The Fermento-lager-taporator!

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Boerderij_Kabouter

Boerderij_Kabouter

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I am slowly gathering pieces for my brewery build, but do to a sizable Oktoberfest party I received clearance to purchase 4 Perlick taps and shanks and the necessary gear to turn my chest freezer into a keezer! This is great, but obviously not as grand as the equipment could be...

For now I will be building a standard collar keezer... but in the future.....

Based on this design, I give you the fermento-lager-taporator!

perspective.png


The heart of this piece of equipment is the freezer which has the lid completely removed:
fridge.png


Next a somewhat modified collar is attached:
collar.png


This collar will be a 2x8 which will allow my to comfortably fit 6 kegs in my small freezer. The freezer is 21x35 and 32" tall.
keg_positions.png
 
This is Damn COOL. Whats going in the top glass. Tell me that your putting fermenting carboys up in there to lager. This is awsome, like going to a brew pub where you can watch them brew.
 
Next, I will build the frame from construction grade 2x4's.
frame.png


The frame encases the freezer and forms the shape for the fermentation chamber and the storage area.

I will finish this piece with cherry or oak and stain it dark. The moulding will be simple and will have a heavy clear coat so it will be easy to wash and sanitize.

sticking.png




In operation, the freezer will be controlled by a love controller at about 38 degrees for conditioning and serving. The floor of the fermentation chamber (above the freezer space) will be removable and insulated. Access to the freezer will be through this removable floor, like this:
freezer_access.png


When the floor is in place, two tubes will connect the fermentation chamber and the freezer. Computer fans will be placed in the tubes and wired to a second love controller. The controller will turn the fans on and off to move cold air into and out of the fermentation chamber thereby maintaining an ideal ferment temperature.

The front doors of the fermentation chamber will be dual paned glass with a UV resistant coating so I can see my fermenting brew without opening the door and allowing a temperature shift.
 
The serving portion is similar to a coffin. In this picture you can see the coffin box that is cooled by the freezer. This side area will also provide storage space for my 20# CO2 tank so that isn't sitting out. The love controllers will be in here, and probably shelving for glassware and other assorted goodies.

coffin_tank_storage.png


I will also have an access hatch cut in so I can get to the freezer internals without taking the whole thing apart.
access_hatch.png



And here is the business end at the end of the day!
taps.png


This is likely a next year project for me, but I figured I would post and maybe inspire someone else with my ideas.

Cheers:mug:
 
I have also uploaded the model to the 3D warehouse for those of you who use sketchup for modeling or want to take a closer look. just search homebrew and it will come up.
 
Jester369 said:
Looks sweet! One question - if you kick a keg, do you have to remove the fermenting brews from above to swap?
Click to expand...

Yes, you would either have to shift them around to access one of the floor panels or remove them. I plan on building the floor in three sections so fermenters could be maneuvered to allow access to the freezer.
 
Couple of questions:

- How are you going to deal with the heat generated by the freezer? In other words, how will you ventilate this so the compressor doesn't overheat?

- What happens when your freezer dies and you have to pull it out to put in a new one? Will there be an easy way to get it out without tearing the whole thing apart?

Otherwise, wow! Freaking awesome! :mug:
 
If you're going to have glass or BB carboys in there, I think you should backlight them with some LEDs. That would look so cool with light shining through the swirling yeasties and bubbles.
 
ChshreCat said:
If you're going to have glass or BB carboys in there, I think you should backlight them with some LEDs. That would look so cool with light shining through the swirling yeasties and bubbles.
Click to expand...

+1000!!!

Will you mount the finished product on wheels or on a platform of some kind? Just thinking about if you were to move from where you are now.
 
jfrizzell said:
Couple of questions:

- How are you going to deal with the heat generated by the freezer? In other words, how will you ventilate this so the compressor doesn't overheat?

- What happens when your freezer dies and you have to pull it out to put in a new one? Will there be an easy way to get it out without tearing the whole thing apart?

Otherwise, wow! Freaking awesome! :mug:
Click to expand...

Great questions!

1) The back of the freezer portion is open so the heat venting will be the same as it is now.

2) The freezer should be rather easy to replace. As long as I can find one of approximately the same size... all that would be required for a change out would be unscrew a couple fasteners, have my brother over to help me lift the structure off the old freezer and onto the new one. I plan to build the whole structure independently so it will be relatively easy to move.

ChshreCat said:
If you're going to have glass or BB carboys in there, I think you should backlight them with some LEDs. That would look so cool with light shining through the swirling yeasties and bubbles.
Click to expand...

That sounds cool. Some rope lighting would be super easy to install. Also, I could add a heating element in there for the depths of winter.

Brewin_Bob said:
+1000!!!

Will you mount the finished product on wheels or on a platform of some kind? Just thinking about if you were to move from where you are now.
Click to expand...

I really don't plan on ever moving... but if I do, it shouldn't be to bad, not any worse than moving a highboy or another large piece of furniture.

Thanks for the interest, Cheers:mug:
 
are you going to insulate the upper fermentation chamber?

Also you will get moisture in the freezer from condensation. You should make sure you leave a space for the drain on the freezer so you can easily remove the water that collects.

The Glass even though double pained will loose a lot of coolness. I have a feeling without the proper insulation that your fans will be running 24-7.

I would mount the love controllers on the front of the unit that way its easy to see your temps plus they look cool.
 
brewjunky said:
are you going to insulate the upper fermentation chamber?

Also you will get moisture in the freezer from condensation. You should make sure you leave a space for the drain on the freezer so you can easily remove the water that collects.

The Glass even though double pained will loose a lot of coolness. I have a feeling without the proper insulation that your fans will be running 24-7.

I would mount the love controllers on the front of the unit that way its easy to see your temps plus they look cool.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was gonna say. If you build this thing as is, I'd expect your elec bill to go up substantially. Condensation is another concern.
 
brewjunky said:
are you going to insulate the upper fermentation chamber?

Also you will get moisture in the freezer from condensation. You should make sure you leave a space for the drain on the freezer so you can easily remove the water that collects.

The Glass even though double pained will loose a lot of coolness. I have a feeling without the proper insulation that your fans will be running 24-7.

I would mount the love controllers on the front of the unit that way its easy to see your temps plus they look cool.
Click to expand...

Yes! I forgot to mention, the whole frame structure will be insulated with R-13 wall insulation so this thing should be rather efficient. I may loose a bit of heat out of the glass, but the majority of the time, the temperature difference between the chamber and my house will only be around 10-15 degrees. I could mount the LOVEs on the front but my house is rather old school and the digital readouts might look a bit out of place.;)

I am ordering some of those electric dehumidifiers posted a little while ago for the keezer.
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
Yes! I forgot to mention, the whole frame structure will be insulated with R-13 wall insulation so this thing should be rather efficient. I may loose a bit of heat out of the glass, but the majority of the time, the temperature difference between the chamber and my house will only be around 10-15 degrees. I could mount the LOVEs on the front but my house is rather old school and the digital readouts might look a bit out of place.;)

I am ordering some of those electric dehumidifiers posted a little while ago for the keezer.
Click to expand...

...or just get some damprid. :D

you'll get more thermal loss through that glass than you think. So what temp will it be in there? And do you have any way of keeping the kegs colder (42ish) and still have lagers fermenting above at 50-55? Or does the whole thing have to be the same temp?
 
Im guessing since cold air drops and the bottom of his floor for the fermentation chamber is going to be insulated he will control the temps by his fans blowing cold air up into the fermentation area from Pipes that go through the floor with fans mounted to them or something similar.
 
FSR402 said:
-10000 for skunked beer... :drunk:
Click to expand...

LED lights wouldn't skunk the beer...............

My carboys sit in my basement and the lights are on for like 16 hours a day and I have never had skunked beer.

I think the lights would only be on for a short period just to admire then be shut off.
 
Evan! said:
you'll get more thermal loss through that glass than you think. So what temp will it be in there? And do you have any way of keeping the kegs colder (42ish) and still have lagers fermenting above at 50-55? Or does the whole thing have to be the same temp?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am a bit worried about the thermal loss through the glass, but I will be maintaining the temps in there at around 60ish for most ales, colder for lagers but we will see. The temp of the freezer is maintained by the first love controller and I will keep it at about 37 +/- 3. The floor of the fermentation chamber is highly insulated and air is only exchanged between the freezer and the fermentation chamber when the second love detects a need for cooling. At that point the love operates fans in the communication tubes to transfer cold air from the freezer into the fermentation chamber. In addition, if I needed to heat the upper chamber, I could cap off the communication tubes and place a heating element in the upper chamber. Like Junky said, the design of chest freezers maintains the cold air in the bottom of the freezer so natural convection into the upper chamber really shouldn't be a problem.

FSR402 said:
-10000 for skunked beer... :drunk:
Click to expand...
I will be coating the glass with a UV resistant film (pretty cheap at your local Home Depot). They block 99.9% of UV and this will be in my basement where it is never in the sun.
 
My thought with the glass was... yes, I will lose some heat out through the glass, but I won't be opening the doors everyday (realistically a couple times a day :D) and dumping all the cold air out of the chamber. This way I would only open the doors when I needed to transfer or take a measurement. I think in the end the glass would be more efficient.
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
My thought with the glass was... yes, I will lose some heat out through the glass, but I won't be opening the doors everyday (realistically a couple times a day :D) and dumping all the cold air out of the chamber. This way I would only open the doors when I needed to transfer or take a measurement. I think in the end the glass would be more efficient.
Click to expand...

A security camera would be more efficient still, with monitors built into the front. :D
 
Love the low-rider hip-hop Lederhosen :fro:

You could always make the lid double paned with an air space in the middle. Also, you might consider plexiglass or lexan - they are better insulators. Of course they scratch. You could use plastic for the inner layer and glass on top.
 
Why do the glass the hard way? Just call up a glass shop, and ask about triple pane IGUs in the size you want. These are what are typically used on commercial fridges. They're 3 panes of glass, usually a low-e type, and I'm sure UV inhibiting glass is no problem. They're also filled with inert gas, and have dessicant packs built in to help prevent fogging long-term.
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
My thought with the glass was... yes, I will lose some heat out through the glass, but I won't be opening the doors everyday (realistically a couple times a day :D) and dumping all the cold air out of the chamber. This way I would only open the doors when I needed to transfer or take a measurement. I think in the end the glass would be more efficient.
Click to expand...

Glass (even relatively thick glass)is extremely effective in terms of heat transfer. This of course if very BAD for cooling. Also, unless you have a SS fermenter in there, the potential for light spoilage is quite high. If you are going to go with glass, you might want to look into one of 2 things:

1) Multiple panes of thick glass (or buy doors from one of the commercially available glass-front fridges and size cabinet appropriately). You could even use a sliding fridge door from a commercial/industrial cooler and have it slide to the right behind the right hand side of the cabinet.

2) Provide some low wattage back-lighting in the upper cabinet to turn on when trying to impress the friends, but tint the glass and keep this lighting off most of the time.
 
What would be REALLY cool? If you could somehow build lighting into the shelves to the carboys would be lit from the bottoms. I'm sure that's more involved than lighting needs to be... but it would be SO COOL!!! :D
 
Evan! said:
A security camera would be more efficient still, with monitors built into the front. :D
Click to expand...

Don't forget a camera to monitor the taps!!!

"Dang-it, Frank! I told you no guzzlin from the tap. Yew can use the trough just like everbody else..."
 
brewjunky said:
LED lights wouldn't skunk the beer...............

My carboys sit in my basement and the lights are on for like 16 hours a day and I have never had skunked beer.

I think the lights would only be on for a short period just to admire then be shut off.
Click to expand...

No maybe not but I bet the light coming thru the glass windows will.
 
Totally awesome. Have you considered making one section like a wine refrigerator so you can age your vintage beers?
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
coffin_tank_storage.png
Click to expand...

Based on this picture, it looks like you don't have anything above or below the taps, so I'd suggest doing something like a recessed Irish coffin. Then you could have a drip tray built in and it could drain into some type of container next to the co2 tank.

Overall, it looks like an awesome project!
 
drunkatuw said:
Based on this picture, it looks like you don't have anything above or below the taps, so I'd suggest doing something like a recessed Irish coffin. Then you could have a drip tray built in and it could drain into some type of container next to the co2 tank.

Overall, it looks like an awesome project!
Click to expand...


Cool idea! :ban:

That way I could put a door on the front and hide/lock the taps when I didn't want them accessed! I think I will build that in.

Thanks!
 

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