Thinking about brewing lagers all winter long

[guitarist_713]

My temperature controlled refrigerator and deep freeze are out in my unheated garage, and I don't have a basement. So I think I'm just going to do one lager after another all winter long. Thought about rigging up a hair dryer to my digital temperature controller and hanging it on a hook inside my fridge

 

[zachattack]

A hair dryer would work, a regular light bulb would also work! I wish I had space for lagering.

 

[chemman14]

One of those ceramic reptile heaters would work as well!

 

[guitarist_713]

Good ideas! Here in central Illinois its mid to lower 50s for the high and mid 30s for the low. So I'm ok for now. I've got a marzen thats in my deep freeze being lagered at 38 and dropping, and a hoppy wheat lager inside doing the diacetyl rest at 65, then it's going into the temperature controlled fridge at 55. He will be lowered 2 degrees a day until he's ready to join his pal Märzen in the deep freeze

 

[Dirty25]

I never liked lagers that much but if I lived in a colder climate I would learn to like them. I have always liked dunkels so I would almost brew them exclusively.

Come march when I move to Germany I better start enjoying lagers...

 

[grmski]

I use a hairdryer hooked up to an stc1000 in my brew fridge and it works a treat. There's a Maris otter and saaz lager and a Vienna lager both in there at the moment. The stc is set at 11.5 o c with a +-0.5 so it sits there between 11 and 12 o c. I'd thoroughly recommend the hairdryer route get a budget one and it's cheap as chips when compared to tube heaters.

 

[guitarist_713]

It's funny that you mention Munich Dunkel because that's what I'm brewing here in two weeks. The recipes for these German lagers are all so similar. The recipe for this Dunkel isn't far from being a Märzen.
Slam Dunkel

Style: Munich Dunkel OG: 1.054
Type: All Grain FG: 1.016
Rating: 4.0 ABV: 4.98 %
Calories: 178 IBU's: 24.15
Efficiency: 70 % Boil Size: 5.83 Gal
Color: 18.7 SRM Batch Size: 5.00 Gal
Preboil OG: 1.051 Boil Time: 60 minutes


Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
8.00 lbs 69.57 % Munich Malt 60 mins 1.037
0.25 lbs 2.17 % Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L 60 mins 1.033
0.25 lbs 2.17 % Briess Chocolate 60 mins 1.035
3.00 lbs 26.09 % Vienna Malt 60 mins 1.036

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
1.00 ozs 24.15 Pearle 40 mins 8.00
1.00 ozs 0.00 Tettnang 0 mins 4.50

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.00 pkg Saflager W-34/70 Fermentis W-34/70





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[thughes]

Hair dryer works great for me!

 

[SpeedYellow]

Something about the hair dryer idea makes me kind of nervous. They certainly aren't intended to run that long, so I'd be a little concerned you may be asking too much of it, especially since they weren't designed for this. I'd lean more toward a little space heater, light bulb, or seed germination mat that are designed for continuous running.

Obviously hair dryers work; this is more a matter of safety.

 

[thughes]

Hair dryer in my upright freezer runs for only a few minutes to raise temp several degrees, also provides the dual benefit of both heat and fan (air circulation). Hair dryers also have built in over-temp shut down mechanism and GFCI so I'm comfortable using one, YMMV.

 

[grmski]

Exactly, the fan and temp cut out are a good thing plus it does only take a few mins to raise the temp sufficiently to stay in range.

 

[Trokair]

I made a heater out of a paint can and a light fixture. Works great in my fermentation fridge. That reminds me, must check to make sure that bulb is still good now that the colder weather is coming. Don't want my SMaSH to get too chilly.

 

[usfmikeb]

I use a heating mat designed for seed germination, works great. I just have it standing up inside my freezer, and it definitely maintains temps. Here's the link to it:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001WV010/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[osagedr]

A lot of people 'round these parts use "heat belts"; they wrap around your fermenter/carboy. Similar idea to this:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/electric-fermentation-heater.html

If it were me I would probably use something like an interior car warmer hooked up to a temp controller. Super-safe.

 

[grmski]

Surely the paint can trick only works with old style incandescent light bulbs. Here in the uk those have been banned, we now have to get the crappy little fluorescent ones or halogen or led.

 

[zachattack]

Surely the paint can trick only works with old style incandescent light bulbs. Here in the uk those have been banned, we now have to get the crappy little fluorescent ones or halogen or led.

I had no idea! Good for the UK for banning them!

 

[Nova5]

I use a little electric space heater the kind good for foot only heating under a desk to keep my fridge's temp around 71. A419 controls it.

 

[helibrewer]

You can buy FermWrap by the foot at www.beanfarm.com and make your flexible heating film any size you want/need. They call it Flexwatt.

 

[osagedr]

I use a little electric space heater the kind good for foot only heating under a desk to keep my fridge's temp around 71. A419 controls it.

What are you brewing at 71?