Questions On Temperature

[davidamerica]

Hey guys I have 2 questions actually:

I live in Arizona and this is a very important statement because my fermenter is inside of a bucket filled with water along with a towel around it to help keep my fermenter cool in our lovely 115 degree Arizona heat. The problem is is my temperature for my fermenter is still at 72 degrees. I think it might be too hot what do you guys think?

Also, I would like to purchase a cheap fridge to store my fermenter. Does anyone know of a place I can find one cheap, I checked ebay and craigs list but not happy with what I came up with.

Thanks


Dave

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

search "fermentation chamber" and check out some of the DIY builds listed here. You can customize it to your own spec, and usually get away cheaper than buying a dedicated fridge.

 

[passedpawn]

craigslist. Just keep checking. search chest freezer, and deep freezer

 

[azscoob]

look into the ASU surplus property auction, its once a month I think,they also have standard for-sale stuff most weekdays, there are always loads of dorm fridges that were left behind, along with loads of other interesting stuff.

Here is the link to the info

My fermentation fridge is a converted dorm fridge with a wood collar to increase capacity, with a cheap temp controller. I can ferment anywhere from 80 all the way down to 33 with the turn of a knob.

 

[jackson_d]

I live in Arizona and this is a very important statement because my fermenter is inside of a bucket filled with water along with a towel around it to help keep my fermenter cool in our lovely 115 degree Arizona heat. The problem is is my temperature for my fermenter is still at 72 degrees. I think it might be too hot what do you guys think?

What did you brew and what kind of yeast did you use? If its any kind of an ale, 72 is usually spot on.

 

[davidamerica]

Yea it is an ale actually and I am using safale 04 yeast

 

[a10t2]

72°F is warmer than I like to ferment anything except certain Belgians. It all comes down to what flavors you want from the yeast.

As far as quick fixes, rotating a frozen water bottle into the bucket once or twice a day will probably buy you another few degrees.

 

[CortexBomb]

Agreed on the frozen water bottles. I keep the apartment at a solid 73, but I keep my beer in a rubbermaid tub full of water and rotate frozen 20 oz. and 2 L bottles full of water to keep the temperature down.

With some care I've been able to keep the temp (as measured by the thermometer on the outside of my primary bucket) down as low as 64-66, which should make for a pretty solid environment inside the fermenter for ale yeast.

It's not ideal in comparison to having a temp controlled fridge, and it's definitely more work, but if you're looking for an intermediate way to keep things cooler it definitely works.

 

[wyzazz]

That's too warm if you want a clean flavor profile from the yeast, I'd point a fan toward that to help with the evaporation along with some frozen water bottles. You want to be around 67-68F for that yeast in my experience.

 

[david_42]

I purchased my first brewing fridge (10 cuft) at a used appliance store for $75. Originally used it for dispensing, it is now my fermentation chamber.

There are many styles where 72F would be fine, but if you are looking for a clean, low-ester ferment, no.

 

[davidamerica]

Thanks guys. Before I brew my next batch I am going to buy a fridge

 

[BeerJorge]

I kept searching Craigslist for a fridge, but none of the small fridges (like the ones they use at the dorms in ASU) could fit a bucket to ferment...

I ended up buying a wine cooler fridge... which I picked up at Home Depot... they are pretty expensive, but the one I got had some cosmetic damage on the back so I got it for half off...

Not sure you'll be able to duplicate that, but you never know...

 

[azscoob]

I looked at several dorm fridges and found that most will fit a carboy or pail if the door panel is removed and only the seal is reinstalled, I did this with mine and it worked great, I recently added the collar to the front so I can now easily ferment 3 carboys at once.

The pics here should clear up what I am describing.

as long as the floor of the fridge is 12" or so, a carboy will fit with the molded panel removed from the door and the freezer carefully bent down to the rear of the fridge

 

[BeerJorge]

I looked at several dorm fridges and found that most will fit a carboy or pail if the door panel is removed and only the seal is reinstalled, I did this with mine and it worked great, I recently added the collar to the front so I can now easily ferment 3 carboys at once.

The pics here should clear up what I am describing.

That's pretty cool... I may look into it so I can brew more often!

 

[azscoob]

8 dollars in wood, some brackets and screws, and great stuff expanding foam, well worth the investment for the added space.

 

[JuanMoore]

Another vote to just keep checking craigslist. If you don't mind doing some cleaning, old dirty fridges pop up on craigslist pretty often for very little money. I got my first one for $20, and my second one was free. They were both missing shelves that I would have removed anyway, and they both were in serious need of a cleaning.

 

[JuanMoore]

And removing the molded door panel shelves will allow most standard fridges to fit 4 carboys instead of just two.