Fermentation chamber question

[davidtraher]

Hi all…if my chamber will always be in a heated garage, usually about 22C/72F, or hotter in the summer, is a heat source required? What do you do to ferment multiple beers at the same time at different temps?

 

[day_trippr]

I suppose if you aren't using "hot" yeasts like some kviek strains the need for heat above 72°F would be greatly diminished.

What do you do to ferment multiple beers at the same time at different temps?

I have three fridge fermentation chambers...with heaters

Cheers!

 

[hotbeer]

IMO, it's more the stability of your temperatures than the temperature. You don't want the yeast to get going good and then get turned off by a rapid drop in temp. Especially during the krausen and as it drops to it's FG.

Though what type of beer you brew and the yeast you use will determine what that temperature should be.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Hi all…if my chamber will always be in a heated garage, usually about 22C/72F, or hotter in the summer, is a heat source required? What do you do to ferment multiple beers at the same time at different temps?

Is your chamber a freezer? I find that a heating source is very helpful for limiting the overshoot that happens when I try to chill a batch by more than a few degrees. A chest freezer is designed to get down to around 0F, so it can build up a lot of cold mass when running for a few minutes. My chamber is in a lower level. I am also surprised how often I use it to heat a beer above ambient temps. This could be a beer like a Belgian or Kveik, but also for keeping an ale at 72F at the end of fermentation.

If I need to make room to keep a beer cool, I will often move a batch out of my chest freezer chamber, and use a heat mat or ambient temps. I have a non-working chest freezer that I use as an insulated box with a temp controller and seedling mat.

Sometimes just fermenting two beers at the "same" temp can be a challenge. I currently have an English Porter with Imperial Pub next to an American Porter with US-05. I started them at 66F. The English Porter is winding down fermentation and I would like to heat it up a little. The American Porter is still chugging away and generating heat.

 

[davidtraher]

Great info, thanks all

 

[hotbeer]

Is your chamber a freezer?

I wish that question had gotten answered. I took chamber to just mean a vessel that contains the beer while fermenting. IE, carboy, bucket or whatever.

However looking back at the question, you might be correct that the chamber is something the FV is being put into.

 

[ninkwood]

I'm looking at using a small freezer as a fermentation chamber and I'd like to add a heat source to mine. I've seen people use seedling and reptile heat mats, but I'm curious how much heat these will provide?

For example, in the extreme case where my freezer is in a really cold garage and I want to ferment in the 80*f range, I'm assuming a heat mat won't suffice?

I like to overbuild things the first time so that I'm fully unconstrained going forward!

 

[MaxStout]

Freezers are very well insulated. A heating mat or infrared reptile heating bulb in the 25-50W range will provide plenty of heat in a small freezer. Adding a small computer fan inside will help distribute the heat.

I have a 50W reptile bulb with fan inside a 7 cu ft freezer with a 6" collar in an unheated garage here in MN. With two fermenters, it has no problem maintaining ale temps.

 

[ninkwood]

Freezers are very well insulated. A heating mat or infrared reptile heating bulb in the 25-50W range will provide plenty of heat in a small freezer. Adding a small computer fan inside will help distribute the heat.

I have a 50W reptile bulb with fan inside a 7 cu ft freezer with a 6" collar in an unheated garage here in MN. With two fermenters, it has no problem maintaining ale temps.

Wow good to know! I already have a seedling mat so I'll give that a go. Thanks!

 

[sibelman]

I took chamber to just mean a vessel that contains the beer while fermenting. IE, carboy, bucket or whatever.

Generally, a fermentation chamber is a temperature-controlled box, fridge, freezer, or closet that holds one or more fermenters. There are many threads here about creating a fermentation chamber.

Cooling usually comes from a small window air conditioner or, if it's a fridge or freezer, from that. Heating is discussed above.

Control is usually separate from all of the above for precision, and because brewing temperatures are higher than the range of the thermostats in the original devices. Inkbird makes popular, inexpensive controllers. Ranco is another maker.

Many home brewers, myself included, believe that good temperature control has improved our beers.

 

[Deadalus]

Wow good to know! I already have a seedling mat so I'll give that a go. Thanks!

I use 10x20" seedling mats all the time, on 5-6 gallon batches no problem. My basement gets to low 50s. I'm just doing ales in an uninsulated wash tub 68-72F. If you have more than one matt you could double up. I throw a blanket on usually keeps the light off the carboys anyway.

 

[jerrylotto]

I use an oil pan heater, mounted on a stand off that's epoxyed to the side of the freezer. Like this:

 

[McMullan]

I use a short (25W) ‘reptile’ heat cable in my small lager keezer. Running it around the bottom of the freezer helps distribute heat better. I just put it in my kegerator ready for a bigger fermentation tomorrow, but you’ll get the idea.