Something to help newer brewers with swampcoolers

[MistFM]

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded my account to premium due to the awesomeness of this website and the help that I have received from total strangers online. Since I have upgraded my account, I feel like I have an obligation to help brewers newer than myself with things that I have tried that they may not know about. Since I am a new brewer myself (2 kits that came out ok, first all-grain in the primary that I did with awesome technique) the only thing I felt like I could share was my experience with my swamp cooler for the first time.

For those of you who are new and are having trouble with fermentation temperature control, a swamp cooler is a cheap, and in my opinion efficient way to start controlling fermentation temperature for ales. It might be difficult to get temps low enough to lager. However, when I first started brewing I had no idea what a swamp cooler was or how it worked, etc. Below I have a couple of pictures to show what I have been doing and how I like it so far.

The top picture is a picture of my swamp cooler overall. Basically a swamp cooler is a big bucket that I got at wal-mart for $10, I used the bucket to lower my wort temperature after my boil and it worked fast, about 30-40 minutes to cool from 212 F to 70 F. After I pitched my yeast I put my fermentation bucket in the swamp cooler with 2-3 gallons of water and 1/2 oz of starsan and I fluctuate between 3-4 frozen water bottles at any given time. I used an old t-shirt that I get soaked with water two to three times a day to try to insulate my cooler all around.

I usually have to switch out the frozen water bottles in the morning before work, when I get home ~ 8 hours later, and at night before going to bed. As you can see in the bottom picture I am maintaining a constant 60 F for the majority of the day (wort temps in the fermentation bucket can be anywhere from 8 - 10 degrees hotter during hardcore fermentation and 2-3 degrees hotter than the swamp water during the later phases of fermentation).

I hope this helps new brewers or any brewer who is interested in a swamp cooler. Good luck, guys.

 

[agentEhrman]

Nice write up, I use a similar setup with success as well.

 

[7ender]

Any specific reason for star san in the swamp cooler?

 

[MistFM]

Any specific reason for star san in the swamp cooler?

I've read in other threads that the swamp water can get kinda gross and infected(?) with stuff since it's just going to be stagnant water for 2-3 weeks. Starsan will hopefully prevent any growth from occuring in my bucket.

Would it effect my beer? Probably not. Do I want to worry about cleaning up gross smelling crap from my bucket? Hell no.

 

[agentEhrman]

Yeah, I will be using starsan because of your suggestion here. My buckets get small mold spots on the bottom and sides sometimes. Not exactly what you want to see on your fermentation gear, even if it's only on the outside..

 

[MistFM]

Yeah, I will be using starsan because of your suggestion here. My buckets get small mold spots on the bottom and sides sometimes. Not exactly what you want to see on your fermentation gear, even if it's only on the outside..

Have you tried getting that stuff off or is it permanently stuck on it? Hope that starsan helps. I'm sure if you have a LHBS nearby and they create their own sanitizing solution you can use that and save some money. Starsan isn't the cheapest sanitizing solution out there.

 

[agentEhrman]

Have you tried getting that stuff off or is it permanently stuck on it? Hope that starsan helps. I'm sure if you have a LHBS nearby and they create their own sanitizing solution you can use that and save some money. Starsan isn't the cheapest sanitizing solution out there.

It comes off with some elbow greese. I don't think my LHBS has the option for that, so starsan is what I get. I'm going with the biggest one next time to try and save a little $$. It adds up, but not nearly as much as my hop addiction does!

 

[Stauffbier]

Looks good! I've been using swamp coolers for a long time. I have even lagered in one, once. I just put a little bleach in my swamp cooler water. I don't use a shirt, because I bring the level of the water all the way up to the level of the wort/beer..

 

[Whattawort]

I've read in other threads that the swamp water can get kinda gross and infected(?) with stuff since it's just going to be stagnant water for 2-3 weeks. Starsan will hopefully prevent any growth from occuring in my bucket.

Would it effect my beer? Probably not. Do I want to worry about cleaning up gross smelling crap from my bucket? Hell no.

Don't freak out but you can add some bleach to the water after your fermenter is in the cooler. Been doing it for a long time and so far so good. Just have to slow down and be a little more careful. Don't know about you guys, but I'm usually so excited when it comes to homebrewing that slowing down is a good thing here.

 

[jbsayers]

Great idea for a post. I am still new, too but I have offered this advice to at least 3 people in the last week already. Pics are great! This should be stickied!

 

[idigg]

+1 for swamp cooler. After 25+ all grain batches I decided I wanted to control my temps. Cheap way to invest in temp control. Also, you don't need to keep the primary in the swamp cooler for the full 2-3 weeks. Once the major part of fermentation is over (probably day 5-6) you could remove it. I remove it after day 7 and ambient temp is fine then.

I just bought a chest freezer for $25 off craigslist and have my first lager going with a $50 johnson temp controller. Winning!

 

[strambo]

I have the same plastic pail and do the same thing. I usually just switch out the frozen bottle 1x day and usually skip the wet T-shirt. My temps stay between 64-68 in summer and 62-64 in winter w/o adding ice bottles.

 

[Qhrumphf]

This is the method I use. I've never tried going low enough for a true lagering, but I've pseudo-lagered both Kolsch and California Common at 40 degrees using this method. 3 gallons of ice 3 times a day. But it works.

Also, I've never used a thermowell or anything to confirm, but it seems that since water is a much better conductor of heat than air is, simply being submerged in water cuts the thermal activity of fermentation dramatically. My temperature readings from both the outside of the fermenter and the surrounding water haven't shown any notable difference during active fermentation. The 10 degree increase applies to a fermenter sitting in air, which does little to hold back the temperature in the fermenter.

 

[vinper]

When I did this , the bucket sweat alot and made the carpet all wet . Also I added alittle bleach to the water to keep it clean

 

[Bito401]

great idea thanks for sharing