# Need Creative Way to Raise Must Ferm. Temp.



## Grancru (Sep 5, 2014)

Can anyone share their creative methods for raising the temperature of wine must? 

I will be using Maurivin B yeast this year as it has an alcohol tolerance of 14-15% and reduces up to 56% of the malic acid during primary fermentation.

The optimum temperature range for Maurivin B is 25–30ºC (77-86ºF).

After a 2 day cold soak at 50-60ºF I need to get the temp up a good 20 degrees and maintain.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.


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## Julie (Sep 5, 2014)

get a brew belt
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## bkisel (Sep 5, 2014)

Brew belt IMHO is your best bet. For something more immediate maybe immerse your fermentor in a a big bucket or tub of hot water. I've read here of folks using a big bucket or tub and an aquarium heating element to keep the water jacket warm without having to constantly exchang out cooled water for hot water.


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## richmke (Sep 5, 2014)

I would sanitize a large pot and heat some of it up on the stove (to say 90-100 degrees), and mix it back in. Repeat until you hit 77+ degrees.

Heating pad is a typical way to maintain temp. You can use a temperature controller to control the heating pad.

Temp Controller:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H5GREO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Temp Probe:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00843IKWK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Here is a complete kit:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermentation-kit.html


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 5, 2014)

How much volume?


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## olusteebus (Sep 6, 2014)

I use a large plastic tub and a adjustable aquarium heater


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## Turock (Sep 6, 2014)

If you have a small room--like a dark room or a wood bin,etc.---you can put a portable electric heater in the room with the vat. This is what we do and it's a pretty low-tech thing but works really well.


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## Thig (Sep 6, 2014)

I set the primary bucket in a utility sink and then fill the sink up with hot water.


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## salcoco (Sep 6, 2014)

unless you are in a remigrated environment the wine must will reach ambient temp in a few days after cold soak is done. use these days to add so2, enzyme etc before pitching yeast. temper the yeast with the must by adding some tablespoons full to your yeast hydrate continue until there is only about 15-20 degree difference. this will get the yeast used to the acid and temp environment of the must. you can speed the temp rise process by using an electric blanket if you have a large volume. heating pads will also work with a blanket cover to keep the heat in.


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## Grancru (Sep 6, 2014)

I am dealing with two 55 gallon white plastic barrels filled 3/4 of the way full. They are located in a large basement area. Will this belt fit around a 55 gal barrel?

Heating blankets seem to be the solution.

Thanks for the help!


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## Thig (Sep 6, 2014)

Dam*, gone take a big utility sink to do it my way then.


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## beano (Sep 6, 2014)

Grancru said:


> I am dealing with two 55 gallon white plastic barrels filled 3/4 of the way full. They are located in a large basement area. Will this belt fit around a 55 gal barrel?
> 
> Heating blankets seem to be the solution.
> 
> Thanks for the help!



Portable space heater maybe. Up close.


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## Sage (Sep 6, 2014)

Space heater with a blanket over them on top and back side to keep the heat in. Monitor closely!! Heater not too close to the blanket......


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## firemanthornman (Sep 7, 2014)

I've heard of people wrapping electric blankets around their fermenters.


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## skipdonohue (Sep 7, 2014)

Alot of suggestions here.. All I can say is nothing works better than 300 watt submersible aquarium heaters.. your must will be at optimum temps within a couple hours


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 7, 2014)

Like others - I use the aquarium heater or space heater with blankets holding the temperature. It really does not take long before fermentation takes over


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## seth8530 (Sep 7, 2014)

For that kind of volume, your fermenatation temperature might hit 90+ without any kind of intervention on your end. Are you going to be fermenting on skins? Two of the options that seem available to me are. Honestly, If I was you, I would just get them up to temperature and I bet once fermentation kicks off you will be off to the races. If you are not sure, perhaps insulate the outside of them to keep the heat in.

Alternatively, you could find a large water tub and put them in it. And then heat the water tub with aquarium heaters as someone else has mentioned. 

FYI, if you are fermenting that much in a basement, you might want to consider some kind of ventilation to ensure that CO2 does not build up.


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## bubbabean481 (Sep 24, 2014)

Fill empty bleach bottles with hot water and drop them in the fermenter when you punch down,cover with blankets . trust me it works. Good Lck


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## seth8530 (Sep 24, 2014)

That sounds horrifying.

I will be playing with brett and laco bacteria soon, so I bought an electric blanket to wrap around my 20 gallon fermenter. I will rig it up to a temperature controller. So hopefully this should work pretty well.


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## oregondabbler (Sep 25, 2014)

This is crude but that's how I'd describe me too.

I too work with must in food grade barrels (32 gal variety). I arrange them in a circle and in the center I put a space heater. On both sides of the space heater I place a wooden saw-horse.

I cover the whole shebang with a plastic tarp. Somewhere under the whole mess, I put a temperature gauge. The saw-horses ensure the tarp never touches the heater. If fact nothing should touch the heater.

I then step up the space heater setting over a day until the gauge reads the desired temperature. 

Is this what I'd do given infinite time or resources? No. But I've made a few good batches this way and never a bad one.


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## seth8530 (Sep 25, 2014)

Sounds like a pretty good way to heat up a LOT of wine. One thing to keep in mind ( as you might already know) that heat is not what you want for every fermentation. For reds you might want mid to upper 80's for a bit to get good extraction. However, keep in mind that this is not what you always want. It is important to remember that certain wines do best cool including many whites and a few reds as well.

I just figured I would put that out there since I know many of us here tend to be full speed ahead when it comes to getting the must as warm as possible.


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## oregondabbler (Sep 25, 2014)

Yah, Reds and whites should go into different temperature regimes. 

Its my guess that this is all too late for Grancru. Hey Grancru, what did you eventually end up doing?

Right now, I have about the same or lesser volumes that Grancru is asking about. I have two 32 gal barrels containing about 25 gal and one 20 gal barrel containing 10 gal, all Marshal Foch. I'm using another makeshift heating system. This time, because my working volume is smaller, I lined up the barrels with space in-between them. I stuck a 32 watt boot drier (no boot attached) in the space between each pair of barrels (e.g., one drier between 1st and 2nd and one drier between 2nd and 3rd barrel). On top of each barrel, I placed an empty water jug to tent the tarp and allow the warm air to fully cover the barrels. Come to think of it, its time for me to get a thread going on what I'm making.

I'm using a remote sensor to monitor temperature. Its meant for monitoring bbq temperatures but it seems to work ok for my needs. The temperature under the tarp is between 75 and 80 F depending on the ambient temp.

In my earlier posting, I described how I handled a (to me) massive harvest that demanded an improvised heating system NOW. My barn is unheated and the ambient temperatures were consistently below 55 F. I had 6-32 gal barrels filled with about 25 gal of various varieties. Whites (chard and pinot gris) were pressed juice and reds (pinot noir and marshal foch) were crushed berries. They all went under a tarp with a portable 1200 watt oil-filled heater and I kept the temperature at around 75 F. Many worries, the chard was fussy, did not want to ferment, but eventually everyone got going and in the end was happy with the results.

Seth, on reading your thread on the wines you made last year, I can tell that I'm probably way casual about my wine-making compared to you. I want to tighten up my system for making wine but right now my focus is on my vineyard. So far, I've liked everything I've made. But then again doesn't every parent feel that their child is above average? 

This winter I'll start building infrastructure to improve temperature control so they can be even more above average.


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## seth8530 (Sep 25, 2014)

Well, the only reason why I am at where I am now is because I have been progressively stepping up my game. It has taken me a while to get to the point to where I have had the time to really pursue and buckle down on the smaller yet quite important points such as highly accurate TA, PH, SO2 and temperature control. 

That being said, being able to get rough TA and PH and some form of temperature control can vastly improve one's wine making capabilities.


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## winojoe (Sep 26, 2014)

Cover with a large tarp. Use a few chairs (or something of that nature) to create air space around the plastic barrels under the tarp. Make sure the tarp reaches the floor all the way around. Now, you can use one of those small electric heaters with a built in fan & thermostat. I have the same situation and this method works great.


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