Fermentation Chamber Importance?

[mhermetz]

Just how important is it to have one? Aside from the obvious ability to Lager year round what sort of benefit will I get out of the setup?

Right now I set aside a great spot in my basement that year round averages 62-68 degrees. I haven't checked the temperature at night but with the house climate control I don't see that swinging outside of the 62-68.

This "was" next on my list to complete but I now have a kid on the way so priorities have obviously shifted but I still want to improve my beer. Just wondering if it will really have a huge impact on my beer or not.

 

[kombat]

It made a noticeable improvement to my beers. Being able to hold your beer within half-a-degree of any target temperature eliminates a lot of unpredictable variation in the flavour of the resulting beer. Go the extra mile and get a thermowell stopper, too, they're only like $20 and allow you to measure the actual temperature deep in the heart of the beer, rather than the glass/air at the edge of the fermenter.

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

Many people don't have a great spot at 62-68 degrees. The main benefit in your case would be for lagers and some Belgium Lambics, Sours and Brett beers that like their primary fermentation temps in the 70 - 76 degree range. I actually built a 4 x 6 x8, inside space, chamber about 7 months ago and have yet to put it to use. My granddaughter has commandeered it for her secret fort for now. So not to worry, you sound like it would be a "nice to have" but with a child on the way, good luck finding time and assembling all the Little Tykes toys should keep you busy until years 4-5.

Cheers!

 

[kh54s10]

What is important is to control the fermentation temperature and limit the amount of swing high to low. How it is done doesn't really matter.

A fermentation chamber makes it very easy, especially with one of the stc-1000 controllers on the market. You can set a temperature profile, set it to run and leave the beer alone the entire time.

Here is mine, less than $150:

 

[mhermetz]

It's a ****ty picture I attached but it's what I've already built for my chamber. I'm just missing the door, insulation and the hole in the side for my fridge to sit. I also do not have the controller either. I'm probably looking at another $150 to finish but that's also a changing table....lol probably not a battle I will win.

 

[Psylocide]

Depends on what style of beer you're making... I can generally control mine within 3-4° with a wet towel and a fan and a cement floor.

If it gets really cool, I'll put a dry towel on/turn the fan off... after initial ferment is done, I move off the cement to allow it to warm ~3°. But there are no huge swings in temp, and that may be one of the most important parts of temp control.

Obviously I can't lager, but I just buy them if I want them.

 

[brew_ny]

best money I have ever spent on brewing

all the best

S_M

 

[1977Brewer]

It will literally be my most expensive brewery upgrade when I get around to it. I'm on "swamp cooler, ice bottles if needed, little clip on fan" right now. It works, but I don't trust it.

 

[hunter_le five]

Right now I set aside a great spot in my basement that year round averages 62-68 degrees.

For you, maybe not so important (at least if you're doing ales).

For those of us living further down south, it can make a world of difference.

 

[fredfoodphilly]

Mine cost me about $150, and its a great addition, my basement is too cold in winter, and fermentation would stop, it's a pain to bring up the 1/2 flight, and then your getting swings. Plus it taught me about relay's, which is something I love about the hobby, I am always learning something; wiring, welding, fluid dynamics, water chemistry, etc.

 

[m00ps]

Depends on what style of beer you're making... I can generally control mine within 3-4° with a wet towel and a fan and a cement floor.

If it gets really cool, I'll put a dry towel on/turn the fan off... after initial ferment is done, I move off the cement to allow it to warm ~3°. But there are no huge swings in temp, and that may be one of the most important parts of temp control.

Obviously I can't lager, but I just buy them if I want them.

I used this for a number of brews before I bought a chest freezer and STC-1000 and it does work well. Just find a spot where the A/C vents down and stick the fermentation vessel with the damp shirt/towel under it. I'd have my apt at 68-70 and the beer would be reading mid 60s. I'd just remember to re-wet the shirt before and after I got home from work

 

[eman_resu]

If only for ales, I personally wouldn't bother getting a chamber. Sounds like you have pretty good ambient temp for most strains, and you can always control it to some extent with water bath+ice packs to cool or a blanket to warm it up.

Also, for what it's worth, I believe proper pitch temp and keeping the fermentation temp down in the beginning is enough to get good results. At least my beers got a lot better when I started pitching in the low end of the recommended range for the strain, and just slowed down the rise to ambient temp (~23*C/73*F) as long as possible, with water baths/swamp cooler etc. Letting it finish up a little warmer after the bulk of fermentation is actually good.

That being said, I did recently get a chamber but mostly because it's easier and I don't have to be around to monitor temps. And because I want to start doing lagers too...

Just my 2c.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

When I first started brewing, I didn't have any control beyond a cool room, and as long as I was making ales with neutral flavor profiles (ie: American Ale Yeast), it was fine, but if I wanted to do anything with a strong yeast character, it was all over the place. Then I moved to a house with a cool basement, and found my american ale strains started tasting cleaner and were more consistent batch to batch. But scores in competition jumped from the mid-20s to the mid to upper-30s once I started controlling temps precisely with a fridge/heater/controller combo. Best money ever spent.

 

[danimalt]

Repeatable result Importance?

 

[azazel1024]

For anything and everything. On the slab, my basement ranges from 62F in the winter to about 72F in the summer (my basement is un-air conditioned, but it is heated, so in the summer it tends to warm up a fair amount, though I do keep the upstairs thermostat at 78F during the summer, if I kept it at 72F, the basement temp would probably be around 68F). If I slap some 1/2" foamboard under my carboys/buckets they'll be at 64-74F instead. The problem there is, 62/64F is a bit too cool for some Ale strains, especially a lot of the "higher temp" ones that like it in the low 70's. I've had a couple of English strains (I am looking at you Windsor) that seem to have gone dormant before fully attenuating and caused overcarbed bottles because after really active fermentation the carboy's dropped to 62F.

In the summer time, it can be a bit warmer than I'd like, especially during really active fermentation where the stick on thermometer can read 75-77F depending on just how active the yeast is. I haven't had much that seemed "too hot" with bad by products as a result, but I have noticed a difference in how clean some strains are fermenting at, say, 62F for really active fermentation and then letting it warm (or forcing it to) up to 68F or so to finish out, compared to spending most of the time at 72-77F.

Also, lagers.

You can also cold crash your beers before bottling, which can help with clarity, and reduced bottle sediment (and I also personally think it helps some beers taste a little cleaner).

You also need it for some really warm strains, like Belgians tend to like it in the low 70's. Saisons can sometimes like it up to 80F or even somewhat more.

You can also kettle sour or sour mash, because ideally you need temps of around 100-108F.

Again, lagers.

Has my beer changed dramatically? No, but it has improved with my two fermentation chambers. I also can do lagers now, which I couldn't do at all before. It also means off season I can do things like Saisons and Belgians (well, do better belgians, you can do them in the mid-60's...but that is way less than ideal).

For $35 in parts to build an ITC/STC-1000 or STC-1000+ temp controller and anything from $20-60 off craigslist for a used mini-fridge up to $99-149 for a new one...yeah, I think it is worth it. I'll grant, I had both mini-fridges laying around and only had to buy the stuff to make a couple of temp controllers, but it would have been worth it even if I had shelled out brand new prices for everything.

 

[afro_lou]

Just to add to the consensus...

Adding an STC-1000 to an old fridge has given me the most noticeable improvement in my beer yet. Plus, it's a total set it and forget it system. Plug your temp in and let her rip.

 

[philosofool]

Good fermentation temp control is important, but there are a lot of methods for it. Note that it is best to regulate the beer by its temperature, not the ambient temp, during the initial fermentation in which yeast produce a lot of heat.