Hello From Wisconsin

[ForsbergFotos]

Hello I am just getting into home brewing after a few years of occasionally considering it. A wine making kit coming up for sale locally finally gave me the push to jump into it. I mostly plan on working with wines, meads, and ciders as I don't drink too much beer and its easy enough to pick up a 6 pack every once in a while. I'm also lucky enough to have a pub in town that carries over 550 beers at any given time.

I've got a few things fermenting already, a 2.5 gal melomel, 1gal Green apple Riesling wine kit, and a cider that I just moved into my racking area to get moved into secondary tomorrow.

I have been a long time user of forums so I do know how to use the search function and to check stickies. I have been combing through posts here and a couple other places and decided I might as well sign up for one of them

 

[Roland_deschain]

Greetings from Milwaukee!

 

[mongoose33]

Greetings from Platteville!

 

[stella_tigre]

Just over the river in NE Iowa, hello!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Greetings from Long Island NY, I had a great time fishing in Door County and have in laws in Rhinlander. Welcome.

 

[Sammy86]

Welcome to the community and obsession from CT!

 

[ForsbergFotos]

Greetings from Milwaukee!

Any preferred local brew shops?

I've got vines to cellar 5mins away, but there selection is small and just a tad on the pricier side. I don't mind chasing to Milwaukee, but also don't mind paying a little extra to avoid the trip. I've been to Northern Brewer and service was not top notch, but its not horrible. I've seen Purple Foot but haven't been there yet

 

[Roland_deschain]

I use NB because they're local for me. I've never had bad service so I can't speak to that.

 

[Ki-ri-n]

I'm also lucky enough to have a pub in town that carries over 550 beers at any given time.

What pub in PW has 550 beers?!

I usually go to NB for ingredients. Service is OK but I'm usually self-sufficient. But the last time I was there a guy asked me if he could help me find something (was looking through the hop cooler). I said I'm just looking for CTZ. He never heard of it I think it's on the decline as some of the smaller stuff usually is out of stock, and I think they may be changing over to "cheaper" ingredients.

I haven't been to The Purple Foot in years. I was only there once and wasn't impressed.

 

[flars]

What pub in PW has 550 beers?!

I usually go to NB for ingredients. Service is OK but I'm usually self-sufficient. But the last time I was there a guy asked me if he could help me find something (was looking through the hop cooler). I said I'm just looking for CTZ. He never heard of it I think it's on the decline as some of the smaller stuff usually is out of stock, and I think they may be changing over to "cheaper" ingredients.

I haven't been to The Purple Foot in years. I was only there once and wasn't impressed.

What is CTZ?

 

[Ki-ri-n]

Columbus, Tomahawk & Zeus

 

[ForsbergFotos]

What pub in PW has 550 beers?!

Sir James Pub, its directly across from The Pasta Shoppe on Main St

 

[Bmervar19]

If anyone can help, I would really appreciate it..

I have a problem.

i need a detailed instruction on how I can override or install a n external one that I can adjust my refrigerators thermostat because I keep the unit in the garage and they tell me that it won't freeze well because the ambient temp in the garage is too low in the winter.
Thanks, if u can post this to the proper forum. Reply to [email protected]

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Hello from a Grafton native!

 

[dammBrewer]

Greetings from up the highway in the Manitowoc area!

If you're in the area ever, (45 minute drive) stop over at Grape Grain and Bean in Manitowoc. Great homebrew and wine shop. Also, if you want to have stuff shipped, consider their online store. Or you could also seek out RiteBrew(.com) and have things shipped to you. It's another great (local) resource for items.

Thanks too for the info on Sir James Pub...next time I'm down that way I'm stopping in for sure!

 

[JonM]

NB in Milwaukee is great - it's extremely rare that they're out of anything AND it's on the same stretch of Hwy 100 (Hwy a-hunnert?) that has the Malt Shoppe where they have a killer selection and almost everything is available in single bottles/cans.

 

[wisconsinitebrewer]

Greeting from the Waukesha area!
Northern Brewer is a great location but since I moved out further west, I have been using Brew and Grow. Little bit smaller of a feel but usually have all that you need

 

[mongoose33]

If anyone can help, I would really appreciate it..

I have a problem.

i need a detailed instruction on how I can override or install a n external one that I can adjust my refrigerators thermostat because I keep the unit in the garage and they tell me that it won't freeze well because the ambient temp in the garage is too low in the winter.
Thanks, if u can post this to the proper forum. Reply to [email protected]

Not 100 percent sure what you're trying to do.

If it's to use a refrigerator as a fermentation chamber, what happens in the freezer is unimportant.

I have a fermchamber fridge in the garage, along w/ another refrigerator. In most models, there is no separate thermostat for the freezer and the fridge. When the fridge runs--where the thermostat is--the freezer freezes. If the ambient temp is high enough, the refrigerator will run often enough to keep the freezer frozen.

But if ambient drops--my garage drops into the 40s, even the 30s--the refrigerator won't run very much if at all. This means the freezer won't freeze, and it gradually rises in temp to ambient or close to it. We can't keep frozen foods in the garage refrigerator in the winter because, well, they won't stay frozen.

But if all you're using the refrigerator for is fermentation temp control, that doesn't matter. In mine, I wrap a fermwrap around the keg or fermenter to warm it, and my Inkbird controller runs both the fermwrap (when it gets too cold) or the refrigerator (when it gets too warm).

I was using a 21-watt heating mat wrapped around a keg, and even though the garage was 40 degrees, the fermenter retained 66 degrees, which was my target temp. The refrigerator is, of course, insulated, so if something is warming it inside, it will hold that higher temp.

Not sure this was what you're asking, but the takeaway is that in the winter in cool ambient temps the freezer won't hold frozen temps, but the refrigerator as fermentation chamber will still work fine.

 

[ForsbergFotos]

Greetings from up the highway in the Manitowoc area!

If you're in the area ever, (45 minute drive) stop over at Grape Grain and Bean in Manitowoc. Great homebrew and wine shop. Also, if you want to have stuff shipped, consider their online store. Or you could also seek out RiteBrew(.com) and have things shipped to you. It's another great (local) resource for items.

Thanks too for the info on Sir James Pub...next time I'm down that way I'm stopping in for sure!

I do make it to Manitowoc occasionally and will have to head up there sometime soon and check this place out