Swamp Cooler Lager

So I'm interested in making Lagers some time soon and given my apartment living situation I don't think setting up a fridge or freezer for electronic monitoring is a viable option. But I know a swamp cooler is a solid option. I found some lagering yeast that ferments best at 50-54. Obviously the temperatures in my apartment aren't that low. So I can easily pick up a cheap keg cooler fill it with water and add ice to get it down in temp. But my concern is temp monitoring. What's the best way to do it? Some ideas I've come up with but I'm not sure if they're good.

First is running a probe for an electronic thermometer in there, I think I could fit it in the airlock or just around it so no real oxygen threat exists. Other idea was a flaoting thermometer in the fermenter to monitor but obviously that would require opening the beer.

I know in theory the temperature of the water should be around the same temp as the beer but I know there's bound to be some variance and I'd like to try to limit that.

If you have room for a swamp cooler why wouldn't you have room for a small chest freezer that will fit one or maybe two fermentation vessels?

But yeah you should be able to get it down to the low 50's but it will most likely require changing out frozen water bottles a lot. And as far as monitoring, a probe is your best bet.

I've been considering this also. More so as it relates to brewing ales in the summer.

In order to maintain a stable temperature, you will need two coolers. One has the fermenter with water at the desired fermentation temperature. The other cooler has an ice bath. A temp controller of your choice would operate a water pump to transfer the heat from one container to the other.

From here, there are two methods:
1) Water swap - pump the ice water into the fermentation swamp cooler. The fermenation swamp cooler will need a raised drain. When the water level exceeds the drain height (ex. 14" from bottom), the water is drained back to the ice bath (the ice bath would have to be lower than the fermentation bath). The trick here will be to make sure you're pump isn't faster than the drain. otherwise you'll flood the fermentation cooler. I've seen photos of this method. Can't remember where or who.

2) Indirect cooling of fermentation water - pump water from the fermentation water, through an immersion chiller in the ice bath, and then return to the fermentation bath cold. Here there is no concerns with water heights, drains, leaks...etc

Never tried either of these ideas. No clue how they'll really work. Amount of maintenance will be dependent on how well the swamp coolers are insulated and the room temperature.

You know of you get it to work and make a decent lager you are going to have to call it swamp cooler lager

Reno_eNVy said:

If you have room for a swamp cooler why wouldn't you have room for a small chest freezer that will fit one or maybe two fermentation vessels?

But yeah you should be able to get it down to the low 50's but it will most likely require changing out frozen water bottles a lot. And as far as monitoring, a probe is your best bet.

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Difference is that I can move a swamp cooler around as I need it (like say guests are coming and I have to move it to my main bedroom instead of my spare)

I'm kicking around the option of getting the freezer, but the starting price is much higher. Talkign about probably around a 100 bucks to get a used chest freezer not sure what a new one would cost. Plus then hauling the thing to my apartment, moving around with it, and the aforementioned moving aroudn for company. Menawhile for under 30 bucks I can get a huge keg tub, water at my apartment is included in the rent, and my dad last time i was there was giving away ice packs.

Thegreatestgray said:

You know of you get it to work and make a decent lager you are going to have to call it swamp cooler lager

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Yeah I was thinking of going with the Swamp Cooler Thing Lager. Though I'm probably gonna brew a Maibock like a Dead Guy type.

found the thread I was thinking of

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/water-fermentation-chiller-81501/

As another cheap solution, maybe one of these would work? Haven't tried one, but looking to get one soon and give it a shot for budget lagering.

ianskate said:

As another cheap solution, maybe one of these would work? Haven't tried one, but looking to get one soon and give it a shot for budget lagering.

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I successfully made a bock using one! Easy!

Nice! What did you use for cooling, and how often did you have to change to maintain the right temps?

I kept my lager at a steady 50/52 with an ambient temperature ~70. I froze five 3 liter Poland Spring bottles, put four in, and each morning and afternoon I replaced a watery one with a frozen one.

But to lager you need to get down to say 32*. Can you do that in a swamp cooler?

C-Rider said:

But to lager you need to get down to say 32*. Can you do that in a swamp cooler?

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Sure, just ad more ice. Your ice will be colder than 32*, and you can even get the water to lower than 30* by adding salt to the ice/water bath. (not that you would want to.)

I use one of those sticky thermometers that they sell at the brew shop, the ones like those used on fish tanks. Just adjust the amount of ice you ad to maintain the temp. that you want!

But can your freezer make enough ice to keep the water cold enough to keep the beer cold enough? Or do you make daily trips to the convenience store for ice?

I made a cooler/box out of 2" extruded polystyrene a la Son of Fermentation chiller. I bet a 2 liter ice bottle once a day will hold to mid thirties with ambient around 60. I caulked the edges to get it to work that well.

I use a plain old uninsulated rubber maid tote. I put 4, 1/2 gallon jugs, 1 in each corner, and change them twice a day! Freezer, an upright, keeps up and water stays in the mid 30's. I've only ever used it to cold crash, but it worked great

My freezer won't do that. This time of year I get some help from the weather, but the box I built is a huge help.

I swapped out ice bottles a couple times a day for a long time, but I have since bought a cheap aquarium chiller on craigslist and use that instead, combined with a cheapo 3/4" submersible pump I got off amazon. It maintains my target fermentation temps right on the money, and I currently have a chest cooler with 3 fermenters in there all at lager temps, which I will subsequently turn down to low 30's to lager in another couple of weeks.


So far as monitoring the temperature, so long as the temperature isn't rapidly changing (e.g. you are in the act of cooling it down) the temp of the water outside the fermenter ought to be within a degree of the temp on the inside. This is based on experimental data that I gathered when I first started using the water-filled swamp cooler method to manage fermentation temps.

I have lagered three beers in an Igloo ice cube cooler (~$24). If you cut a hole in the center of the top you can close it snug around a five gallon carboy and it holds temp really well (insulating the top would be helpful as well but I never went that far).

I would usually lager around 40'F for three weeks, swapping out four 20 oz bottles in the morning and after work, plus a chunk of ice that I would recycle from the swamp cooler water each time. Did a pilsner and Oktoberfest and a light vienna lager. Worked great for all three.

If you have the motivation to swap bottles twice a day go for it. Don't let the lazy bastards with their chest freezers dissuade you.

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/4189-DSCF0002.JPG.

Yooper has a nice set up I'm about to try. The cooler will keep it colder than a Rubbermaid bin for the lagering time.

orangemen5 said:

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/4189-DSCF0002.JPG.

Yooper has a nice set up I'm about to try. The cooler will keep it colder than a Rubbermaid bin for the lagering time.

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That is basically what my set up was. You will gain about 3-5 degrees every twelve hours depending on the ambient