Batch gone bad?

[Tricerahops220]

How's it going everyone. So here's what happened, I built myself a fermentation chamber two weeks ago out of a mutilated 3 cu ft mini fridge. Built a wooden box and insulated it with 1.5" R-7.5 foam before and tested it with a couple gallons of water.

Brewed a batch of beer this past weekend (Fort Point Pale Ale) and stuck it in the fermenter but I couldn't get the temp down with the hot spell that rolled through (90 for two days straight). Fermenter read 87 (probe on the conical) for both days straight even with the unit running full boar for 2 days. Went for the first gravity reading prior to dry hopping today and it smells like a skunked corona.

Just came here for some confirmation but this batch is trash, right? I know the temp.

 

[Pkrd]

Yeah, probably a dumper. What yeast did you use?

 

[Staylow]

Im curious....how was the min fridge incorporated into your design? Did you simply take the door off and stick it inside the box? Or did you take the door off and attach it to the outside of the box with a hole cut out to let air pass in freely from the fridge? Was there a fan involved? Or did you completely gut the fridge?

I ask because I did a build once with a box that measured 5 ft across, by 2 ft deep and 30 inches high. I put a 1.8 cu ft min fridge with teh door removed inside at first, not realizing that the fridge puts off a ton of heat itself. So I partially cut out a side and attached the mini fridge using some weather stripping between the fridge and box, and used some aluminum angle iron screwed into the box and fridge. I used a computer fan to circulate air. This set up worked incredibly well at the ambient temps of my basement, never above 80F. When we moved, the chamber went into the garage where it routinely hit 90+ - it couldn't keep up.

I would think a 3 cu ft fridge should put out enough to keep whatever you built at typical ale temps.

 

[billl]

It's not looking promising, but unless you need the fermenter, just stick it in a corner for a few weeks. It might improve. It's certainly not going to get worse.

 

[Tricerahops220]

Im curious....how was the min fridge incorporated into your design? Did you simply take the door off and stick it inside the box? Or did you take the door off and attach it to the outside of the box with a hole cut out to let air pass in freely from the fridge? Was there a fan involved? Or did you completely gut the fridge?

I ask because I did a build once with a box that measured 5 ft across, by 2 ft deep and 30 inches high. I put a 1.8 cu ft min fridge with teh door removed inside at first, not realizing that the fridge puts off a ton of heat itself. So I partially cut out a side and attached the mini fridge using some weather stripping between the fridge and box, and used some aluminum angle iron screwed into the box and fridge. I used a computer fan to circulate air. This set up worked incredibly well at the ambient temps of my basement, never above 80F. When we moved, the chamber went into the garage where it routinely hit 90+ - it couldn't keep up.

I would think a 3 cu ft fridge should put out enough to keep whatever you built at typical ale temps.

I didnt have the space available to just remove the door and add another 3 feet in front of the fridge so I completely disassembled the fridge and made a wooden box. It was a more modern fridge with the coils within the skin. I made a hard layer (plywood) on the outside of the ferm fridge and put the coils on the inside between the foam and the plywood. I tried to emulate the fridge itself essentially and keep it to less than a 3x3 square space.

I do have a computer fan in the fridge as well.

 

[Tricerahops220]

yeah, probably a dumper. What yeast did you use?

s-04

 

[Pkrd]

s-04

Put it down as a learning exercise and move on.