How do you control temperature?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

billc68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Messages
412
Reaction score
5
Location
Prince Edward Island
I have read a few threads on temperature and estery flavors, and would very much like to brew at cooler temps.

In the winter, I plan to brew a few lagers in a small insulated room in my garage with an electric baseboard heater, I can brew in the 32-60 range quite easily. But what about brewing ales in the 60-70 range? In the summer my Garage gets quite warm and my house is inconsistent. In the winter, I heat my home with a wood stove and for the most part, I my dining room will be in the 65 range but can get very cool at night and possibly quite warm when the fire is at it's peek. However, I can still brew in the Garage, it would just get expensive for heating it.

Without some kind of brewing fridge, am I stuck brewing only in fall/winter/spring? Are there inexpensive ways to stay consistent? Will insulating the fermenter help for the 5 or 6 hours of cooler temps per day?

I dunno, just want to get a few ideas on keeping temps consistent.
 
If you are handy and patient, most 5 cu ft chest freezers fit a carboy easily and I see them on Craigslist for $50ish sometimes in good condition. There is a chinese manufactured dual stage temp controller on Ebay for around $30 (similar to a Love) but it needs to be wired.

This is basically my setup (plus a $6 heating pad from wal-mart) and it works fantastically since the freezer will cool to lager pitching temp much faster than a fridge. I just bought new stuff and wired controllers but it can definitely be done with a 2 figure total.
 
I've posted it often but I have a wheeled Icecube cooler that I made a new lid for. (I saved the old, hollow lid in case I want to use it as a cooler again!). I made the lid out of layers of foam insulation, with a hole for the airlock to poke out. I add water and frozen water bottles around the carboy and float a thermometer in the water bath. There are more pictures in my gallery, but here is one:

4189-DSCF0002.JPG
 
I'll take this opportunity to plug my Water Fermentation Chiller. I also use an aquarium heater in the winter. Only problem I've run into is it ties up my mash tun so I can't brew any more batches. But after a week you really don't need to keep it that cool for most ales.

IMG_1052.JPG
 
Does teh ice water technique actually keep it at the temps I want? I woul dthink they would be too coool, more for my lagers?
 
Sure it does. For those that just add ice to a tub they just add enough to get close to the right temp. The only difference with mine is it adds cool water as needed with no attention needed.
 
My biggest problem is brewing in the winter, but not fermenting. Since I moved to AG, the only practical way for me to brew is out in the garage, but it gets too cold around here for 3-4 months of the year to be comfortable brewing out there. Don't want to go back into the kitchen and brew extracts, so I just load up the pipeline with beer before the snow flies, and start brewing again in Spring.

As for fermentation, never a problem. I brew only ales, and my basement runs from the high '50s in Winter to mid-60's in Summer.....has proven to be ideal.
 
I use a fridge with a fermwrap so it does not matter what time of year it is. I can brew largers in the winter or ales in the summer or vise versus.
 
I use a fridge with a fermwrap so it does not matter what time of year it is. I can brew largers in the winter or ales in the summer or vise versus.

Will a fridge be warm enough for an ale? do you have an external thermostat or just use it as is? And what is a fermwrap and where to I get one? I am assuming it is just a blanket that fits your fermenter.
 
Will a fridge be warm enough for an ale? do you have an external thermostat or just use it as is? And what is a fermwrap and where to I get one? I am assuming it is just a blanket that fits your fermenter.

Yes I have a 2 stage digital temp controller that will turn on the heat or cool.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16674//The_FermWrap_Heater
http://morebeer.com/view_product/16664//Ranco_Digital_Two-Stage_Temperature_Controller_-_Wired
http://morebeer.com/view_product/16672//Stopper_Thermowell
 
Back
Top