Murray

Recipes 

I currently use a 15gal conical fermenter, as I have been making session ales and fermenting at around 70 degrees, which is my garage temperature most of the year. I have recently installled a shed ""brewery" and want to branch out and make lagers. I will also have lower (fluctuating) temperatures in the brewshed. I want to move to using the standard 23 litre glass carboys I have seen so often. I have three questions :

1 : Temperature. My conical has a nice screw in temp guage. What is the most efficient means to measure and check temperature of your fermentation in a carboy? Easy to do if making a lager or something at cool temperatures in a kegerator with thermo control, but what about fermenting at 70F when it is colder? Do you stick a thermometer in every little while, and use a heating blanket or so? Is there a rig you can get which would control the heating blanket via a thermostat to maintain the right temperature in the carboy?

2 : Tapping : Again, my conical has a nice tap to tap off beer to my secondary. I have not seen glass carboys with taps on them. Are these all siphoned?

Is this the way to go, or do you recommend getting a larger fermentation chamber and fitting my conical into that?

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Primary : Carriage Ale

jetmac

Recipes 

Do this with a stick on Fermometer a
Liquid crystal thermometer which adheres to the side of a carboy, bucket, or even stainless conical to tell you the fermentation temperature

I used to ferment ales in a mini fridge and use a heating pad for heat then set a temperature controller to my desired temperature and plug the fridge into it. Taped the probe to the side of the carboy and taped a piece of insulation on top of it.


Siphoned, yes. There are a few ways to do this. I use an "auto-siphon" myself


I can't answer that. But if I had a conical, I would figure out a way to heat and cool it before I bought a carboy

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Wayne Gretzky-"100% of the shots you don't take, don't go in

Revvy>>You shouldn't worry about ANYTHING, you didn't hurt the yeast, they know what they need to do, they want to eat all that sugar they are swimming around in. They want to pee alcohol and fart co2, it's their nature.

Bobby_M>>I flood the keg with CO2 for one minute with the lid off, rack the beer in to the bottom gently, seal it, flood it, vent it. If there's still O2 in there after that, F it.

Murray

Recipes 

Many thanks. I have taken your advice and found a fridge that fits my conical! Now all I need is a heating pad and I have both-way temperature control.

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Primary : Carriage Ale