Chiller or Swamp Cooler?

[Guyute]

I've got a little extra cash right now, and want to upgrade my brewing equipment. Two challenges I have now are chilling wort and keeping fermentation temps down. Which would be the better initial investment as far as improving my beer, a swamp cooler for my fermentation area or an immersion chiller? Right now I do the bath tub ice water to cool wort, and it takes about 2 hours to get down to pitchable temps. My fermentation area is just room temperature now, which means 80 degrees in October/November here in California. What do you guys think would be the better investment? Thanks

 

[JimTheHick]

I vote fermentation temp control.

For a cheap wort chiller I found an old metal tub about 3/4 as high as my kettle. I fill the tub half way, put the kettle in, turn on the garden hose really slow and it cools to pitch temp in about an hour. If you want it faster run the garden hose for about ten minutes, then dump the water and refill with water and ice. Just don't put the ice in right away or it doesn't work well.

Good luck! Happy investing!

 

[windbreaker123]

Temperature control.

 

[IffyG]

Another vote for temperature control.

 

[weirdboy]

I concur with everyone else. Your beer will benefit from good cold break, but not as much as it will from good temperature control during fermentation.

 

[Mpavlik22]

I agree with fermentation control, BUT I made my own immersion chiller from lowes for less than $40. I would look for a fridge/freezer on Craigslist and build yourself a IC also. Just my $0.02.

 

[birvine]

Maybe I'm going against the grain, but I feel that temp control with a swamp cooler is a very cheap, very easy solution; an IC is a bit more money but getting one improves the beer AND shortens the brew day a wee bit.

Brent

 

[JimTheHick]

Maybe I'm going against the grain, but I feel that temp control with a swamp cooler is a very cheap, very easy solution; an IC is a bit more money but getting one improves the beer AND shortens the brew day a wee bit.

Brent

I can see this point. Fermentation temp control is very cheaply done with a Rubbermaid (one of those for moving) filled with water and your ferment bucket with a frozen gallon jug in it and towel. If the temp isnt cool enough, use two frozen jugs and rotate new ones in and out of freezer!