Lagering setup and more equipment questions

I have become smitten with brewing, and wanted to start the long process of improving my setup. Here is what I am working with right now:

2x Buckets - Food grade plastic, drilled lid for airlock, both have spigots in the sides at the bottom for racking / bottling.
2x PET Carboys - Stoppers and airlocks for both
1x 5-gallon stainless steel brewpot with lid

Miscellaneous gear (hydrometer, thermometer, autosiphon, bottling wand)

Right now I am just doing extract brews, since I have limited equipment.

Where would you go next for upgrades? Better fermenters? A burner and bigger brewpot?

The main question I have is this: What is a cheap, reliable way to lager beer? Is there a cheap cooler I can buy that has the thermostat and everything, or would it be cheaper to buy a small fridge and modify it? Is this modification difficult?

Thanks!

 

People have a million different ways to control temp, but most of them end up costing more than just buying a small used fridge or freezer and plugging in a temp controller. In my mind this is really the only way to do lagers, you have total control 100% of the time. I have about $150 into my upright freezer/temp controller setup and it's probably the most important part of my brewery.

 

I agree with this. I have a chest freezer with temp. control that I used for lagers, but then I switched to kegging and used it as a keg freezer. I didn't bother brewing lagers until I could buy another chest freezer and temp. controller.

At any rate, temperature control is probably one of the most important aspects of brewing. If you're going to upgrade, anything to do with temp. control is the way to go.

 

So what is the best method for doing this then? Just buying a fridge and then google "temp controller"? You don't leave the thing running all the time do you? Just when you need it?

 

+1 on the temp control importance. Yes, a temp controller and either a used fridge or freezer. Soundsl like you are in this hobby for the long haul. You might as well know from the git go that you will probably want more than one refrigerator or freezer. I have five refrigerators and two freezers! Keep your eyes open and frequently you can get the used freezers and fridges for little or no cost. Lagering will occupy a fridge or freezer for up to three months sometimes and it won't be available for anything else during that time unless it has room for multiple fermenters like a large freezer would. The fridges and freezers are operated intermittently and that is what the controller does. Sometimes they run very little or not at all when fermenting ales at near room temperatures like 64 F or so. A lagering freezer will run more often to maintain the lower temps, but no where near all the time.

 

Yup I am running a johnson a419 on my fridge. I am going to keg my recent ale and connect to my tap, meanwhile brew a lager and put next to ale on tap. I can serve ale a little cold, and just let it warm up slightly while fermenting in the same fridge. I dont have room for a chest freezer for the moment.

 

The lagering q has been answered.

I'd go with a bigger brew pot (15 gals) and unless you have a killer stovetop a propane burner. That'll allow full boils, brew in a bag all-grain, etc.

 

In my opinion, the two biggest factors for good beer are, full boils and temperature control. If you want to do lagers, you have to have fermentation temperature control. There is a ton of information here for constructing a fermentation chamber. I have one example in my sig. That will tell you all you need to know about how to use LOVE controllers (along with the linked thread in my build thread). Ranco, Johnson, et al. are some other options for temp control.

Good luck!

 

I'm returning to brewing after an 18 year hiatus. Back then, we didn't worry much about fermentation temps. I live in Florida so maintaining a good fermentation temp is paramount. I have a used refrigerator and have a temp controller coming. I have heard that there may be issues using these controllers and the refrigerators compressor. Any advice/knowledge on this issue would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tom

 

What kind of temp controller did you order?

 

Brewers Edge Controller II

 

That looks like a Johnson A419 temperature controller with "Brewers Edge" on the cover and about $20-40 more on the price tag. They have settings to prevent compressor damage (temperature differential, anti-short cycle delay). They're fine to use if used correctly.

 

Thanks. Appreciate the help.