Fermenting my first ale... Living in South Florida

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

Hello,
I just brewed my first batch of IPA last night. I can't get my temp on my bucket below 75. This is in the coolest place in the house, my closet. What would you recommend I do to bring it down to 70? If I do the swamp cooler thing, how much water will I need? I've seen some post saying 3-4 inches with a fan blowing and and a tshirt, and I've read some posts saying they fill their cooler with water to the beer line adding ice every 6 hours???? I'm sorry if this should have been posted somewhere else. I only found swamp coolers being used for lagers, so I thought I would post my particular issue.
I'm new to this forum and brewing, so thanks for listening and I hope someone can help!

 

[RJS]

Buy a Portable Air Conditioner, and turn it on. Run the hose out of some hole you drill. You will never have to worry about temps again.

 

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

Are you saying for that room, or actually in the closet? Would it be easier to make a swamp cooler or should I even be looking at a cheep fridge for the garage? I just need to get this temp down a few more degrees.

 

[turkeyjerky214]

Easiest is a chest freezer or fridge with a temp controller. Swamp cooler works as well, but it requires more attention.

 

[RM-MN]

I'd go for the swamp cooler for this batch. Your temperature control is the most critical for the first 2 to 4 days and after that you can just let it warm up.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I'd go for the swamp cooler for this batch. Your temperature control is the most critical for the first 2 to 4 days and after that you can just let it warm up.

agreed... rigging up a swamp cooler is quick and easy and you wanna get those temps down. a temp controlled chest freezer is a great idea, but it's not as easy as buying a large rubbermaid bucket (or like vessel).

 

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to do the swamp cooler today. Can someone give me the exact way I should do it? Do I fill the bucket all the way with water or just a few inches? If I fill with only a few inches do I set the fermenter directly in the few inches of water? Won't this make the bottom f the beer cooler than the top? T-shirt usage? Where to place thermometer? How to keep water cool? Fan? Bottles of frozen water?
Thanks again for the advice. I really want this first batch to turn out right!

 

[sonex]

to get temps down in a swamp cooler you will need to add frozen water bottles and switch them out as needed. most ales are fermented in the mid 60's. its best to monitor the beer temp and not the water temp in cooler.

 

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

So how much water do I put in the bucket? All the way to the beer line? What about the tshirt?

 

[Taypo]

We fill the tub to about the 5 gallon mark, as close to the beer line as we can get. We add cold water from the tub, then check temp of the water. If its below 60, we leave it alone for the time being. Above 60, it gets a few frozen bottles. Then a wet tshirt to cover, a fan blowing, and leave it alone. Temp checks every few hours, swap out bottles as needed to maintain desired temp. We swapped out a little plastic tub that just barely fit one carboy to a bigger 2 carboy size, which maintains temperature much better. More water = less extreme temp fluctuations once you get it where you want it.

 

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

Thanks! I think I have it figured out. Filled the cooler to the 5 gallon mark on the fermenting bucket. Added a few freezer blue blocks. The floating thermometer has been holding at 70. Should I stick a wet T shirt over the exposed part of the bucket?

 

[RJS]

Are you saying for that room, or actually in the closet? Would it be easier to make a swamp cooler or should I even be looking at a cheep fridge for the garage? I just need to get this temp down a few more degrees.

Sorry, my reply was not for the current situation your in, it was for the long term. To answer the question though, the portable a/c is... portable, put it wherever you want to ferment.

 

[SwampassJ]

View attachment 41704
Thanks! I think I have it figured out. Filled the cooler to the 5 gallon mark on the fermenting bucket. Added a few freezer blue blocks. The floating thermometer has been holding at 70. Should I stick a wet T shirt over the exposed part of the bucket?

Down here evaporation cooling doesn't do **** unless we're talking about the day after a strong front moves through. Just stick with the ice rotation for now and keep an eye on it. I got sick of swapping bottles and bought a 7cubit foot freezer and a temperature controller.

 

[BIGREDTRUCKER]

You guys have mentioned getting a fridge or freezer with temp control. Can frigdes and freezers have a controlled temp of 65 deg? That seems mighty hot for what there intended purpose is. If they can do this .....I'm getting a used one for sure!

 

[dchmela]

You guys have mentioned getting a fridge or freezer with temp control. Can frigdes and freezers have a controlled temp of 65 deg? That seems mighty hot for what there intended purpose is. If they can do this .....I'm getting a used one for sure!

You can get one of these to adjust the temperature in the fridge

Digital Temperature Controller : Northern Brewer

Welcome to Florida brewing!

 

[sonex]

View attachment 41704
Thanks! I think I have it figured out. Filled the cooler to the 5 gallon mark on the fermenting bucket. Added a few freezer blue blocks. The floating thermometer has been holding at 70. Should I stick a wet T shirt over the exposed part of the bucket?

not sure what beer you are fermenting but most ales especially american ales like temps in the mid 60's. 70f is on the warm side. since you already are fermenting at 70 I'd leave it alone in fear of stalling fermentation by lowering the temps. but for your next one I'd go a little cooler.

 

[SwampassJ]

You guys have mentioned getting a fridge or freezer with temp control. Can frigdes and freezers have a controlled temp of 65 deg? That seems mighty hot for what there intended purpose is. If they can do this .....I'm getting a used one for sure!

just dont keep perishable food in them. Freezers can be a ***** to lower glass carboys into (due to added weight, slickness of glass and lack of a handle), but they hold temps really well.

 

[daksin]

If your humidity is low, you can wet a towel and point a fan at it. I can get my beers to 62F in the fermentor when the room is 75 this way, but our humidity is very low here. You're going to want to use a towel or something thick- a tshirt will dry out too fast.

 

[DrBergeron]

Bigred,

Ran into the same issue that you have with controlling fermentation temps down here. I ended up getting just a small fridge that doubles as a kegerator and has enough room to hold a 6 gallon glass carboy + airlock. When i ferment (since i don't have a temperature controller) I turn the fridge on and let it run until the carboy gets down to 60-63 degrees or so (6-8 hours), then shut it off for 8-10 hours, then turn it back on, repeat. Going to be investing in a temp controller soon so I don't have to do the manual thing. As important as fermentation temperature is, the price of a small fridge is a great investment in your beer's quality. I'm not sure how much extra scratch you have laying around but based on how into this way of life you are and how many batches you could see yourself brewing at one time you could scale up to a chest freezer etc at your discretion. I wouldn't go with the portable AC unit as i wouldn't think it is as efficient as a small fridge would be.

 

[RJS]

Bigred,
I wouldn't go with the portable AC unit as i wouldn't think it is as efficient as a small fridge would be.

Were talking whole rooms for fermenting with a portable a/c. Probably not practical for most brewers here. Nevermind the suggestion, i have to remember when posting that most brewers dont need a whole brewery like us monks. Fridge is better in your situation.

 

[Tim_Kreitz]

You can get one of these to adjust the temperature in the fridge

Digital Temperature Controller : Northern Brewer

Welcome to Florida brewing!

West Texas brewing, too. I have two of these controllers, one for my fermentation chamber and one for my Keezer. They work perfectly.

As has been said, most ales need to ferment between 60 and 66 degrees, so even 70 will likely produce some off flavors. The fermentation process produces a surprising amount of heat, and a 70 to 72-degree ambiant temperature can see wort temperatures close to 80 or more at peak activity.

Here's my chamber. It'll actually fit two fermenters:

During rare cold spells, I get lucky and can ferment at room temperature:

http://www.facebook.com/v/2645513909855

 

[japsw20]

igloo cooler with a lid made of 1" foam board triple stacked and layered in aluminum tape