Fermenting saison

It won't hurt my feelings if someone just tells me this is a stupid idea. I want to brew a saison and use my jacuzzi to maintain the fermentation temperature. I would clean it very carefully first and only use a glass fermenter, maybe even run a silicone bead around the bottom of the carboy cap. Does this sound feasible? My thinking is that it would allow me to surround the fermenter with a bath of water at the fermentation temp I need.

On a related note. Has anyone tried the St. Somewhere Saison Athene? Any thoughts on what they use to achieve their flavor.

Thanks.

Sounds nutty on several fronts.

A 7.9 gallon bucket outside of a 6.5 gallon bucket or carboy with an aquarium heater would be much simpler, and far cheaper to run, and not tie up your hot tub for weeks.

Of course, something like "son of fermentation chiller" with a small heating element instead of ice would be even simpler, and cheaper yet to run due to good insulation - and if you built it right, could also be used with ice to cool other types of fermentations.

Or you could go all the way to the brew armoire, only set up for heat as well as cool - that thing is amazing.

So you're saying it sounds like a stupid idea; I kind of thought so anyway. I guess i just figured that it runs all the time anyway, so what the heck. Thanks for the help.

I actually think that if it's going to be running anyway, go for it, but the problem arises when you want to use the hot-tub, as once you disturb the water, it'll move around far too much and possibly tip over, which you don't want at all, and if you take it out the water on the outside of the carboy along with windchill will drop it in temp really quick. So I think a sort of saddle, or device to keep the carboy in one place or some other means of stabization. The last thing you want is a lost batch of beer and a hot tub filled with chlorinated 1.010 wort.

PhilFrog,

Just a guess...

For 5 gallons
.25 oz chamomile
.25 oz cracked black pepper
.50 oz fresh rosemary
Toss all in after 1.5 hour boil and steep.

Nothin' but Pilsner malt, a little wheat O.G 1.060 to 1.065
Maybe... 2 lb sugar at boiling...(90 minute boil)
Possibly EKG for bittering...
Saaz and Hallertau last 15 minutes.
Whitlabs WL565...Ferment high. I'm talking 85-90 degrees F.
Let it go until term. gravity is under 1.010

Bottle with a generous dose of good ole table sugar. 1/2 cup or more.
Wouldn't hurt to toss in a little dry yeast at bottling, Nottingham or dry champagne yeast.

Let me know how it turns out!

Bob
Saint Somewhere Brewing

Bob, that is one hell of a detailed guess. Thank you very much. That beer is fabulous.

what about a brew belt?

I'm pretty much prohibited from acquiring any new brewing equipment for awhile. Sing along if you'd like, "SWMBO, sweet chariot...."