If you had to choose ??

[Qhrumphf]

Considering that I'm way too broke for most of the fancy toys (as much as I'd love having an aeration/O2 system), and apt building restrictions prohibit me from having others (worthwhile temp control- I stick my carboys right next to the AC unit, kegerator, what have you), I'm just gonna go with my big ol' grain bag for BIAB partial mashes.

P.S. I mean broke enough that the wife damn near castrated me for pulling money out of savings to buy another carboy

 

[topend]

I'm seeing a lot of ferm chamber responses. When you are looking a a yeast temp range and deciding what temp to use, are you choosing low, middle or high? Just curious.

 

[o4_srt]

I'm seeing a lot of ferm chamber responses. When you are looking a a yeast temp range and deciding what temp to use, are you choosing low, middle or high? Just curious.

Within the temp range of the yeast I'm using, generally. If I want to avoid fruity esters and Ed up with a cleaner tasting beer, I'll ferment at the lower end, or slightly lower than, the yeast strains recommended range. For the inverse, I'll ferment at the higher end.

Ideal temperature, the temp that gives the advertised characteristics of the strain, should be middle of the road.

 

[o4_srt]

Considering that I'm way too broke for most of the fancy toys (as much as I'd love having an aeration/O2 system), and apt building restrictions prohibit me from having others (worthwhile temp control- I stick my carboys right next to the AC unit, kegerator, what have you), I'm just gonna go with my big ol' grain bag for BIAB partial mashes.

P.S. I mean broke enough that the wife damn near castrated me for pulling money out of savings to buy another carboy

+ 1 million. I'm now on a $10 a week hobby budget, which results in 2 brew days a month.

 

[NuclearRich]

I think my favorite thing is my water filter. I pump hose water through and make 5 gallons of great drinking (and brewing) water in less time than you could fill one of those 2qt home filter pitchers. I haven't had a proper analysis but if I can drink it straight from the hose w/o the hose taste, I'm loving it.
All grain brewing has made me feel like a real brewer. A very satisfying way to brew.

 

[old_tx_kbb]

stir plate...and fermentation chamber

 

[surferdrew]

1. Sanitation
2. Patience
3. HBT (and every book/article/post that has helped along the way

 

[SPR-GRN]

Wort chiller - I make about 1 tray of Ice a month, for my girlfriend when she visits because she insists on putting it in her mixed drinks. I couldn't imagine making enough ice to cool 5gallons of wort in the sink... although if I owned a brew monkey, or had more people to teach (and delable bottes and sanitize my equipment for me) that would be best!

 

[Colby]

I'm seeing a lot of ferm chamber responses. When you are looking a a yeast temp range and deciding what temp to use, are you choosing low, middle or high? Just curious.

I always shoot for 68 with an ale yeast. I don't know if that's the most appropriate temperature, but it seems to work fine. The first couple days or active fermentation require a setting in the low 60's to keep the carboy temp strip reading below 70. After that it's usually set for 66-68.

 

[topend]

How many people are using thermowells to control based on the temp of the wort instead of the air in the ferm chamber?

 

[BigJerk]

Patience, patience, patience.... and a large pipeline to help with the first three.

 

[jfowler1]

How many people are using thermowells to control based on the temp of the wort instead of the air in the ferm chamber?

I do. I can not see the merit in doing it any other way.

I have a mini-fridge with the shelving removed from the door, and I can just fit both my 5 gallon or 6 gallon carboy into it (one at a time). The fridge is just set for a medium setting, and left to run as normal (plug and go). The carboy is treated with a fermwrap, attached to a johnson control, and the probe is run down into a carboy cap thermowell (morebeer manufactures the carboy cap thermowell in house). It does not fit really tight, but I found stoppers to be a nightmare, so I switched to carboy caps.

By hooking the controller to the fermwrap, this means I still have a working fridge. I think it is the best choice for a few reasons. The freezer compartment still works, and stores my hops. The fridge still works, and there is a small compartment to store my yeast. Additionally, I am not cycling a fridge on and off, so I have to imagine it is a little easier on the appliance. Finally, and most importantly, I am setting the temp on the controller to regulate wort, not air. I just close the wires in the door, and the fridge seals fine. Sometimes I put a dumbbell in front of the door for a little added insurance that things stay sealed.

We all know that ambient temperature is not a great indication or wort temperature during fermentation. I am sure it is fine to control air temps when you are keeping a keezer from freezing, and you are only concerned with maintaining a ball park serving temp, but not for fermentation. If you are going to go as far as putting a controller on your fridge, why not go a little futher and control the wort. The fermwrap and thermowell are minor investments. I do not care about the air temp in the fridge, I care about the temp of the wort. Also, due to the mass of the carboy relative to the small about of air space in the minifridge, temp swings of the wort are few and far between, so even with a 1 or 2 degree allowance on the controller, it is not like the heater is constantly firing on and off. The temperature is dialed in, and for the most part, stays steady.

I do not think this point is brought up often enough. I have tasted first hand the difference between a beer fermented with a particular yeast at 68, and a beer fermented at 66. Two degrees makes a big difference.

If you are only measuring the air, how well are you able to gauge the wort?Ambient is fine for serving, but for fermentation, I really think you need to be controlling the wort.

Joe