How to keep a barrel cool in a hot garage?

[Matteo57]

Anyone have any good ideas on how to keep a oak barrel cool during the summer if I store my barrel in a hot garage that gets up to mid to high 80s during the summer? I would like to keep it low 70s, high 60s preferably... but...
Would a AC unit blowing right onto the barrel connected to a temp controller connected to a thermowel in the barrel work at all or would it be a ton of energy and not much cooling?
Any other good ideas? Anyone else do this and have good luck with any particular ways?

Thanks!

 

[andy6026]

I'm guessing that the AC unit would cost a lot of energy and it's ability to get down to temp would depend on its BTUs. Given that the average sized AC can do a decent job of getting a large room from the 80s into the high sixties fairly effectively, I wouldn't discount this option if you don't mind the electricity bill.

The best option that costs nothing might be to brew something that can tolerate warm temps, such as a Saison.

You could also search out a second hand refrigerator and use it as a fermentation chamber, although your description of the barrel suggests that a chest freezer might be more suitable.

Yet another option would be to find an even larger barrel and use it to make a swamp cooler.


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[rodwha]

But a garage isn't insulated and usually has ventilation. At the same time it's not horribly hot if it won't get too high into the 80's. It may work OK I suppose, but you'd need a plan B such as building a small "room" for it that you could install that A/C so as not to be out the money for your efforts.

 

[TrubDog]

When it gets hot I fill the bathtub in our master bath with water and put the fermenters in. Keeps them at about 66 degrees - good stuff!


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[Matteo57]

Sorry I guess I should have specified, this is a sour Flanders red I have in the barrel. The barrel is a 60 gallon french oak barrel. It is not a small 5-10gallon oak barrel.