Beer Forum

Looking at heating my fermentation chamber. I currently use a small heat lamp and cover my carboys with a thick cloth that cuts out most of the light. If UV light is what turns hop AA to skunk, what does IR light do? Or would that be a good alternative? I'm going to put an IR reptile heat light in there for tonight but what is everyone else's opinion?

From what I've read, at high energies, IR will inhibit yeast & bacterial growth. Unlike UV, it doesn't split molecular bonds, so it shouldn't mess with the wort itself. I'm not sure how much energy is considered "high".

Why not just use a wrap-type heater?

One word... cheap. I have a lamp and I have an IR bulb.

Techie101 wrote:Looking at heating my fermentation chamber. I currently use a small heat lamp and cover my carboys with a thick cloth that cuts out most of the light. If UV light is what turns hop AA to skunk, what does IR light do? Or would that be a good alternative? I'm going to put an IR reptile heat light in there for tonight but what is everyone else's opinion?

its not just UV light but VISIBLE LIGHT that destroy's beer. I could go on and on about this like....why is the VISIBLE color of a bottle the determining factor of its protectiveness when 'others' say that its UV light (which our eye's cannot see!!!!) is destroying beer. our eyes can only see visible light, that's why its called visible light. things appear as colors because the absorb or reflect certain wavelengths of VISIBLE light that give it the color. so...just say light destroys beer, not UV light and you won't be wrong.

IR "light" is nothing more than heat in general.

at pet stores they sell ceramic bulbs that only produce heat..."aka infrared light"....they don't produce visible light at all.

boobookittyfuk wrote:why is the VISIBLE color of a bottle the determining factor of its protectiveness when 'others' say that its UV light (which our eye's cannot see!!!!) is destroying beer.

It is not the visible color of the bottle that is causing the relative "protection" of the beer - but more accurately - the density of the color. Of the three colors of glass bottles that virtually all bottled beers are put into - brown is the best. Not because it is brown - but because it is dark. I'm pretty sure if they started putting beers in a dark, cobolt blue glass bottle it would be equally protected. However, that is not going to happen, because that pigment is expensive. If I had to guess which part of the light spectrum affects beers the most - I would lean in the flourescent, UV direction.

Techie - if you are really worried about it, you can ferment in a corny (a large can... that's right, can). I would just stick with a reptile heater.


Mylo

MyloFiore wrote: If I had to guess which part of the light spectrum affects beers the most - I would lean in the flourescent, UV direction.


Mylo

ok two things here...

1. flourescent lights put off VERY little if ANY UV light at all.

to get a flourescent light to put out UV light, they need to be special kind of UV producing light bulb. for example: a tanning salon bulb

HOWEVER, even those bulbs only emit UV light for 2 to 3 feet maximum. That is why you must be within 12" of those bulbs when tanning in the salon.

2. Glass itself ABSORBS (which means that it doesn't transmit) UV light.

Only does quartz transmit the UV light spectrum. Glass is made of silicon dioxide. Quartz is made of silica. the difference between silicon dioxide and silica is the amount of bond structure between within the material. the increased bonds in glass absorb UV light. This is kind of how sunscreen works for your skin.....you are applying a cream that has a chemical (probably ending in -ene) with many triple bonds. Well these bonds absorb UV light.

NOW.....with learning points 1 and 2.....

have you ever had a sunburn while sitting in your house?

have you ever gotten a sunburn while in a building with flourescent lights? (not counting a tanning salon)

have you ever gotten a sun burn while driving your car with the widows up?

Brotha, you seem to know what your talking about, but I'm still not wearings sun screen!