One of the main differences between pro brewing and home brewing for consistency of fermentation is temperature control. Yeast cells are living organisms and as is the case with humans there is a fairly narrow temperature range that makes them comfortable and allows them to do their best work. That’s not to say you can’t brew great beer with the temperature outside of the yeast’s comfort zone, but it is ideal to do the best you can to regulate the temperature of the fermenting beer.
There are plenty of temperature control products available to the home brewer at your local home brew shops or online. As with most hobbies, the prices for accessories can range from reasonable to absolutely ridiculous. So if you’re not ready to dish out the money for temperature control just yet, try wrapping a spare blanket around your fermenters to moderate any temperature fluctuations.
I live in Massachusetts and the temperature in my home varies wildly in the winter since I turn the heat way down when I’m not home to keep the heating budget in check. I brewed an ale in January and its temperature was 58° F when it was time to bottle. Not exactly ideal for ale brewing, so being the cheap bastard that I am I decided to wrap a fleece blanket around the two batches of beer that I’m currently brewing to provide a layer of insulation while the indoor temp varies by about 15 degrees or so on a daily basis.
When I open a brewery I will be investing in temperature controlled fermenters. The fleece blanket idea is OK for your kitchen and will provide a little bit of stability while your latest creation ferments and until you budget for some real temperature control for your home brewing.