How to maintain low temps for Lagers/Bocks without Fridge?

[bbriscoe]

I don't have or have room for a beer fridge, nor do I have a cellar, but what other options are there for brewing bocks and lagers? I'd really like to do a Sam Adams imperial double bock, but I've only ever done ales and stouts.

My thought is to use one of those fermentor brew belts with a thermostat: http://www.highgravitybrew.com/ProductCart/pc/Brewing-Belt-125p1686.htm
and put it in my cold garage in the winter -
but I don't think the included thermostat goes low enough for a bock, does it?

How and where could I modify this kit to serve my purposes?

 

[KevinW]

If your tap water is cold enough you could put your fermentor/carboy in a big plastic tub and fill it with cold tap water. If you keep it in the garage and the volume of water is big enough the water should not freeze and all you have to do is check it once or twice a day during fermention. You could replace hot or cold water as needed to keep the bulk of the water within a good range!
During the lagering stage it would not matter too much how cold it gets as long as it does not freeze, so again just checking on it occasionally should work.

Just an idea, good luck with whatever you finally come up with and keep us posted!

 

[flabyboy]

the hard part is keeping the temp between 50-55 for fermentation. I have infloor heating in my garage in cold a*& Minnesota. Worked out well for me

 

[mojotele]

I don't see where that belt includes a thermostat. It is a little cheap to be including a thermostat too.

I can tell you that my thermostat, though, does indeed go down to lager fermenting temperatures. If you mounted the temperature reading probe on the side of your bucket and padded the outside of it for insulation then your plan would certainly work assuming your garage stays below 55 degrees or so. Lagering it would be trickier as you'd want to get it down to at least 40. But, again, if your garage stays that cold then you're good to go.

If you invest in such a setup it's probably a good idea to test it with 5 gallons of plain water first just to get the hang of it.

 

[bbriscoe]

I'm also trying to keep my costs way down. The garage is usually in the 40's during the winter (but starts warming up in Feb). Is that too cold to lager without heating? It never really freezes if I keep the garage doors closed.

How about this product?

http://www.horticulturesource.com/product_info.php?products_id=8561

 

[bbriscoe]

Or, my LHBS said I could just ferment a double bock with an Ale yeast at 70 degrees. How would that work and how different would my Beer be from the real thing?

 

[KevinW]

Or, my LHBS said I could just ferment a double bock with an Ale yeast at 70 degrees. How would that work and how different would my Beer be from the real thing?

Well, you'd have an ale, not a lager/bock if you are a traditionalist.

I have made many brews with Kolsch yeast which is an ale yeast that tolerates cooler ferment temps but not much cooler than 60°. Kolsch yeast still benefit from a "lagering" period of about 3-6 weeks so you could ferment in the house then put the beer in the garage for a few weeks to "lager" then keg/bottle! If you garage doesn't freeze then you can't go wrong since lagering temps can be in the mid to low 30's!

I like White Labs but look up White Labs or even Wyeast's website and read up on some yeasts that can give you a clean taste like a lager yeast but don't need lagering temps for fermenting! Experiment and have fun!

 

[Bobby_M]

If you can find an aquarium heater with a thermostat that goes down to 50F, you can run it in a water bath around the carboy.

 

[bbriscoe]

If you can find an aquarium heater with a thermostat that goes down to 50F, you can run it in a water bath around the carboy.

Is there such a thing? I looked at Walmart last night and the only product I found held a constant 76.5 F temp.

I really don't want to have to spend $70 for a Johnson Controls probe thermostat. I could buy a lot of bocks from the liquor store for that.

 

[aliciavr6]

If you can find an aquarium heater with a thermostat that goes down to 50F, you can run it in a water bath around the carboy.

thanks for this tip. we have yet to brew anything at all, but our house is 74ish and basement is 50ish. was planning on setting it on top of a heating pad, but it doesn't have a thermostat. aquarium heaters are cheap and water should regulate the temp much better.

 

[aliciavr6]

Is there such a thing? I looked at Walmart last night and the only product I found held a constant 76.5 F temp.

I really don't want to have to spend $70 for a Johnson Controls probe thermostat. I could buy a lot of bocks from the liquor store for that.

I'm thinking of picking one up that is rated for maybe a 1-5 gallon tank - 25w?, and using more water than that, so it doesn't warm it up too much.

 

[bbriscoe]

what temp ranges do I need for a doublebock anyway? I've never done one. My house is 65 this time of year and my garage is cooler, but maybe I wouldn't even need a heater at all.