instructions NOT to use it on a glass carboy (which makes sense), because how would secondary fermentation happen? His response was: allow primary fermentation to go on until SG is 0.996, then rack to carboy and don't worry about the temp or secondary ferment.

Is this going to be ok? Secondary ferment provides a layer of CO2 to protect the wine, and without it should I be leaving it in the secondary for 15 days before stabilizing? (Assuming Winemaker Mag modified extended method)

VMT

 

[Boatboy24]

My last ferment went to .996 in primary - I made sure it was topped up for secondary. By the time I took it out of secondary, it was .992. But I suspect if you put it in a 50 degree basement, it'll stop fermenting.

 

[ffemt128]

Currently my basement is around 50-55 degrees. I have never had a problem with a fermentation. I will start with a brewbelt if needed for a few days then unplug. Make sure you stir daily. I generally transfer from primary fermenter (bucket) to carboy around 1.000 and have never had a problem with fermentation stopping prematurely.

 

[ShepherdQ]

OK, sounds good, thanks!

 

[robie]

When the temp is that cool, if you are making a kit and the yeast likes it a little warmer, apply the brew belt to get things going. Once fermentation is going well, you can remove the belt; the fermentation will generate its own heat.

Once in secondary, fermentation slows and the temp will drop. That is a good time to re-apply the brew belt until the wine is dry.

Sometimes a wine will not finsih out well if the temperature is too low and the yeast like it warmer. By keeping the temp up, the yeast will work until the wine is dry... less likely to have a stuck fermentation.

 

[botigol]

I don't think that you'll have an issue at 50F. Things will definitely move slower, so it may take several extra days, a week, maybe more to finish. A bit depends on the yeast you used. If it happens to be EC-1118, you have a lot more flexibility with the temperature than with some other yeasts. Another option is to use the Brew Belt and add intermittent spacers between the glass and the belt. Obviously it will not be as effective due to the lack of contact, but it would safeguard the glass and provide some measure of heat.

 

[jdmyers]

I have my carboys in milk crates this makes them easy to carry plus you can stack on top of another crate keeping the secondary off the cold basement floor and allows warm air flow underneath i find that this and keeping a small blanket wrapped around it keeps it cozy in the basement

 

[ShepherdQ]

Once in secondary, fermentation slows and the temp will drop. That is a good time to re-apply the brew belt until the wine is dry.

Yeah, but I'm worried about the glass cracking due to the temp differential, and I think I'm going to .

Botigol, I will be using EC-1118 so I don't think I'll worry too much

 

[ShepherdQ]

Dangit, using mobile app with fat thumbs...

As I was saying, I'm going to try fermenting down to dry before transferring to secondary, and won't worry about the temp change too much because I'm using EC-1118.

That's better. *Send*

 

[Floandgary]

Although I'm new at this also, I've found that primary fermenting in a juice bucket or ones supplied with kits allows me to use my heater (sheet grid type) to keep temp around 75F.
This is in a basement which is around 68F this time of year. Things settle down after 5-6 days then I rack to carboy and take it upstairs for the secondary for about 2 weeks. Hauling carboys around can be a chore and problematic (oops! breakage) but it seems to be easier in the long run. Back down to rack and stabilize in the cooler temp has worked well for me

 

[ibglowin]

I have used brew belts in the Winter for 3 years now. Never ever had a problem. I have one on right now in my 55 degree (F) winery for a month trying to get a stubborn batch of wine to finish MLF. I will sometimes wrap the carboy in a large towel as well to help it stay a bit warmer if necessary. Use common sense. You wouldn't want to pull a carboy out of a freezer and slap a brew belt on it.

 

[1tonmama]

I am in the GTA area which is definitely not as cold as Calgary. I'm also brewing in the basement - 60F - and am using an immersion heater to keep the temp at 75F. The heater needs to be narrow enough to fit through the neck of the carboy but it seems to be able to give a better temp control than a brew belt.

 

[JerryF]

I am in the GTA area which is definitely not as cold as Calgary. I'm also brewing in the basement - 60F - and am using an immersion heater to keep the temp at 75F. The heater needs to be narrow enough to fit through the neck of the carboy but it seems to be able to give a better temp control than a brew belt.

Lot of good comments and suggestions. I found that using a good quality heating pad seems to work great. Soft cloth layer next to the glass is no problem at all and using the so-called "low" setting on the thermostat gets me up to around 77-79 F after a few hours and doesn't vary much after that. I've just been tying it on with a piece of string and other times just taped it in place.