How can I lager on a budget?

Howdy guys,

I'm a college student that loves beer (imagine that) and I recently began extract brewing. I would like to make a good Octoberfest for the fall semester, but I don't have the $ to spend on a spare fridge to lager in. Has anyone tried or found a good way to do this without a fridge to lager in? If not, any recommendations on a good "fall" beer. Thanks a ton gents!

a fridge is the best way to go but I have seen guys build cold boxes using foam and cooling them with gallon bottles of frozen water and an old PC fan

Another way is to get a 70 qt. maxcold cooler.

IGLOO Ice Cube Maxcold 70-qt. Roller Cooler : Target

With the help of a hole saw to let the airlock fit, this can manage a 6.5 gallon carboy. Switching out bottles to get and keep the temperature down is a great way to go.

It won't be easy, but it was done for centuries before refrigeration.

OK, so you don't have access to a cave. Still, this is a worthy pursuit.

As c-vood suggested, a big cooler will work, absolutely. A small cooler will also work, depending on your batch size.

It would require consistent attention. After a week or so you would likely have a good idea how often to add ice.

You have the idea, run with it.

C+B=A

If you conceive it, and believe it, you shall achieve it.

Blaze that path, sir! We are here to support you.

Just a thought: Lager-like flavors are supposedly possible by fermenting with Nottinghams at or below the low end of its temp scale. Haven't tried it myself.

See if you can get a fridge off someone moving on the college campus. I've picked up mini-fridges that were in perfect working order for ~$15. Put a thermometer in the fridge for a few days to dial in lagering temps and let it go.

You may be able to modify a fermentation chamber. check this out...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/smaller-son-fermentation-chiller-79556/

Winter is coming.

pnh2atl said:

Winter is coming.

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NOooooo don't say that. I'm not ready for it

Haha, thanks a ton gents. Several very good ideas. I will surely use one of them to make great beer and fully enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of drinking beer that is several thousand multitudes better than natty light.

pnh2atl said:

Winter is coming.

Click to expand...

Winter?? Pssshhh. Down here we won't see anything resembling cold weather until early Nov. Any of you northerners that need fermentation space for your saisons I have plenty of space in my garage (I can make room anyway). My fee is a 4 pack from each batch. Pretty reasonable.

SmugMug said:

Winter?? Pssshhh. Down here we won't see anything resembling cold weather until early Nov. Any of you northerners that need fermentation space for your saisons I have plenty of space in my garage (I can make room anyway). My fee is a 4 pack from each batch. Pretty reasonable.

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Any of you southerners want to use my house to make ales and lagers all year round? (It's been in the low 40s at night here lately!)

Everything can be done on a budget, it just depends on how big a budget we are talking about.

A fully temperature controller lager/fermentation fridge with heating and cooling capacity can be built for under $100. Fridges can be found on CL for free with a very small amount of patience, and the controllers etc. will run just under $100. See my ferm chamber build linked in my sig.

If you can't get a good lagering setup, I would do psuedo lagers like Koelsch or something. I really don't like bad lagers, so that would be my option.

YooperBrew said:

Any of you southerners want to use my house to make ales and lagers all year round? (It's been in the low 40s at night here lately!)

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If I had a spare primary I would pay rent on a space for the doppelbock and/or maibock I want to do. I don't think it will ever be cold enough or long enough down here to do one without a spare refer.

pnh2atl said:

Winter is coming.

Click to expand...

Thanks Ned.

(Hopefully you are making that reference and I'm not just seeing things I want to see)

Hodor_Baggins said:

Thanks Ned.

(Hopefully you are making that reference and I'm not just seeing things I want to see)

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epic.________

In the same vane as the 70 qt igloo extreme cooler, this can be done for half the price (or less, if you can scavenge some foam insulation) right click the link and the pdf will download, or it just opens in a new window.

http://bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Cheap n Easy fermentation chiller.pdf