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Colorado

I know you aren't supposed to "heat" the water, but does anyone warm it to keep it at a constant temperature during the brewing process?

Is it worth it to warm it to say 70-75 degrees instead of letting it cool to 60-65 degrees while its brewing in my garage overnight?

3/23/2008 10:53:07 PM

Pleasant Hill, Or

I preheated mine with a fish tank heater set to 75 degrees about 24hrs before I began brewing. I pull my water from a cold well, so it just made sense to have the water warmed slightly to get the little guys off to a fast start. Things happen much quicker when it is prewarmed.

Thad

3/23/2008 11:57:32 PM

I agree with Thad and did the same, esp when brewing early spring/early fall when my high's might be 60° and overnights are in the 40°range. 1500W adjustable aquarium heater did the trick in a 25 gallon barrel.

3/24/2008 4:55:20 AM

President - GPC

Yup, me too, I use an old fish tank heater thats set to 76°, I brew in the garage, Summertime is usually 70° or cooler in the shade. My water doesnt need to sit as it comes either out of the fish tank, or out of the rain barrel.

3/24/2008 8:33:38 AM

Seattle, WA

Couple of things I've heard from Dr. Ingham.

1. Brew at ambient temps. you'll be applying at. That may differ depending on soil drech or foliar application.

2. When brew at colder temps. (low 60s and below), you'll need to brew for an extended period of time as it takes the organisms longer to reproduce. (this is where a microscope is really handy).

3. And this is just personal opinion, but I would think you'd want to some variation in temps. in your brewer, as this is a more accurate simulation of what occurs in nature. You'd be selecting for a greater diversity of organisms that are successful at differing temps. (example- 1 species of bacteria may be most successful at 75 degrees, while another may outcompete it for resources at 70 degrees). Again, I haven't seen any data on this, but it seems to fit with much of what I've read and heard from Dr. Ingham.

~Tad

3/24/2008 2:00:16 PM

Mt Vernon Ky

I agree with Thad i use a fish tank heater to get it around 70 to 75

3/24/2008 11:03:45 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

I would think that if you started with warmed water, say 75F and then turned the heater off. The temp would slowly decline to ambiant temp, thus giving you a quick start up and a range of temperatures on the way down.

Thad....you said you preheated the water. Does that mean when you started the brew, you turned the heater off? And, about what temp are you preheating to?

John

3/25/2008 6:57:43 AM

Rhode Island

we usually dont start using our tea brewer until the first of june so by then if we fill the brewer a day before with water its warm enough to go.the submersible heater is a good idea as well.

we judge when the brew is done by the froth on top ( much like the froth on top of a freshly poured root beer).

during the hottest months of mid july, august and early sept it takes 12 hrs to brew (or less)

in june it may take 16 to 20 hrs (unless you run a heater as mentioned above)

the key is of course the right formula, good worm casting and the proper nutrient solution.
we will be making our oun worm castings this year so that they are as fresh as possible. the bagged castings can be as much as a year old by the time you get them, effective yes, but fresh is even better.

pap

3/25/2008 6:58:28 AM

Pleasant Hill, Or

John, I just left the heater (set to 75) on as I started the brew. I never tested to see what the starting temp was, but it was noticeably warm to the touch, much warmer than when it was pulled out of the well.

I should have put a thermostat in the brew. I could feel the tea go thru swings in temps as it brewed, much like making wine. As the head of bubbles got bigger the temps were rising.

Thad

3/25/2008 11:37:39 AM

Cheshire,Ma

I use a fish tank heater to warm it up the water to about 77 degrees.

3/25/2008 3:56:01 PM