Can't get fermentation temp low enough

Hello all,

I just brewed BM's centennial blonde tonight for the first time. It's hot here in Rhode Island (humid more than anything). For this beer, since I'm using Nottingham yeast, I'd really like to get the temps down to the mid 60s just to be safe. I currently have my swamp cooler setup so the water level is a few inches below the wort level. The reason for this is because I have that damn fermometer on the side and I don't want to get it wet. Am I better off just screwing the fermometer and filling the tub to wort level, or will this method cool my temps down? The water is reading 60 right now, but my fermometer is still at 74. I know fermentation temps are most crucial at the beginning so any help is appreciated. And sorry for the lengthy post, I just don't want to screw up this beer. Thank you

Also, I do have a fan blowing some air at it. To make things worse, I have a fridge downstairs that we don't use and I was excited to use it to control my temps. I tested it a couple days ago and just put some water in my carboy and even at the lowest fridge setting, the fermometer was reading 54. I'm assuming this is a little low for ales. Wtf

 

74 is pushing the edge of "average" fermentation temperatures, especially for Notty yeast, so I'd go with the full-tub method with room temp water & a few bottles of frozen water as needed. If you don't have one, grab a skewer-style meat thermometer (some HB stores have ones with clips that you can attach), and secure it in the water to keep an eye on the overall temperature.

Also, it's normal to worry about your first few brews! You'll find after you get your method & schedules down-pat that homebrewing is realistically simple & also a helluva lot of fun!

 

If your fridg can hit 54 you can do your ales there. Get a Johnston Controller.

 

I agree with scrabledegg81 and say go for the full-tub method. If you get a skewer-style thermometer, you can possibly force it through a carboy cap (after sanitizing) to hold it in place and get a constant wort reading.

Concerning your fridge, you'll probably have to get a temp controller for it (Johnson, Ranco, or other). Simply attach the probe to the carboy/bucket, and insulate with bubble wrap to get a good wort temp reading to control the fridge.

The swamp cooler should do the trick, though, if not a bit more work to keep on top of swings.

 

Thanks a lot for that fast response. I was inclined to do that as I've heard the water temp is generally close to the wort temp. I have one of those digital thermometers that has a long cord and that's submerged in my swamp cooler water. I was going to get an external temp controller for the fridge but I just dropped some money for a kegerator, two cornys, regulator, etc.