Hello everyone,
Got to say first - I'm new to this forum and I can't believe the wealth of knowledge and expertise being shared here! It is an awesome resource.
So, I've been brewing for about 2 years now and have quickly discovered I'm ready to step up my game. I've built a keezer (thanks to all the posts in the DIY Keezer area!) and I'm now thinking about stepping up my fermentation abilities. A glass carboy sitting in my bath tub is pretty bare bones and temp control is impossible.
I been digging through the various threads and I've come to the conclusion that a stainless steel conical is probably the best way to go. I'm planning on eventually building a Kal Electric Clone. I current brew in 5 gal batches but I want to step up to all-grain in 10 gal batches. Having said that, I have serval questions.
Which is best for maintaining temperature control and cold crashing at the end - internal coils, external blankets (like http://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html), or big fridge or chamber? Obviously they all need a brain like brew-pi so I'll do that as a part of the build.
Does it really depend on how much I want to spend or what I can find cheap on craigslist?
The set up with the internal coils (like this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=625990) looks awesome but I'm worried that the coils will be a total PITA to clean - any insights here? And if I'm doing a 10-11 gallon batch in a 17 gallon fermenter, won't half the coils be out of the beer? What about a 5 gallon batch? And is the cone heater effective at keeping up with the heating needs? Like in a 40 degree garage in the winter?
I'm interested in the blankets - easy to operate, easy to remove for cleaning, no chance of glycol in my beer, cheaper than coils, etc. - but I haven't seen a whole lot of posts on them? I tried emailing Gotta-brew directly and no response. So any insights would be much appreciated.
And then there's the chamber set up. I love the look of this one by Chris Allen https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pimp-my-system/brew-pi-the-future-of-homebrew-fermentation/
So before I go investing a ton of money and effort in any particular direction, I would love to hear some opinions. Glycol chiller connected to internal coils, to an external blanket, or chamber?
Thanks guys and gals!
Matt
Got to say first - I'm new to this forum and I can't believe the wealth of knowledge and expertise being shared here! It is an awesome resource.
So, I've been brewing for about 2 years now and have quickly discovered I'm ready to step up my game. I've built a keezer (thanks to all the posts in the DIY Keezer area!) and I'm now thinking about stepping up my fermentation abilities. A glass carboy sitting in my bath tub is pretty bare bones and temp control is impossible.
I been digging through the various threads and I've come to the conclusion that a stainless steel conical is probably the best way to go. I'm planning on eventually building a Kal Electric Clone. I current brew in 5 gal batches but I want to step up to all-grain in 10 gal batches. Having said that, I have serval questions.
Which is best for maintaining temperature control and cold crashing at the end - internal coils, external blankets (like http://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html), or big fridge or chamber? Obviously they all need a brain like brew-pi so I'll do that as a part of the build.
Does it really depend on how much I want to spend or what I can find cheap on craigslist?
The set up with the internal coils (like this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=625990) looks awesome but I'm worried that the coils will be a total PITA to clean - any insights here? And if I'm doing a 10-11 gallon batch in a 17 gallon fermenter, won't half the coils be out of the beer? What about a 5 gallon batch? And is the cone heater effective at keeping up with the heating needs? Like in a 40 degree garage in the winter?
I'm interested in the blankets - easy to operate, easy to remove for cleaning, no chance of glycol in my beer, cheaper than coils, etc. - but I haven't seen a whole lot of posts on them? I tried emailing Gotta-brew directly and no response. So any insights would be much appreciated.
And then there's the chamber set up. I love the look of this one by Chris Allen https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pimp-my-system/brew-pi-the-future-of-homebrew-fermentation/
So before I go investing a ton of money and effort in any particular direction, I would love to hear some opinions. Glycol chiller connected to internal coils, to an external blanket, or chamber?
Thanks guys and gals!
Matt