Small footprint lagering fridge

**Saccharomyces** · 12-23-2008, 08:21 PM

I'm thinking about picking up one of those Oster 5.0 fridges and using two corny kegs as fermenters. Figure I could crank out 9-10 gallons of Munich Helles every 6 weeks. That would keep my neighbors AND me very happy indeed.

I got the idea stuck in my head after reading the last BYO issue which showed 5 gallons fermenting in a corny using foam control drops and a blowoff tube rigged on the gas-in post. I think this is f***in' brilliant.

See, I would go for one of those 5 cubic foot freezer models, but the problem with those is they take up a lot of room, and a lot of room is one thing I don't have left in our garage. Plus, I know from the fridge I have if I set the control to the warmest setting it will be fine for fermentation, probably around 48*F, and a small twist of the knob will drop it about 4*F until I get into the lagering zone. No external temp controller required. Oh, and D-rest? No problem, just unplug the sucker for three or four days. If it's really cold in the garage, I'll just pull the kegs out and sit them inside for a few days for the D-rest.

If I use my ugliest cornies, it will still fit my criteria of junk looking ghetto redneck, which I strive for in all of my equipment, at least to some degree. Though my mash tun is a little too pretty. I think I need BierMuncher to doodle some artwork on it for me.

What's not to love about this idea?

larrybrewer · 12-23-2008, 08:41 PM

That sounds really awesome. I did not think of that!

I use a standard glass carboy for lager fermenting in the fridge. I figure I can fit at least two corny kegs in the same space one glass carboy occupies. I am also a big fan of the Munich Helles style beer.

What kind of lid will you use on the corny keg?
I saw this on more beer the other day that might work but it is spendy:
Keg Lid - 1/2" Half Coupler Welded On | MoreBeer

**conpewter** · 12-23-2008, 08:49 PM

I've fermented in the cornies before, works just fine, and you don't need a special lid. I just used an airlock connected to the gas-in port using a piece of 3/8" silicone tubing (nice and stretchy). You could also do as mentioned and use a blow-off

**Saccharomyces** · 12-23-2008, 08:52 PM

Don't have a pic handy, but in the BYO article the guy was just using a regular gray QD on the gas post with a barbed fitting, and a tube attached to that running into a bucket of sanitizer. No fancy keg lid or fittings.

I have a pressure relief valve so I could do a pressure ferment but I will save that for small ale batches. I like the blowoff setup since I can fit 5 gallons in each keg, worst thing that could happen is I get some krausen in the tube but the chances of that are still slim since we're talking lagers with foam control drops...

**Saccharomyces** · 12-23-2008, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conpewter

I've fermented in the cornies before, works just fine, and you don't need a special lid. I just used an airlock connected to the gas-in port using a piece of 3/8" silicone tubing (nice and stretchy). You could also do as mentioned and use a blow-off

Cool, if the tubing fits right over the port fitting, then I dont' even need the QD, just a couple of lengths of silicone hose. And that stuff is easy to sanitize if it gets nasty, just toss it in some boiling water...

bakins · 12-23-2008, 10:23 PM

If you already have a keezer, check this out:
Wort-O-Matic: The Mother of All Fermentation Chillers

I'm in the midst of building this and hope to use the upper part for lagers. I can fit 3-4 fermenters in mine.

**Saccharomyces** · 12-24-2008, 08:22 PM

Very nice setup. Me likey.