black box controller, now what?

[attyindaburgh]

So I was lucky enough to score a black box 2.0 and I am getting ready to do my first batch of ale. I checked my basement this morning and it was a refreshing 61f. Should I think about getting a fermwrap so I can ramp up the temps near the end? No ferm chamber yet.

 

[eko]

That's what I did. In the winter I usually have to put my bucket upstairs by a heating vent, keep the house a few degrees warmer and hope the kids don't mess with it. The black box & fermwrap arrived just in the nick of time this week. I've got the bucket in a more out of the way place. And with the cold snap we experienced this week I would've been in real trouble without it.

Here's a shot you can see the edge of the towel I used to insulate the temp probe, which is held in place via a bungee cord. The cooling end is attached to a box fan, not because I expect it to do much, just because I wanted to test it.