Kill the weather bitch

[the Baron]

G'day, It had been pretty hot in Brisbane last week so I decided to put my fermenter outside in the laundry tubs as the sheila on the news said mostly fine for the week and lows of 18-19. I made a fatal mistake of believing her and went away camping, where if pissed down, and when I got home after getting sick of the rain for 2 days and worrying about the brew, the temp was at 18oC (and was not bubling) and this was at 8 in the morning (yes I am an early waker, but you have to be you see, as the fish have no eyelids and can see everything I tell you, except in the dark...). So I asume it got down below 18 through the nights The coopers pack said to keep it above 18, I am just wondering is my yeast just sleeping and is about to wake up again when it gets hot or is it rooted beyond repair?? Is there any hope?? O god please help me. I knew I should have believed my dad when he said that little kids who lie at school row up to be the weather forcaster

[Gough]

G'day Baron,

Everything is probably fine. Can you take a gravity reading? Trust your hydrometer rather than your airlock. Could just be a leak. Any other signs of fermentation? Fluffy 'head' on your brew, brownish stuff clinging around the top of the brew on the walls of the fermenter etc?

18 should not kill the yeast. It will slow it down and may actually produce better beer depending on the flavours you are after. If your hydrometer is reading 1010 or below, chances are it has finished fermenting, depending on what type of beer it was. If for some reason it did get way below 18 and really nuke your yeasties, they will come good again in the warmer weather. Personally I wouldn't let them get much higher than 20 if you can avoid it - 18 is actually slow but good.

Good luck,

Shawn.

[db]

18deg. or below will be fine... i wish i could keep the temp of mine that low (sitting on 22-24 at the mo)

[Dogger Dan]

Don't worry

All is good

Don't kill the lady, you will go to jail, go fishing and let time take its course.

Sorry though, 8:00 am is pretty late for me try 5:30

Dogger

[the Baron]

Thanks guys, Just tasted the wort today (A technique I am trying to perfect ever since the hydrometer got crushed, the technique is not widely accepted in the world of S.I units yet...) and it seems like it is going fine and I will rack today. I just got a bit worried as it had stopped visibly bubling (mind you I have a short attention span) after three days from dropping, would this have anything to do with the fact I only added 17.5L of water instead of the 23L?? Also a mate works at the golden circle factory and he says that they pastureize (I cannot spell, look on the side of your milk carton for the real word) all their fruit juice, so does this mean that the juice can be added to the wort of future brews without the nightmare of infecting it??
Thanks guys
Also Dogger, the 8am is when I arive home after packing up the camp and driving from Double Island Point back to Brisbane and unloading

[Dogger Dan]

To answer your question, Yes you can use pasturized juices as long as they are preservative free.

My next is "why go to bed"