Dark room?

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yewtah-brewha

yewtah-brewha

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If I remember correctly, I remember some people put the primary in a dark closet or cover with a blanket is this really needed? What do you guys do?

My primary is a food grade white 6.5 gallon pale ale bucket.
 
Keep it dark. Out of direct sunlight and/or florescent light for sure. If you're using carboys, cover them with a dropcloth or something, even in ambient light.
 
I put a heavy duty (3 or 4mil?) black plastic trash bag over mine.
 
We have a table in a room that gets little use. I throw a tablecloth over it and slide my carboys and fermenters under it.
The table & tablecloth will contain any blown lids or krausen volcanos.
 
Grannyknot said:
We have a table in a room that gets little use. I throw a tablecloth over it and slide my carboys and fermenters under it.
The table & tablecloth will contain any blown lids or krausen volcanos.
Click to expand...

thats actually a really good idea, my fermenter is currently wrapped up in a blanket, this is my first brew so i didnt know about the no sunlight, so mine was in a corner of the room before but i dont think i skunked it.
 
If I had SWMBO sew tinfoil into the inside of an old t-shirt, I would get some degree of both light and temperature control... right?
 
I took the boxes that my carboy and better bottles came in, cut the flaps off then cut a square hole big enough to fit the airlock in the bottom of the box. I'll flip it upside down and toss it over the fermentor. The basement I ferment in I'd already very dark and we don't go down there to often, seems to work pretty well for me.
 
yewtah-brewha said:
If I remember correctly, I remember some people put the primary in a dark closet or cover with a blanket is this really needed? What do you guys do?

My primary is a food grade white 6.5 gallon pale ale bucket.
Click to expand...

With a bucket you should be fine. Just keep your temps inline. :mug:

Rick
 
CreamyGoodness said:
If I had SWMBO sew tinfoil into the inside of an old t-shirt, I would get some degree of both light and temperature control... right?
Click to expand...

Not the ones she keeps ripping off you I hope. :D

You're supposed to have her make you a hat from the foil, or line your cap with it. :D

For the OP, if you have a basement, put it into a dark corner there. Or cover it in the basement. I use vessels that have zero light (or air) permeability, so I don't worry a lick about it. :D
 
I accidentally started in a glass carboy in some ambient/direct light for the first day and a half. Will my ale be skunked or is it gonna be okay now that I have it in the dark?
 
Golddiggie said:
When you go to drink it, if it tastes skunked, or has a similar off-flavor, at least you'll know why.
Click to expand...

I just transfered my 6 gallons of IPA, I put 5 in a glass carboy and covered with a towel, and the other gallon in a glass 1 gal jug uncovered. I look forward to tasting the contrast.
 
I just did my first batch today, I'm using an indoor grow tent that I got off e-bay for cheap. I have limited space, but it fits in my bedroom. It's dark & the temp. should stay stable. Hope this works, cause I really don't have any other choices!!! Lol!!! Anybody think that this will work?
 
BrewMonkster said:
I just did my first batch today, I'm using an indoor grow tent that I got off e-bay for cheap. I have limited space, but it fits in my bedroom. It's dark & the temp. should stay stable. Hope this works, cause I really don't have any other choices!!! Lol!!! Anybody think that this will work?
Click to expand...

if it fails to work you will have the grow tent for another hobby... :cross:
 
my carboy was exposed to various sources of indirect/direct light but turned out fine, maybe a few off flavors but nothing too crazy!
 
whoaru99 said:
I put a heavy duty (3 or 4mil?) black plastic trash bag over mine.
Click to expand...

I do
images
 
Here's one I've learned from a lot of observation & using different things to cover FV's with. Fleece lined CPO's & other insulated coats will make the temp go up a little more than other materials. Dark tee shirts are Good for keeping light out,but are more suceptable to ambient air changes. My old black velvet smoking jacket actually helped maintain temps the best. I have two batches going atm,brewed in the same week. Both with the same yeast. The dark lager is in the Cooper's micro brew FV with the black velvet covering it. It started at 64F,& never went above about 69F. At 68F as of yesterday about 4:30pm. The other with a light colored ale was covered with a dark tee shirt,& started at 64F,at 22C (71.6F) as of the same time yesterday. Both are past initial fermentation by a few days.
I'm thinking of having the wife help me figure out how many yards of black velvet it'll take to make covers for both FV's to fit. Get the temp right inside the fermenter,& the black velvet seems to maintain it better with less interferance from ambient temps.
 

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