Too Cool for School

I checked on the beer barrel  in the morning before going to work and it was clear all was not as it should be. The thermometer showed a temperature of 12° (although you could barely see it). That is well below the optimal temperature for brewing and in fact is so cold that the beer wouldn't be brewing at all. Looks like my heating pad was money well invested. It said not to turn the heating pad for the first 24 hours but I decided to throw caution into the wind and throw the switch.

I came back after work and was pleased to see I had done the right thing. The temperature was up at 22°, a good temperature for brewing, and the air lock was bubbling away nicely with that carbon dioxide showing that the yeast was doing its thing.