Warm climate brewing

[CrAzYmOuSe]

I have been reading this forum for about a month and yesterday finally made my first batch of homebrew!:rockin: I live in Arizona and the climate here varies quite a bit. Right now it seems to be perfect temperature for fermentation and conditioning. We keep the house around 68 degrees this time of year. But in the summer we keep the house between 78 and 84 because it feels cool when it is 114 outside and keeping it cooler would break the bank. I noticed a lot of people here including a moderator who live in the Phoenix area. What do you do as summer approaches to lower your temps? Thanks in advance.

 

[erock2112]

A number of people use a wet towel or t-shirt and a fan to lower the temperature a couple of degrees. If your ambient temperatures are that high in the summer, though, you'll probably have to do more. My apartment tends to be 75 in the summer months. I use a large heavy duty rubbermaid tub with holes cut in the top for airlocks. I fill it with water and cycle frozen water bottles as needed. It's sort of high-maintenance, but it's pretty cheap. Others buy a dedicated fridge or build a powered fermentation chamber using a fridge or A/C compressor. An important thing to remember is that the temperature of the wort itself is going to be a good bit higher than the ambient temperature, due to the activity of the yeast. So, if your house is at 68 degrees, the wort could be in the mid 70's or higher in those first couple of days.

 

[Richabt]

You have several options. I live in a pretty warm part of the country as well and right now temps are perfect. But in the warmer months I use a couple of homemade fermentation chambers. There are several examples on the DIY thread.

One day I may break down and get an old fridge and use a temperature controller with it.

 

[azscoob]

I have a few methods for keeping the temps under control, when I am mashing, I keep the mash tun in the shade, I noticed that the temps will go up if left out in the sun for an hour. I also found that using hose water with an immersion chiller is a joke out here, my faucet temps are usually 93° in the summer if not hotter so I have a cooler full of icewater that I use a submersable pond pump to pump through the chiller. lastly I ferment in a small dorm fridge in the summer, it has a temp controller to maintain whatever temp I need for a brew. unfortunately I can only do 5 gallons at a time in the fermenter.
BTW where in AZ are you at?

 

[CrAzYmOuSe]

I live in Old Town Scottsdale. My house is about 35 years old and the insulation sucks. I do have enough room to make something of a fermentation chamber. I think I should start now looking into an option so I am not throw into a beer emergency in a few months. I plan on asking around at my LHBS. They are having a event on the 30th that will have some more advanced brewers there than I so I plan on asking them as well.

 

[david_42]

If you are using A/C to cool the house, then the wet T-shirt idea will work. If you have a swamp cooler, it won't. In the latter case, cooling with ice in a tub, fermentation cabinet or a modified refrigerator are your only choices.

If you own the house, deep insulation for the attic is much cheaper than you might think.

 

[CrAzYmOuSe]

These houses are weird. The only attic space in this house is over my garage and master bedroom, the rest of the house has no crawl space. The room I am using is an area where it is a flat roof, but it is the easiest room to control the temps, out of the suns path, north side of the house, window on the north side. The closet is large so I am thinking that I should modify it. I had read of people putting the primary in a spare bathtub with water and ice but I don't have one. Is there a temp that is too high or does it depend on the brew type?

 

[azscoob]

I ferment most ales around 62°, wheats I am around 67-68°. on the 30th eh? I may have to swing over to that one!

 

[brewerdad]

I have one of the Igloo Cube coolers, big and deep. Plenty of room for the carboy, but not so much that there is a huge amount of water to cool as well, given the square shape. I drop two or three frozen water bottles in once or twice a day, depending on the temperature, and keep the water level just below the fermomenter. Being a cooler it keeps the water temp more stable than a standard tub. I loosely wrap a towel around the top of the carboy, leaving the airlock protruding, and that keeps drafts from the furnace from blowing out the cold air. Works great, and I can use the cooler for its intended use when not fermenting (which is when, exactly?).

 

[iparks81]

I live in the Phx Area as well...in the summer when I Brew I use the rubbermaid tub full of cold water trick...works really well, Ive just moved into a house and have to adjust my routine, im trying to figure out a better method
is that Brewers connection or what ales ya thats having the event?

 

[CrAzYmOuSe]

Brewers Connection is the one that is having the event on the 30th. The guys there said that they were definitely going to have some brewers with larger units there so it sounds interesting.

 

[azscoob]

I will most likely go, if you would like we could meet up over there.

 

[Espi]

Can you post up any more info the event going on? I would like to attend but have not seen or heard anything... but then again I am just getting back into this.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

 

[EonBlue66]

I used a rubbermaid tub with water last summer, I saved several resealable plastic bottles filled em with water and froze 'em I rotated them when I left for work and when I came home, it works quite well.

 

[Espi]

I used a rubbermaid tub with water last summer, I saved several resealable plastic bottles filled em with water and froze 'em I rotated them when I left for work and when I came home, it works quite well.

Just curious did you do that in your house? Garage? Basement (you are lucky if you do) I keep my house around about 80 84 in the summer and wanted to see what I should plan for summer brewing.

 

[EonBlue66]

It was a closet, the ambient temps were easily in the 80's. If you throw a wet shirt around the bucket or carboy you can drop the temps even more. Throw a fan in the mix and you can get it even lower.

I have a old fridge that i use now it is much easier if you have the space.

 

[Pezman1]

I do the same as brewerdad. An igloo ICECUBE brand cooler with the lid popped off. Three gallons of water in it and some opaque material with a hole cut in the middle for the glass carboy neck to top it off and keep everthing dark.

I freeze some half-liter water bottles and pitch one into the cooler every morning, removing the melted one.

The temp is around 75 in my house in the summer, and this method keeps my beer a comfortable 66-68. You might need two water bottles at a time since you keep your house warmer. The water in the cooler also effectively increases the thermal mass of your beer, keepings its temperature more stable over time.

I have two of these coolers, one for primary, and the other for secondary. I just can't think of an easier, cheaper, non-fridge method.

Pez.
EDIT: Like brewdad says, make sure the water level is BELOW your fermometer or the water will eventually ruin it.

 

[azscoob]

Can you post up any more info the event going on? I would like to attend but have not seen or heard anything... but then again I am just getting back into this.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

the event is on jan 30th at 10am, it is a joint event with ASH and Brewers Connection. they should have some info up on it in a day or two. there will be food, drink, brewing, and sales in the store.

 

[gregflwi72]

I live in south Florida were it is super hot. I went really cheap at first and used a baby bath tub. It cost me 5 bucks for the tub and the carboy fit perfect. I put it in my spare room put a heavy sheet over the window turned on the fan and filled the tub with ice from the fridge. I would also freeze a few bottles of water. This did the trick for me kept it around 67 degrees.

 

[Espi]

the event is on jan 30th at 10am, it is a joint event with ASH and Brewers Connection. they should have some info up on it in a day or two. there will be food, drink, brewing, and sales in the store.

cheers... thanks.

I will be attending. Sorry to wander OT.

It seems that the tub o water with ice added to maintain your desired temp would be the best most economical bet... that would allow you to ferment a fair amount at various stages. Your time as opposed to paying the local lectric company a ton to just keep the house cool.

I live in an older place that is drafty, hot in the summer and cold in the winter.. I for sure have to sit and figure this out before the heat arrives.