Brew Jacket

[mrcej23]

Hey guys. I just moved to a small studio apartment and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do as far as fermenter temperature control. I like the concept of the brew jacket because it doesn’t take up much space and is very portable which will be good because I will be moving a lot for my job. I will include a link for those of you who don’t know what this is. It heats and cools, and blocks light, but takes up no more space than a fermenter. I don’t have room for a fridge that would hold a fermenter. I’m not willing to spend the money on more expensive glycol type systems. What do you guys think? Anyone has experience with this product or know anything about it? Or any other suggestions to solve my problem?

https://brewjacket.com/

 

[NGD]

I think the brewjacket or brewjacket pro is an excellent solution if your tight on space. If you have the space, a small dorm fridge can work too..or a small kegorator with an inkbird temp controller.
Pro’s: you have a place to store your beer once its done fermenting.
Con: space and noise.

I would find out if the brewjacket makes much noise. You can also do an insulated jacket and ice packs. You’ll have more swing in temps, but I know some locals who have won home brew comps fermenting that way or using a partially filled bathtub and icepacks.

 

[NTexBrewer]

I have a brew jacket and it works well. It does not cool or heat things fast so it is still important to be close to your pitching temperature. The noise is the sound of a large computer fan so it is not too load but definitely noticeable.

The fan is drawing the heat from the fermenting beer so the unit will have to be in an open room. I usually have my brew jacket fermenting in our guest bedroom. Once we had unexpected company and I tried moving the brewjacket into the closet of the guest room. The closet got noticeably hot and the unit ran non-stop. I moved it to a different location.

You may also need to buy new fermenters as glass car boys do not work.

 

[Broothru]

Had one for a few of years, probably 30 brews. Works well with a variety of fermenters with different lids and openings but NOT with glass carboys.

The peltier on mine shot craps last summer right in the middle of a busy brew period. It was out of warranty but they sold me a replacement at their cost and shipped it Express, so I hardly missed a beat.

I've got the old style unit that only cools. My brother-in-law has the newer model that does both. We're both pleased overall.

My only issue is the insulating jacket, which is integral to making it work effectively. Mine got soaked in a basement flooding incident and went unnoticed for quite some time. The material developed mold and I had a hard time cleaning it. Not their fault.

The new jackets are segmented and easily cleaned and stored, but I'm now brewing in stainless and need a new one to fit my conical.

Brooo Brother

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I used one for a while and generally liked it. I stopped for about a year and a half because I got a fridge in which I could ferment, but it recently dies, so I just brewed again with the brewjacket after picking up a lid for my 7 gallon Brewbucket.

Though they are overpriced, I like the new sleeves you can get for the rod - just be aware that if you use one, you may not get a great seal if it bunches up at all, and therefore won't see any airlock activity. But I don't rely on watching airlock activity for anything, so no loss there.

 

[2trout]

I have the PRO. As stated above the Pro both heats and cools for fermentation. It works well, and I like it. I use buckets for fermentation, and i find the bucket kind of a pain to get into and out of the jacket when to bucket is full. Having said that, I would buy another one if I had the need for it.

The fan could be a bit loud in a studio.

trout

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I have the PRO. As stated above the Pro both heats and cools for fermentation. It works well, and I like it. I use buckets for fermentation, and i find the bucket kind of a pain to get into and out of the jacket when to bucket is full. Having said that, I would buy another one if I had the need for it.

Yeah, the SS Brewtech BrewBucket is a pain to get in and out if you have the version with the thermometer.

Hint: I find it helpful taking the fermenter out if you step on the bottom edges of the bag when lifting.

 

[doogster]

I have the Pro as well - and I'm 2 batches in with it. I am very happy with the performance of the heating / cooling and rock solid temperature stability. It doesn't heat or cool super fast... but then again - yeast doesn't like that anyway.

As far as racking to my keg.. I'm not pulling it out of the bag. I've used my BrewSSentials stainless racking can. It worked really well, easy to sanitize, and transfers much faster than the old magic siphon.

That said - I am thinking about rigging up for closed transfer. I could easily snake a santized tube down to the Brewbucket valve, and then put very light pressure on top to get the beer flowing. Have to be careful with the pressure so as not to deform the lid/bucket...

Here is an example (without a brewjacket):

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I have the Pro as well - and I'm 2 batches in with it. I am very happy with the performance of the heating / cooling and rock solid temperature stability. It doesn't heat or cool super fast... but then again - yeast doesn't like that anyway.

As far as racking to my keg.. I'm not pulling it out of the bag. I've used my BrewSSentials stainless racking can. It worked really well, easy to sanitize, and transfers much faster than the old magic siphon.

That said - I am thinking about rigging up for closed transfer. I could easily snake a santized tube down to the Brewbucket valve, and then put very light pressure on top to get the beer flowing. Have to be careful with the pressure so as not to deform the lid/bucket...

Yeah, I do closed transfer with the brewbucket, because I do Low Oxugen Brewing (LOB, also known as LODO).

When ready to transfer, I pull the airlock and replace it with a CO2 line and pump it at about 1-2 psi to push the beer out into my purged keg.

It requires taking the bucket out of the Brewjacket, but that's fine because at that point I'm done with the bucket anyway and no longer need to keep it in the brewjacket.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I use one for lagers, and those times when a swamp cooler won’t do the trick. It works fine and it’s a lot easier to move than a fridge. Go ahead and pull the trigger.

 

[jfolks]

I’m a few brews deep and I love mine! Works great for lagers and hot fermented kvieks (or any brew). If you want to lager in it, it will need to be in a cold place (can only achieve about +/- 25f of ambient) but you should at least be able to ferment lagers in it. Only problem is it needs an open room and is kinda loud (but white noise at least)

 

[user 143549]

I don't find the noise of the BrewJacket Pro to be bothersome. I have mine in my home office (aka unused bedroom) and after my third batch I didn't even notice the sound anymore - and I work in there everyday.

Mine does tend to run almost constantly during the first few days of fermentation as it works to get to my target temp, but I am assuming that is the unit counterbalancing the temp increase during fermentation.

 

[SouthBayBrewer31]

Hey guys. I just moved to a small studio apartment and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do as far as fermenter temperature control. I like the concept of the brew jacket because it doesn’t take up much space and is very portable which will be good because I will be moving a lot for my job. I will include a link for those of you who don’t know what this is. It heats and cools, and blocks light, but takes up no more space than a fermenter. I don’t have room for a fridge that would hold a fermenter. I’m not willing to spend the money on more expensive glycol type systems. What do you guys think? Anyone has experience with this product or know anything about it? Or any other suggestions to solve my problem?

https://brewjacket.com/

I have one and I really like it. I am also an apartment brewer. like others have said it does take a long time to cool or heat up. Once it is at temp it holds it well.

The first time I used it I cooled the wort to 75 and wanted to pitch at 65. It took the brew jacket over 12 hours to drop 10 degrees. The ambient temp was probably in the upper 80's so that didn't help. Now I always cool to pitching temp before I hook it up.

It is expensive especially considering you can only ferment one beer at a time. For the same price you could get a massive chest freezer and ferment 3-4 beers. But it works like a charm.

 

[jfolks]

Word to the wise - DO NOT USE THE CHECK VALVE ON THE BLOW OFF TUBE FOR ALES! I know the instructions warned not to use the check valve for ale - but I thought the blowoff tube attached to it would solve that problem. Nope! Beer and hop matter exploded everywhere from the top due to pressure build up. Learned that lesson the hard way!

 

[yowzers]

I've had one for about a year. It is very slow to cool, like a full day if you don't have the wort down to the 60's before you put it in. Last summer I had serious issues getting it down to the low 50's to do lagers when my apartment was high 70's. I know they claim 30 degree temperature drop from ambient, but I'm not seeing that. I had to settle for ales only in the summer. Honestly, for the performance I think they are way overpriced. When I wanted to expand to two fermenters, I couldn't justify another $300+ purchase so I decided to go with a cooling coil for my fermenter, bucket of ice water, $10 pump and an Inkbird controller. I got the whole set-up for about $75 and it cools much, much quicker, like 20 degrees in a couple hours. I do have to switch out ice jugs once per day, but that's not an issue unless you are away from home. I find myself using that system over the Brewjacket, especially if I am doing a lager.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I have no problem keeping 50*F or less (I've gone as low as 45) in a 70*+ degree environment, but the key is to chill your beer befire putting it in. The Brewjacket will maintain temps easily, but it is not made for chilling the wort.
If you can't maintain 50*, make sure the rod is inserted as far in as you can get it, it is screwed all the way into the cooling unit, and the jacket is covering it as thoroughly as you can with the drawstring cinched up.

Just don't rely on the Brewjacket to cool your wort. It wasn't made for that.

 

[jfolks]

Has anyone else encountered freezing of beer? I was lagering at 34
and it froze beer around the rod (maybe a pint or two total).

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Has anyone else encountered freezing of beer? I was lagering at 34
and it froze beer around the rod (maybe a pint or two total).

No, but I've never taken my BrewJacket that low.
I didn't think it was capable - interesting...
It shouldn't hurt the beer though. I once froze about a third of a batch of Pilsner while lagering (not using BrewJacket). I raised he temp a few degrees to let it melt and left it alone and the beer still turned out excellent.

I wouldn't advise lagering using the BrewJacket though unless you just have no other means - it isn't airtight, so you are allowing air exchange and thus oxidizing your beer while lagering (I will grant that oxidation reactions occur slowly at near-freezing temps, but they still occur). Lagering should be done in a sealed vessel.

 

[jfolks]

It’s not air tight? How so??

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It’s not air tight? How so??

The seal around the rod and rod gasket is closed, but since it's not a pressure seal (sealed only by the weight of the brewjacket unit), it can't be relied on to be truly air tight, especially when the topheavy unit wobbles if you move the fermenter. It MAY be close enough to airtight if you are doing it in a stainless container.

What kind of vessel are you lagering in?

 

[jfolks]

I’m lagering in the Plastic 6 gal carboy (sold by brewjacket) with the check valve attached

 

[Yeroc]

I have the pro unit too and I do like it, but creating new procedures for using it as taken some getting used to. I don’t totally have it down in a way I'm happy with yet. Here’s what I mean…

During the process of getting my wort into the fermentation bucket and getting the rod sanitized, I end up use two buckets and two lids. I start by slide the rod and rubber stopper into the fermenter lid. I spray it with iodophor solution. I then place that lid with rod onto the extra bucket so it can drip dry and be protected from the environment while drying. Now I transfer my wort from the kettle into what will be the fermentation bucket using a tube. I cover this bucket with the other lid, which has a standard air-lock hole. I use this lid just so the wort isn’t fully exposed to the environment during transfer.

Once the wort is in my fermentation bucket, I lift the lid w/ rod out of the drip-dry bucket and snap it into place on the wort bucket. Then I slide the bucket into the brew jacket to cool overnight to pitching temp.

I know this sounds convoluted. If someone has a better workflow, I’m all ears.

The next day when I’m ready to pitch yeast, I usually have my wife or son lift the lid just enough so I can pour my starter yeast in and then quickly put the lid back down.

If they aren’t around to lift the lid, I employ that extra bucket again to keep the rod from touching anything that would contaminate it while I add my yeast. I don't like doing this because I'm paranoid that the wort is exposed to open air too long.

Anyway, I like having the fermentation control the pro unit provides. It has a pretty small footprint and can be moved to different parts of the house between batches.

On Sunday I started fermenting a Quad that has a precise fermentation/temp schedule.

 

[yowzers]

Has anyone else encountered freezing of beer? I was lagering at 34
and it froze beer around the rod (maybe a pint or two total).

Not even close, I've had trouble getting mine down to the low 50's when my place is in the mid to high 70's.

 

[Yeroc]

Has anyone else encountered freezing of beer? I was lagering at 34
and it froze beer around the rod (maybe a pint or two total).

I had ice form the one time I laggered with the unit.

I made a Munich Dunkel last year that I laggered for about four weeks at a temperature between 36-38F. Really hard to hold that temp but I had it in the garage where the ambient temp was in the mid 60s. I had extra insulation wrapped around the top of the fermenter just below the box so I couldn’t see the better bottle. When I unwrapped to rack I found a chunk of mostly clear ice around to top of the carboy and rod. Probably 2 or 3 cups worth of water.

Since then I’ve wondered if a combination of the unit and a cold water bath would be better than using the brew jacket for insulation.

It was a really nice Munich Dunkel BTW.

 

[Broothru]

I've got at least 30 brews using the Brew Jacket, and overall I'm pleased. Like others have stated above, it maintains temperature well but takes its time getting to a temperature. 25F below ambient is about the best I can get and maintain. A cool, dark place in your basement is the most favorable location. Insulation is your best friend. You could try wrapping Reflectix around the barrel of your fermenter and then placing the whole thing inside the jacket. Make sure it's cinched up tight around the neck of the fermenter. As others have pointed out, make sure the rod is tightened firmly into the head unit and that both surfaces where they meet are clean and free from debris. The efficiency of the unit suffers greatly if the two surfaces are not in close contact.

I've recently switched from plastic fermenters to stainless steel and have a 3" TC fitting that accepts the rod and head unit. Only done ales so far (no lagers in the new gear yet) and the Brew Jacket worked quite well keeping an even 62F with very little on/off cycling. I haven't been able to get a proper 'jacket' for the SS setup, but I did 'McGyver' a pretty nice Reflectix blanket that keeps everything cozy even if it isn't the most cosmetically attractive wrap.

Brooo Brother

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I’m lagering in the Plastic 6 gal carboy (sold by brewjacket) with the check valve attached

Lagering in plastic is less than ideal too. I know everybody has to start somewhere, and we all have budget constraints to varying degrees, but ALL plastic vessels are oxygen permeable, so if you do proper extended lagering, your beer is getting oxidized.
Glass or stainless are the only impermeable options properly suited to lagering.

 

[jfolks]

Lagering in plastic is less than ideal too. I know everybody has to start somewhere, and we all have budget constraints to varying degrees, but ALL plastic vessels are oxygen permeable, so if you do proper extended lagering, your beer is getting oxidized.
Glass or stainless are the only impermeable options properly suited to lagering.

I’ll admit I wasn’t worried about o2 ingress, but maybe I should have been. I normally lager in the kegerator, but I liked not tying the spot up with beer I wasn’t serving (plus Dave carpenter’s lager book recommends lagering on the yeast - so I liked being able to lager in the fermenter)

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I’ll admit I wasn’t worried about o2 ingress, but maybe I should have been. I normally lager in the kegerator, but I liked not tying the spot up with beer I wasn’t serving (plus Dave carpenter’s lager book recommends lagering on the yeast - so I liked being able to lager in the fermenter)

Lagering on some yeast is how it SHOULD be done (the Germans do it, and they invented lagering).
If you slowly lower temps after fermentation rather than cold crashing, the yeast remain active to a degree and actively work to clean up the beer over time and fermentation byproducts. Cold crashing shocks them and then they can't do this.

Try spunding into your serving keg for your next lager (assuming you have a kegerator or temp-controlled lagering chamber). You get the benefit of natural carbonation, a little yeast in the lagering keg, and a solid oxygen barrier.
If you lager several weeks (4-6) the beer should settle pretty clear. You'll suck up a little yeast in the first few pints, but that's all. Alternatively you can shorten your dip tube or use a floating one like the ClearBeer Draft System.