Kegereator or Fermentation Chamber?

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Fermentation Chamber or Kegerator

  • Fermentation Chamber

  • Kegerator

  • Other


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magnj

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So I'm looking for a fridge on Craigslist or a local appliance store scratch-n-dent special. There are a few parts of my procedure I'm looking to improve and I can't decide which would be more worthwhile. Should I buy a fridge and a temp controller and dial in my ferm temps or should I go the kegging route and save myself the hassle of bottling.

I'm leaning in a direction but a little push wouldn't hurt. Really I want to make better beer and more consistent beer.
 
You can control your fermentation temps in other ways than a fridge. I would go towards the keggereator!
 
If you're not worried about bottling and you are just trying to make a more consistent and better brew...I think you already answered the question. Ferm Chamber
 
Getting out of bottling is the best decision you will ever make. No more hassles, lots more enjoyment of this hobby.

My $0.02.
 
I did the Sanyo kegerator, and it's awesome. It only holds 2 kegs though and I have already found myself wishing I could get at least 4 batches at a time. So now I keg when a spot is open, and bottle when one is not.

Even if you have a fridge big enough for a carboy and a keg or two, it's not appropriate for fermentation control. Say you wanna serve your beer at 43 degrees. Odds are you're going to be fermenting in the low 60s, maybe down to 30 at some point, or anywehre in between.

You'll want two separate fridges. IF I had the space I'd do two craigslist specials. A cheap old fridge and a cheap old chest freezer. Drill through the door on the fridge for the taps and you could probably do 5 beers on tap. Install the temp controller in the freezer and use that for fermentation.

If you had to choose one I'd do the kegerator. I'm getting to the point in my brewing career that I'm ready to do repeat batches w/temp control to try and improve the beer flavor, so I defiantely see the appeal of that. However kegging is so much better than bottling for so many reasons. It's faster, cleaner, and gives you infinite carb control. Plus you can still bottle if you want.

Just my 2 cents!
 
Well I have a small Sanyo now, but it's the one with the Freezer, so Corny's won't fit. I really want to repeat recipes and make consistent batches, plus a ferm chamber is cheaper. I know there are cheaper alternatives to a fridge but I feel like they require too much upkeep and I can't make them do exactly what I want without getting fancy.
 
Kegging is great, but the only way kegerator will improve your beer is by forcing you to brew more often.
 
I agree with others that a kegerator isnt going to improve your beer but I would still go that way. There are plenty cheap and effective ways to control ferm temp
 
Easier access to worse beer, or slightly harder access to better beer? Those are your choices.

I have always chosen to my upgrades to improve the quality of my beer. Bottling isn't very hard and ferm control will make a big difference in your beers.
 
Why not both? I (meaning us) already had the second fridge so I (again us) converted it to a kegerator. It holds 5 Cornies with the CO2 outside. Then I picked up a chest freezer and a JC temp controller for temp controlled fermenting.

Good luck.
 
Yea I'm thinking both eventually but as a college student, funds are tight. I think a ferm chamber will work best for me but I might regret it in the winter when my basement keeps the temps at the perfect level.
 
$20 for an igloo ice cube plastic bottles iced up and a wet tee shirt will get you into good fermentation.
A kegging system for a college student, priceless.
 
Can you get it to the same temp every time though? I'll have to look into these rigs more in depth.
 
Jamil said on the BN that you should not spend anymore on anything else until you have your fermenting temp fixed. That said, kegerator has made life easier, and the wow factor of having my brew on tap has been great. Hard decision to say the least. I would go with the kegerator and pay some extra attention to fermenting temp. Some fermentation solutions can be quite economical leaving more funds for a keg setup.

Good luck
 
People haven't mentioned cost. Fermentation chamber is cheap, fridge and temp controller. Kegging is that plus the kegging equipment. Having said that if you're not controlling your temps well right now that's where I'd start. Keeping fermention sub 70º and cold crashing will do wonders for consistency.
 
Yea, I would just build a ferm chiller out of foam and use ice to cool it while a fan is controlled by a thermostat blowing in the cold air when needed (See: Son of Ferm Chiller) Cost me about $40 total.

Keezers and Kegerators are totally the way to go! Now if you really want to get fancy, get a large freezer use 2/3 of it for kegs and the shelf side for ferm chilling. Split the two sides with foam and do the same thing as the ferm chiller (fan and thermostat) to control the temp. Once I move thats my next step, as of right now I just dont have the space.
 
It's hard to argue with temp controlled fermentation, but I'd recommend the Kegerator anyway. There are several reasonable methods of controlling temps and you already said that your basement is good during the winter, so I'd do the swamp cooler method for a couple of bucks and get a kegerator going if you want one.
 
Worst case...go ferm chamber now while you save the scratch/find a deal on the kegging set up.

You may even luck across a free fridge on CL when you're not in desperate need of one :D
 
Kegging is great, but the only way kegerator will improve your beer is by forcing you to brew more often.

What is wrong with making more beer? (practice makes perfect)
A swamp cooler can be made for $10 and do a danm good job at controling temps.

After the kegorator is up and running, look for another and then do the ferm chamber.
 
Well I have a small Sanyo now, but it's the one with the Freezer, so Corny's won't fit. .

You can make use of the fridge that you currently have as a fermentation chamber. You just need to remove the door and build an insulated cabinet around it. There are many threads here showing people's builds of this.

Then you can buy a fridge off CL appropriate as a kegerator. Problem solved.
 
With a shallow bucket, water, towel and ceiling fan... I am able to keep a constant 67*. Add water every couple days, and no big deal.

I say go with the kegerator. Cold beer on tap, ability to quickly carb beer if necessary, and one container to clean/fill.

As said before, fermentation chambers can be built for cheap if you really want to!
 
With a shallow bucket, water, towel and ceiling fan...

Yup. Not a thing wrong with doing it that way. In fact, I still do on occasion.

IMG_0798.jpg
 
Oh man you guys are no help at all :p. You do have me thinking though. I knew kegs wouldn't fit in the Sanyo, and I knew I couldn't' fit in a better bottle. But I never considered changing my fermentation vessel. The US Plastic stackable "No Chill containers" would work, and I think I can fit 4 of the 2.5 gallon ones inside. That means I just have to buy a temp controller and do some nifty blow off tube arranging and I have a fermentation chamber already. FYI I've been doing 2.5 gallon batches for a long time now, I like to brew a lot faster than I can drink which also leads me to believe that a keg setup might not be ideal at the moment.

I'll keep you guys updated bu I think the ferm chamber won out...kinda.
 
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