Concerns for first brew...

[Will_the-new-brewer]

So, I recently ordered the deluxe starter kit from MoreBeer--it is supposed to arrive next week. I have done a couple of dry runs with simply boiling hot water. Although I have learned several things doing so, I also have a major concern--fermentation temperature.

So, I downloaded the instructions for the kit/recipe and walked through the steps of steeping the grains (not exceeding 170F), adding hops, boiling, etc. Since I am doing this outside with propane, was good to see how long it takes to get to 170 (although times will be slightly different) and get the right placement of knobs "propane tank" for a slight boil, not a heavy one.

Then comes to chilling the wort. The kitchen sink was a fail (not big enough). On second try, the wash tub in my laundry room was a success--even with just cold water (will use ice-water for brew day). It got down to <130F after draining/refilling with cold water 4 times--forcing the water around with my hand.

After adding the 2 gallons of cool water (drinking water from bottle) to wort, it cooled it down below 100. Now, I moved it to my Son of Fermentation Chiller, set the thermostat to 68F (will brew American Pale Ale), added my frozen gallon jugs, put the lids on, and let it go.

This is my predicament--I am not sure I have enough frozen jugs. I have 4 total, but they each take almost a full day to freeze. My freezer can't hold more than 4, so that isn't an option. If it matters, my heard my fan cycling on (5 min) and off (3 min) in the beginning (when it was the hottest). What I can't reproduce in a test is the recurring heat cause by fermentation. I had taken one jug out at an hour to see if it would refreeze quick enough---it was a no for two jugs. Maybe I will do another run this weekend with 4 jugs--swapping them out hourly (one at a time). Any other suggestions? Am I over thinking the importance of this temperature?

Thanks for the help.

Will

 

[Morrey]

Being analytical now is far better than getting into the brew day to be thrown off track with issues that could have been solved just as you are doing now.

Even though it would be hard for most of us to know your exact situation, be assured that exothermic heat created by the yeast during fermentation can drive the temp up significantly. As an example if your fermenter is in a 70F ambient location, the internal temps in the fermenter can easily be up to 8 degrees above ambient. This may be enough that your beer can develop some flavors or esters that may not be ideal.

How you deal with the freezing and refreezing jugs is a unique situation for you, but rest assured you are wise to know temp control is important for the best beer possible. Are bags of ice an option? Not saying to throw in the towel if you have issues controlling, but the better you control, the better beer you'll produce.

 

[Jtk78]

Look up swamp cooler homebrewing.

If you can, put the fermenter in a tub or pan with some water in it ant a t-shirt over the carboy. The evaporation will help cool the wort. You could then put ice in the tub to help regulate it.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

Jtk78, that's the catch. My house ambient temperature is 77...assuming we are home (warmer if not at home).

The Son of Fermentation Chiller is basically an advanced swamp cooler--using blocks of ice and a thermostat connected to a fan that turns on when the temperature gets below what you set it at (for me, 68). I do have a few inches available on the sides---thought of putting a "swamp cooler" inside my chiller to help regulate it (when I am low on frozen water jugs).

 

[ctb1976]

It sound like you are on the right track. I am not sure where you plan on placing the thermostat probe, but a thermowell does a good job of giving beer temp rather than the temp in you box. My house is 68 upstairs and about 10 degrees cooler in the basement. I usually ferment in an uninsulated cabinet upstairs with good results. Last week we had to 70 degree days and I had to move to the basement and set up a swamp cooler. I was amazed how well it worked. Have you tried finding a used freezer or fridge on Craigslist?

Here is my dream:

https://spikebrewing.com/collections/conical-accessories/products/tc-100-bundle

Best of luck!!!

 

[BongoYodeler]

Until I can retrofit an old refrigerator this is what I use. In the summer, with ambient temps in the house between 68° and 72° I use three or four 1.5 liter frozen Trader Joe's water bottles to maintain an ambient temperature of around 63° inside the bag. I change the bottles out every 12 hours.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/c...a0KyEPqnaVRIPSsz-1RlxdKqvYWhoz4YaAuToEALw_wcB

 

[mongoose33]

If he's going to spend any money at all, might make more sense to look on Craigslist for a used tall dorm refrigerator (4.4 cu feet or so), then run it with an Inkbird and heat mat--though given ambient in the house, a heat mat probably isn't that crucial.

OP, don't know where you are, but check Craigslist for something like this:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/app/d/black-ge-dorm-refrigerator/6513671305.html

Obviously, unless you live in columbus, not going to work, but that one is listed at $75, probably could get it for less. I bought mine for $60, and I've seen a number of them, over time, in that price range. Just search "Dorm Refrigerator." If you can, bring the fermenter along to ensure it will fit.

EDITED TO ADD: Heck, I should have scrolled down further--there's one for $60, one for $50, even one for $30. https://columbus.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=refrigerator dorm&sort=rel

And as we near the end of the college school year, you'll likely find a bunch of these on Craigslist as students leave.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

Thanks for the feedback all. I like the small refrigerator...and have one, but it has a shelf on it. Not sure I want to buy another one just because it doesn't half a shelf (shelf is on bottom, part of the refrigerator, and prevents anything deeper than a 6-pack from being down there).

I did think about buying a fermentation cooler bag; however, I had read somewhere that the Son of Fermentation Chiller is the best way to go for spending that kind of $$.

I think once my kit gets in, I will see if I can build a stand that is equal height to the shelf in the fridge I have to see if it can still fit the carboy in.

Thanks again guys!

Will

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks for the feedback all. I like the small refrigerator...and have one, but it has a shelf on it. Not sure I want to buy another one just because it doesn't half a shelf (shelf is on bottom, part of the refrigerator, and prevents anything deeper than a 6-pack from being down there).

I did think about buying a fermentation cooler bag; however, I had read somewhere that the Son of Fermentation Chiller is the best way to go for spending that kind of $$.

I think once my kit gets in, I will see if I can build a stand that is equal height to the shelf in the fridge I have to see if it can still fit the carboy in.

Thanks again guys!

Will

Sometimes the issue with those fridges is the door has molded protrusions on it that stick into the interior space. It's common for homebrewers to cut those off with a utility knife and cover the insulation exposed with duct tape or similar. If one has bought a craigslist special, it's not so hard to do that kind of door surgery. On a new one, not so easy.

In the case of mine above, I got lucky; the protrusion in the center is offset so that if I have the fermenter to the left side of the fridge, it just misses it. The other issue I discovered is the sort of flange protrusion at the bottom of the door. My fermenter sits on a board to raise it above that, which would otherwise hit the fermenter when the door closes.

I have the compressor hump in the back of mine like almost all have, but I'm still able to make it work.

 

[ncbrewer]

I use a simple swamp cooler, but without the wet towel over the fermenter. Evaporation of the bath water drops the fermenter temp by about 2 - 3 degrees F. It's uninsulated. My house stays 68F in the summer. During active fermentation, I replace about 2.5 liter bottles of ice per day in the water bath to keep the fermenter at 67F. There are obvious differences from your Son of Fermentation, but I'd say your insulation more than makes up for my 2 - 3 degree cooling due to evaporation. So it seems to me you should easily be ok if you can replace the equivalent of 2.5 liter bottles of ice per day. If it was me, I'd try it with your Son of Fermentation.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

NCBrewer,
Thanks for input and example of your setup. I think at this point, I am set on using what I have. I did read a few other posts that talked about mini-fridges. I just remembered that I have one in my office at work so gonna take measurements of that today...perhaps use it as a backup if I run to low on ice.

Will

 

[HomeBrewMasterRace]

If he's going to spend any money at all, might make more sense to look on Craigslist for a used tall dorm refrigerator (4.4 cu feet or so), then run it with an Inkbird and heat mat--though given ambient in the house, a heat mat probably isn't that crucial.

OP, don't know where you are, but check Craigslist for something like this:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/app/d/black-ge-dorm-refrigerator/6513671305.html

Obviously, unless you live in columbus, not going to work, but that one is listed at $75, probably could get it for less. I bought mine for $60, and I've seen a number of them, over time, in that price range. Just search "Dorm Refrigerator." If you can, bring the fermenter along to ensure it will fit.

EDITED TO ADD: Heck, I should have scrolled down further--there's one for $60, one for $50, even one for $30. https://columbus.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=refrigerator dorm&sort=rel

And as we near the end of the college school year, you'll likely find a bunch of these on Craigslist as students leave.

View attachment 560330

Hi Mongoose,

What type/size of fermenter is that in the fridge? I like your setup and am thinking of copying you.

Thanks,

 

[mongoose33]

Hi Mongoose,

What type/size of fermenter is that in the fridge? I like your setup and am thinking of copying you.

Thanks,

It's a 6.5-gallon Bigmouth Bubbler.

If you find you need to cut off the plastic molding on the door, you might try a sawz-all type saw with a long blade. It's what I'd try.

There's a local re-store/recycling store that has about 50 of those larger dorm-style refrigerators. They want $30 apiece for them. Wish I needed more.

 

[eric19312]

First welcome to the hobby OP. Seems like you got bit by the bug hard even before your first batch.

Second...I think 77F ambient when you are home and warmer when you are away is going to be tricky to manage with ice. That said people did it for years before they had electric refrigerators so it can be done. Good insulation on the fermentation chamber, probably a design where you lower the fermenter into the chamber rather than some sort of a door construction will do better job holding the cool air where you want it. I'd ditto the advice to find a fridge. I scored a free apartment sized fridge and run it with a dual stage controller from Auber. Holds my 16 gallon Spiedel fermentor or two 6 gallon PET carboys.

Third, Back to the Ice driven chamber...Try to get the beer to pitching temperature before putting into the chamber --- I am guessing you used most of your ice getting beer down from 100 to 68 ...not keeping it there. I think if you start with 4 frozen gallons and beer is under 75 when it goes into the chamber you should be able to keep up with ice requirements. To improve chilling eventually you are going to want a wort chiller...IMO if your favorite style is IPA/APA an immersion chiller is way to go. I mentioned above I use the fridge to hold temps, but I still work pretty hard to get my wort into range before putting it into the chamber. I'm in the pitch yeast at or slightly below intended fermentation temperature camp and don't want to have to wait hours to be able to pitch.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

First welcome to the hobby OP. Seems like you got bit by the bug hard even before your first batch.

LOL, you could say that. I built a SoFC and it works well, but I recently got a small fridge and converted it. I will do my next batch in there to see how it works. I am a little excited to not have to swap out ice every day.

 

[Saunassa]

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