New Product! Cool Brewing Fermentation Cooler

I would like to try these in MY HOMEBREW STORE

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Just ordered mine, great idea!!

Count me in the "me too" camp. This product almost works TOO well. I had to use less ice because my carboy was too cold, fermentation slowed to a crawl. Took one of the frozen 2 liters out and everything was great from then on.

Thanks!

bk0 said:

Count me in the "me too" camp. This product almost works TOO well. I had to use less ice because my carboy was too cold, fermentation slowed to a crawl. Took one of the frozen 2 liters out and everything was great from then on.

Thanks!

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bk0...can ya let us know what temps ya got down to using the two 2 liter bottles (also what the room's approximate ambient temps were)? Also what it went up to with one bottle and what you were fermenting in (5 gal or 6 gal carboy)? Thanks for sharing!!! - Info Geek

JimCharb said:

bk0...can ya let us know what temps ya got down to using the two 2 liter bottles (also what the room's approximate ambient temps were)? Also what it went up to with one bottle and what you were fermenting in (5 gal or 6 gal carboy)? Thanks for sharing!!! - Info Geek

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Sure. I was using a 5 gallon PET carboy for a batch of mead. Ambient room temp was around 70-75 F. Temperatures initially got down to 50-52 F which made fermentation slow down too much.

I was actually using four 1 liter bottles, so I removed two. After that temps went up into the high 50s/low 60s which worked better.

bk0 said:

Sure. I was using a 5 gallon PET carboy for a batch of mead. Ambient room temp was around 70-75 F. Temperatures initially got down to 50-52 F which made fermentation slow down too much.

I was actually using four 1 liter bottles, so I removed two. After that temps went up into the high 50s/low 60s which worked better.

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Thanks! Helps others to gauge what they might need to get to where they want to go re: temps.

Got mine today, Fermenter is in and getting Cool...

I'm using this thing, for the second time, to make a LAGER. The heat from the fermentation helps regulate the ambient air in the cooler, and i add a warm water bottle - the process is easier than an ale!

Using mine for the first time, with a 7 gallon plastic fermenter bucket and two 2L bottles. I started off putting two frozen 2L in, and the temp dropped about 15F overnight. The next day both bottles were about half melted, so I swapped out one for a fresh frozen and left the other as-is to melt completely. Since then, I swap out the fully melted one with a fresh frozen every 12 hours and I'm getting a temp drop of ~10F in a 78F ambient room.

I'm liking this, any discount for repeat purchases?

I've got 2 that I've used for back to back brews going on 3 times. Early in the summer, I could only ferment 1 batch every 3 weeks, Now I can do 2. The extra beer is needed for football season. I'm going to have to start charging my friends.

For those lagering with these, you are using a kegerator for secondary correct? I don't see how it is possible to get this to lagering (40 degrees F) conditions in secondary without a cooler. I get that primary could be done, but wanted to make sure I am understanding how everyone is doing their lagering fermentation.

That's correct.

Just ordered two today, can't wait to try

itsernst said:

For those lagering with these, you are using a kegerator for secondary correct? I don't see how it is possible to get this to lagering (40 degrees F) conditions in secondary without a cooler. I get that primary could be done, but wanted to make sure I am understanding how everyone is doing their lagering fermentation.

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Hi guys,

I was lucky enough to get 6 of these sent to me in time for two large Beer Fests this month. They hold 4 Corny Kegs and 50# of ice in cubes. Sold 3 coolers the first day.
The lagering step is easy as long as you put more than one keg inside at a time. I fill two kegs with water to maybe 80% full and place them in my freezer (bought especially for beer making) and then swap them out daily. I can keep 1 or 2 kegs at 40 deg or less this way. I'd be surprised if I could do it with 1 keg or carboy and a few 2 liter bottles though.

The nice thing is the cooler is completely water tight. So melting ice cubes or condensation is not a problem.

Mike...... My Homebrew Store, Shanghai, China

Have one in primary right now; Holding steady at 62F with 2 1L water bottles. Change out one of the bottles every 12 hours or so and this thing is a cruising right along!

Can you share your Pumpkin Ale recipe?

MS Herretz: Click on his username and then select send message, thats probably the best way to get a hold of someone.

I just ordered one of these yesterday, cant wait to give it a go! Don't you love winning an amazon gift card right as you discover something like this that you want? Pure awesome.

My cool brewing bag takes quite a while (>24 hours with 3 2L bottles) to get down to 62-64F from room temperature (78-80F). I am wondering if putting a small battery operated fan inside would speed up the cool down process. Any comments?

Once at 62-64F it stays there very reliably with little effort.

I was thinking about this fan since it uses AA batteries which I can recharge.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CE2DR/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

kehaar said:

My cool brewing bag takes quite a while (>24 hours with 3 2L bottles) to get down to 62-64F from room temperature (78-80F). I am wondering if putting a small battery operated fan inside would speed up the cool down process. Any comments?

Once at 62-64F it stays there very reliably with little effort.

I was thinking about this fan since it uses AA batteries which I can recharge.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CE2DR/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

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I don't know how much of a difference that could make, but you could certainly give it a shot. You could also trying adding some water in and making it kind of a swamp cooler. Water would cool it down quite fast in addition to your frozen bottles. Just add some bleach in to prevent mold.

itsernst said:

I don't know how much of a difference that could make, but you could certainly give it a shot. You could also trying adding some water in and making it kind of a swamp cooler. Water would cool it down quite fast in addition to your frozen bottles. Just add some bleach in to prevent mold.

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I have used water 3 times now and it works really well for cooling down faster. The down side is the ice melts faster an I had to change ice ever 12 hours (not to bad). I just would like to avoid the clean up if I can.

Does the bag itself take that long, or the carboy in the bag?

HokieBrewer said:

Does the bag itself take that long, or the carboy in the bag?

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Both the air and the carboy. For one of my recent brews with air I cooled the wort to 66F. I put it in the bag and the fermometer read 66F. The next morning (8-10 hours later) the fermometer was reading 70F. The fermometer got back to 66F(or so) the next morning (about 36 hours after initially adding ice).

Once it got down the temp was solid and easy to keep in the mid to low 60's.

PS. I do not measure the air temp but once it is cold it is quite foggy in the cooler.

I wouldn't mess with the water, you might as well just get a $5 tub from Wally World if you're going to dump water in. Tubs are sturdier and easier to clean. I bought my bag to not have to use water. A four degree climb when first putting the fermenter into the bag isn't a big concern, some of that is the natural temp climb during the start of fermentation, the rest just the equalization of temp before the bottles of ice kick in. If anything, just add extra bottles for the first 12-24 hours to stabilize faster and then back down the bottle count to maintain temps after that.

ThatGeekGuy said:

I wouldn't mess with the water, you might as well just get a $5 tub from Wally World if you're going to dump water in. Tubs are sturdier and easier to clean. I bought my bag to not have to use water. A four degree climb when first putting the fermenter into the bag isn't a big concern, some of that is the natural temp climb during the start of fermentation, the rest just the equalization of temp before the bottles of ice kick in. If anything, just add extra bottles for the first 12-24 hours to stabilize faster and then back down the bottle count to maintain temps after that.

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The cool brewer would hold temps longer than a traditional swamp cooler just simply because it is insulated. If you really need to lower temps it is a good option in a bind.

I have the $5 tub from Walmart and the cool brewing bag. The cool brewing bag is way better with water. But, I want to go without water. Just trying to find a way.

One person said my 5 degree rise was probably because of the yeast growing. Maybe so. I don't know much about then the heat production is highest.

Bottom line I plan to try the little fan to see if air movement helps. I get the idea from the refrigerator which has a fan.

Let us know how the fan works. Where/how are you planning to place/mount it?

Just put an order in for one of these. Temp control is a sore point for me during summer, though in the coldness of the winter months its generally not much of a problem, but I am sure its going to help.

I am beginning to see how important temp control is for beer making so I a super excited to try this out! Even got a recipe planned for my first go. I will post my experiences and results

Mine should arrive today! I'll use it for a Tripel I'll make with a friend on Learn to Homebrew Day, 11/3.

Ive been using mine for about a week and so far its working out great.

you really do have to change the ice out 12 hours after cooling and fermentation starts

After the first 24 hours it can atcuallly go down to 55 degrees (in a 78 degree house) quite easily if you put too much ice in it (I usually use between 2-4 liters)

Im really liking this thing so far, its really a necessity if your don't feel like paying for a refrigeration/freezer to keep your brew cold.

Can i use this for insulating a 21" x 21" megapot electric boil kettle too?

ODI3 said:

Can i use this for insulating a 21" x 21" megapot electric boil kettle too?

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Hello,

Our fermentation cooler is sized DxH 21.5” X 26.5”. Also I should mention if you plan to use the cooler with a Megapot we have only tested our coolers up to 115 degrees F so I would recommend making sure your Megapot is below 115 degrees F before placing it in the fermentation cooler.
Hope this helps!

I just ordrered one of these late last week and it arrived yesterday. Yesterday was my first brew day ever and so I stuck my 6.5 gallon fermenter bucket in the cooler. I didn't have any water bottles on hand so this morning I stuck a frozen gallon jug in there. This would be about 3 liters, I wonder how cooling will go with a gallon block of ice.... I guess I will soon find out once the temp gets regulated.

It will take a few replacement bottles to get your temp all the way down, but after that you should be able to keep it really steady by switching your gallon bottle out with a two litre (stop by a supermarket and grab an off brand soda, they are like 65 cents).

Obviously, depending on how warm your place is and what temp you want the beer to stay at.

Most recently, I kept a batch of milk stout at 63~64 steadily for a week by having a single frozen 2 litre in there and switching it out in the morning and in the evening. My apartment has been around 74*. No hassle, two bottles total and perfect ferm temps. Couldn't be happier!

Well I just checked the fermenter temp, and what confuses me is how the hell to read those stick on thermometers. There are like 4 different colored lines.

I'm guessing if the actual temp is somewhere in the middle of those lines then I would say its at about 66-67 degrees with one frozen gallon jug. Ambient room temp is 76-78. Not freaking bad! Lets see how long it can hold it.

My stick in is pretty much the green/blue and is very close to bring accurate based on a more expensive thermometer.

? - Don't you want your temp to be at around 62f ish for fermenting before you put your bucket in? I know it takes awhile for the ferment to start, but it seems like you would want the desired temp of 62-64f before putting in the bucket. Would it make sense to put the bottles in like 12 hours before or so - or is it ok to start with a ambient around 74f and let it do it's thing?
I brew ales only at this time

thanks for input

So far this thing has been a god send living here in hot florida. The ambient room temp is always 76-77, and this has it a good 10-12 degrees cooler. Check out the temperature of the cooler vs room temp. Awesome!!!

Side note to those freezing bottles: If your starting to notice that a bottle hasn't been freezing properly, just slam it onto a hard surface.

sometimes, for some reason, water in 500ML water bottles (that I sometimes use in my cooler) wont freeze properly and doing this does the trick

if it worked you will see the water change from clear to frosty opaque and it will be frozen solid in a matter of hours.

BeerKill, what brand and model is that temp gauge?

Not sure... Cheapo from walmart. But I have a temp strip on the fermenter as well.