How to use my new fermentation chamber.

[SlitheryDee]

So I got a minifridge and temperature controller, cut all the shelving out of it, and verified that my 6.5 gallon glass carboy fits. I'm very excited by the possibilities this opens up for my brewing.

I luckily had a pale ale that was just finishing up in the closet, and I thought I'd try it out first by cold crashing that batch and fining with gelatin. I feel a bit like someone who just got a new toy with no idea how to work it though. According to the brulosophy site I should drop it to 50 degrees F and then add my gelatin, then continue dropping it to just above freezing, then package it about a day later. What is your methodology for cold crashing and fining? Should my probe be taped to the side of the carboy for this period of time, or should it be measuring ambient temps inside the fridge? Any other considerations?

 

[beernutz]

I always use blue painters tape to hold the temp probe on the side of the fermenter. I took a piece of solid insulation sheet and cut a notch for the probe to isolate it more from ambient air temp. The probe touches the fermenter with the outside insulation wrap over which I put the painters tape. Works for me.

 

[jaspass]

You'll have a few options for monitoring temps. As @beernutz offers, that is the simplest solution and works well. Another option is to invest in a thermowell that will allow you to drop your temp probe into the beer. Ambient air temp is interesting info, but really the temp of the beer is what you are most interested in. Especially when fermenting as the fermentation will heat up the wort/beer to temps higher than the ambient, and ideally your are keeping the wort/beer temp controlled.

I rarely cold crash as a practice (in secondary). Normally for my pale ales I simply throw into a keg and while it is carbonating, it is finishing clearing. My brews end up very clear, never an issue with that method (for me). However the times I do cold crash in secondary, like when doing a Belgian Golden Strong, I use a carboy cap with a thermowell to monitor temps. In the second port on the carboy cap I have a CO2 1/4" threaded nib that allows me to attach CO2. I put that under just like <1 psi (minimal amount) of pressure so that when beer is cooling it is drawing in CO2 and I'm not introducing Oxygen or dealing with suck back of Starsan. After I reach cold crash temp I turn off CO2, I generally chill over about 2 days and will leave it chilling for however long it takes. A low flocculating yeast that you want cleared out may take a little more time.

Enjoy the fermentation chamber, that was easily one of the biggest leaps in the quality of my brewing I was able to take. Good investment!

 

[bajaedition]

I do not tape my probe to my fermenter, instead I have a thermometer taped to it, the type used in coolers in grocery stores, that gives me the temp off the fermenter. I set my chamber at 60 degrees for an ale, when the temp in the fermenter gets over 65 I drop the temp of the chamber for 24 hours. then recheck it. temperature in a refer is dependent upon the greatest mass in the unit. if that mass is your fermenter then it will effect the temp internal of the unit no matter where the probe is. It is just a matter of how fast the unit responds. remember the fermenter is having effect on the temp in the refer by having the yeast heat it above set temperature, so it is a bit of a fight to keep the unit at temp no matter where the probe is.

glad you stepped up, besides good yeast knowledge and technique, this is one of the best ways to improve your beer.

 

[SlitheryDee]

So since I'm cold crashing right now, and I want to get the beer below 50 so I can add gelatin, I set the temp controller to 45 degrees and currently have the probe measuring ambient temperature. My reasoning behind that is that the beer itself is going to lag somewhat behind in temp, but will probably get close by the time I get off work today.

It's that lagging behind that gave me pause about attaching the probe directly to the carboy. I was afraid that the fridge would just run until it froze up or something because it would take the beer itself so much longer to reach whatever temperature I set. I guess that isn't really a reasonable concern now that I think about it, since the most the fridge will do anyway is cool to whatever the coldest setting the dial in it will allow.

I guess I'll just have to try it and see on my next batch, which will be Saturday probably.

 

[bajaedition]

My reasoning behind that is that the beer itself is going to lag somewhat behind in temp, but will probably get close by the time I get off work today.

It's that lagging behind that gave me pause about attaching the probe directly to the carboy. I was afraid that the fridge would just run until it froze up or something because it would take the beer itself so much longer to reach whatever temperature I set.

that is why I said what I said.
the fermenter is supplying heat, it is above the temp of the unit and it's set point. if were using that to monitor the control of the unit, then the unit will run constantly until the fermentation stops and it no longer is trying to heat up above ambient in the unit. If the unit has a time out, that prevent freeze up, then it can recover, however if it is a unit without that, you have a possibility of freeze up of the unit
lowering the set point for a few days overcomes this concern

 

[eric19312]

I had a lot of luck using the blue painters tape and a piece of flexible solid insulation for a long time. I use a thermowell now but not sure it is any better.

 

[Jim311]

I have a webbing strap (sort of like the ones on a backpack) that goes around the carboy. I use it to hold a rag over the top of my temperature probe so that it's reading the temp of the sidewall of my carboy and not the ambient air. I don't think it really needs to be super precise honestly, this method has always worked for me.