Lager Fermenting
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CadillacAndy
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What about a large tub with ice bottles? I fill up 2L bottles and freeze them, then swap them out 2x or so a day. I've been able to keep the mass liquid within a couple of degrees over several days. To get it colder, use more ice bottles.
Ooh, my specialty! There are three great ways to do this:
1. Do like CadillacAndy says - throw it in a large bucket or cooler filled with water and ice it every now and then or throw some frozen water bottles in. When I use this method, I use a bucket with a spigot and fill the bucket half with water then throw ice/frozen water bottles on it 3 times a day and have two fans circulating air from the top. This keeps it at about 66F, which, for my california lager yeast, is perfect. The spigot is good for when the ice melts and the water level is too high.
2. Making a mini air conditioner is super easy. Fill a Styrofoam cooler with ice/frozen water bottles and cut holes in the lid big enough to prop some fans on top of. Create a third hole in the side of the cooler so the cold air can circulate out.
3. Do the bucket idea from #1, but keep a cold, wet towel around the top of the fermenter. This is definitely the best way. Adding the fans keeps the towel cold and air circulating. This way, you will notice you don't have to change out the frozen water bottles as much.
1. Do like CadillacAndy says - throw it in a large bucket or cooler filled with water and ice it every now and then or throw some frozen water bottles in. When I use this method, I use a bucket with a spigot and fill the bucket half with water then throw ice/frozen water bottles on it 3 times a day and have two fans circulating air from the top. This keeps it at about 66F, which, for my california lager yeast, is perfect. The spigot is good for when the ice melts and the water level is too high.
2. Making a mini air conditioner is super easy. Fill a Styrofoam cooler with ice/frozen water bottles and cut holes in the lid big enough to prop some fans on top of. Create a third hole in the side of the cooler so the cold air can circulate out.
3. Do the bucket idea from #1, but keep a cold, wet towel around the top of the fermenter. This is definitely the best way. Adding the fans keeps the towel cold and air circulating. This way, you will notice you don't have to change out the frozen water bottles as much.
Clankenbrew
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Pull out a shelf in your fridge. It'll fit... Lagering should be done close to 34.
IMO... No amount of ice is gonna get you there especially if your keeping it for a couple months. Find a $100 dollar crap fridge on craigslist quik
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IMO... No amount of ice is gonna get you there especially if your keeping it for a couple months. Find a $100 dollar crap fridge on craigslist quik
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
CadillacAndy
Well-Known Member
I took it as he was trying to keep it at lager fermentation temps, not lager storage temps. I would agree that you're not gonna get to 35F with ice bottles in a tub though.
If you want a lager flavor, you must use a lager yeast besides the fermentation temps...if you are not able to lager at 48f, any temp close to 60f should work better than using an ALE yeast at any lower temp.
This is an interesting video of a brew split in two fermentors, one with Ale yeast and the other with Lager yeast. Both of them fermenting at the same temp.
http://brewingtv.com/episodes/?currentPage=5
This is an interesting video of a brew split in two fermentors, one with Ale yeast and the other with Lager yeast. Both of them fermenting at the same temp.
http://brewingtv.com/episodes/?currentPage=5
