Swamp Cooler and Stick-on Thermometer

[downtown3641]

I've used a swamp cooler with a tshirt for all of my brews so far. I've been shooting for a low to mid 60's reading on the stick-on thermometer. I just had a quick question about the accuracy of the stick-on thermometer. How accurately is it reading the temperature of the fermenting beer considering there's a wet tshirt over it?

 

[dbreienrk1]

Not accurate

 

[bratrules]

Besides once those things get wet they are worthless. And most likely your getting the temp of wet t and not your wort.

 

[oatmealstout]

Hey question for whoever, on an oatmeal stout how much sugar should be put into a 5 gallon batch in the bottling process?

 

[downtown3641]

That's what I suspected. I guess, short of securing a temp probe and insulation, I'm just going to be guessing.

 

[oatmealstout]

It has stayed at 70 degrees

 

[flars]

I considered the same question. I pulled the wet t-shirt off the stick on thermometer. The temperature rose 3 degrees in 12 hours as the fermentation was slowing.

 

[RipeforYelp22]

I'm about to brew an IIPA and want to control fermentation temps for the first time via swamp cooler. Ambient temps in my fermentation room fluctuate between 72-77 degrees. What should my target fermentation temp be? And what temp should I keep the swamp cooler water at? Thanks!

Here's the recipe I'm following:

https://www.beerbrew.com/downloads/recipes/CousinVinnyImperialIPA.pdf

 

[bratrules]

What yeast are you using?

 

[RipeforYelp22]

2 packets of Safale US-05

 

[AleFred]

Get the water in your swamp cooler as close to the wort level in your FV and place a thermometer in the water ...In the beginning I try to keep temps a few degrees under the target ferm temp(with frozen water bottles of course) to compensate for what the temps inside of the FV MIGHT be. But I really don't think there's much of a different if the water to wort levels are about equal.

 

[porto88]

I recently tried this, and the water from the shirt damaged the sticker and now all the temperature blocks on the sticker turned white

 

[pelipen]

Put the thermometer toward the top of your wort level, fill the container with water half way up, cycle frozen water bottles as needed. You can cover it with a dark sheet or blanket without touching the water.
The churning of the wort will equalize the internal temps. As it tapers down, stop feeding ice. It will stabilize a few degrees below room temp.
You can drop into the 50's without wrapping it in a wet shirt that'll smell like mildew in 3 days.
Keep water bottles of various sizes in the freezer.
I'm at 63 in a 70 room with nothing more than a 12 oz water bottle once in awhile now that it has slowed down.
Stop destroying thermometers and shirts

 

[RipeforYelp22]

Thanks AleFred and pelipen for your helpful information! Just finished brewing/pitching and cleaning up. I'm beat!

My swamp water and FV were both at 65 degrees during pitching. I'll be watching the temp like a hawk for the next 3 weeks. Should I keep the swamp water at 65 for the entirety of fermentation?

Here are a few pictures of my setup and swamp cooler vessel:

 

[Stauffbier]

I don't actually use a t-shirt in my swamp cooler. I just use water and frozen water bottles. I use a thermocouple on a fluke thermometer and my fermometer. They both always match. With that said, the liquid inside of my fermentor is always 2-3 degrees higher than either the fluke or the fermometer during initial fermentation. So, I keep my fermometer at 61F which gives me a wort temp of 64F(ish). Once initial fermentation is over my beer temp matches the thermometers.....

 

[RipeforYelp22]

Temps in Boston are at close to 80 degrees right now, and my swamp cooler spiked up from 65 to 70 overnight =( I've got it back to 65 now but I'm afraid the damage has been done. This is quite a pricey batch as well, and is my first IIPA. I hop everything is ok!

 

[Stauffbier]

Temps in Boston are at close to 80 degrees right now, and my swamp cooler spiked up from 65 to 70 overnight =( I've got it back to 65 now but I'm afraid the damage has been done. This is quite a pricey batch as well, and is my first IIPA. I hop everything is ok!

The same thing happened to me recently on a Fuggles IPA, and it came out just fine. I wouldn't worry too much about it..