Heating macro bin fermentations

I would like some thoughts on how others heat up red ferments in larger 48 macro bins (1.3 ton). I am aiming to get particular ferments up to around 92 *F and sometimes certain lots top out in the mid to high 80’s. Also at which point in the fermentation do you suggest to try to spike the heat?

A tarp tent and a space heater or two usually do the trick. What variety(ies) are you fermenting?

Can you be more specific on the details of that process Ed?
I generally like to heat all reds Zinfandel,Sangio,Pet Sir, Merlot and even Pinot Noir.

A good healthy ferment of that size in that fermentor should hit those temps with out issue. If you need more heat you can put in the sun for a few hours depending on where you are located. I average 21 days in the fermentor all wild yeast and usually peak temps are days 7-10. I also use whole clusters so I have a longer tail end to the ferment as the whole berries are broken by each punch down.

Usually keeping them cool enough that they don’t stick is a bigger issue with no whole clusters and inoculated ferments. Not sure if thats what your doing though. I have used foil lined bubble wrap(available at home improvement stores), or mylar (available at grow shops) in cold cellars to help the fermentor keep its heat in. A lid will help as well. One of the reasons I use T-bins is for this reason. I like peak temps in the low to mid 90’s on our PN and t-bins are double walled and can be placed against each other to help build heat or spaced apart to dissipate it.

Brian,

I’ve had the best luck with getting temps up by building Tbin tent cities. I’m not sure how many of the 48s you’ll have going at once, but if have a separate area where you can put all those fermenters you want to heat up, that would be ideal. Put some space heaters in that area, whether it’s a room or a tent made out of tarps. Or, like Joe suggested, bring the bins out into the sun. Don’t forget to bring them in at night, if you’re in an area (like almost everywhere in CA) that cools down considerably after the sun goes down.

92 is easy to hit with Pinot, and I’m guessing Merlot too, although I’ve never made it. Zin definitely ferments at a slower rate/lower temp than Pinot, and I’m not sure about PS. I’d aim for reaching peak temp between 10 and 0 brix. Are you trying for more extraction with the higher temps, or do you want to avoid stuck ferments?

Yeast choice and feeding regimen can also influence this. If you choose the right yeast and juice it, you’ll be trying to keep it cold rather than vice versa. Native is a guessing game, I’ve had them all over the map but they are typically cooler fermenters if only because there is a longer lag phase before the dominant cohort takes hold and therefore less time to generate population and therefore heat.

We had an interesting contraption at big basin that I think John Alban came up with. It was a small pump on a cart with a flash heating element and a heating plate. You stuck the plate in the ferment, and ran the pump over it until you hit your desired starting temp. Higher starting temps lead to higher peak temps. This was more for getting native ferments healthier faster, but it could be useful in your efforts as well. The one caveat I’d give regarding tenting is that you need to be meticulous about cleanliness. Sticky juice in a warm, protected environment breeds all kinds of bugs.

Anybody else suspicious that Ed’s wholesale denial of Merlot production a smokescreen for his upcoming all-merlot project? Everything that was cool in the 80’s is getting cool again. First acid washed jeans … then merlot.

I’ve used aquarium heaters. Love em. Set em to max, put three or four submerged under the cap in between punchdowns and it works great. I keep the bins inside with normal cellar temps.

The key is to remove them and put the heaters into buckets of water during punchdowns. Never leave them in the “on” position in dry air. Second, do not put them submerged in bins until at least 30 min after punchdowns, or the rising cap takes them out of the liquid and burns the berries something awful. The tube of each heaters must be surrounded by liquid or they start to burn dry berries. They can touch berries but they can’t touch DRY berries.

I have gone from 60F to 85F in a bin in one day using them. Once I hit 82F, I remove them entirely and watch to make sure the ferment temp does not exceed 92.

I’ve had some success with heat tape. You can buy it at Home Depot and it is usually used to keep pipes from freezing. They usually have an in-line thermostat that turns them on. We’ve over-ridden the thermostat by placing it in a bucket of ice water…meanwhile, the heat tape can be placed inside the fermenter coiled or spread about.
I used this for a small batch (0.75 ton) in a 1-1/2 ton fermenter. Really helped finish the ferment.

Cheers, Ed

Angel Vine

Feed it, if it’s all destemmed it will go, especially if you put 1.5+ tons in it.

I have just purchased 2 submersible fish tank heaters today on Clement street. They are made from titanium and no glass at all. One is 300 watts and the other 200 watts.

Between the two it should be able to heat 150 gallons or so. The heaters have an LED temp control unit that sits outside of the tank. The range of temp can be set from 35F to 93F and will automatically shut off when programed temp is set.

I will report on my findings with this strategy when employed. Thanks for all the great advice.

We use the fish tank heaters all the time to finish ferments after pressing whole cluster. Work amazingly well. Do not but the glass ones however. The burn the wine. Plastic ones are great.