Thinking about home brewing.

[Justintoxicated]

I went over to my friends place and he took me through the first parts of the process. It didn't look too hard, although I'm unsure of the Sanitation process.

I'll probably get one of those starter kits but with a glass Carboy, and good directions.

However one issue I will need to figure out before I get started is what to do for temperature control. It gets very hot in the summer at home and I don't have a whole house AC running non stop while I am away. sometimes when I get home it's well over 90 before I can open the windows etc to cool down the house.

I'm going to need some sort of refrigerator freezer.

Ideal for me would probably be an upright refrigerator, located in the garage. This way In addition to having a location for fermenting, I would also gain some much needed Freezer space. However I'm not sure this would even be possible?

Can a refrigerator be adjusted in such a way that it is warm enough for fermentation, but still leave the freezer operational? If this is not the case, then I think I would prefer an upright freezer.

I think the design of the chest freezer is better in that all the cold air won't fall out when opening the lid, and it gives more usable space, however it also takes up more space in the garage... Please advise.

-JI

 

[evrose]

Most refrigerators can adjust the fridge and freezer separately. I've read about some people using a chest freezer and an extra electronic controller to keep the temp set at a constant, non-freezing temp.

I noticed you're in Escondido... I'm in Carlsbad. Just last week (I'm a newbie to this myself) I visited the Smokin' Beaver shop right off the 78 and Nordahl Rd. The guy there was super friendly and willing to walk me through everything, including sanitation. He would very likely have some ideas for temp control.

Good luck.

 

[Netflyer]

Please, the glass carboy is NOT something you should mess with, go with a plastic fermenter pail. Glass is way dangerous and very hard to carry, trust me I've carried many and wished I had stop using them way sooner.
Well over 90 degrees is very hot, so a fridge may be your only way... that said, I have great luck with a swamp cooler but my basement is still only 75 max... you really want to ferment below 70 if possible, I shoot for 65-68 but with the heat of fermentation it can still rise to 70-71... So a swamp cooler is when you put your entire fermenter in a tub of water that you keep cold with ice... We use 2 liter bottles with water in them and just float like 5-8 around the fermenter... To me personally it is VITAL to keep the temp down because of undesirable fusal alchols produced at higher fermentation temps... I like a da beer but hate a da headache...
Perhaps you could ferment it someplace else, a friends cooler house? Cause unless you already have a fridge to use, to spend the money on one for fermenting and then what if you find you don't like brewing?
Good luck with it!

 

[bottlebomber]

+1 to not using glass. I love my buckets. 1 have 3 glass carboys that I use for things that are going to age 9 months +, I don't like moving them or even looking at them, especially when there is a year old brew or mead at stake. Many people have been hideously injured by breaking glass carboys, and even more tragically, beer has been lost

 

[Pappers_]

I disagree with the above comments about carboys. Nothing wrong with bucket fermenters, but there's also nothing wrong with glass carboys. If you don't drop them or bump them, your children will be using them after you're gone. Don't diminish the potential for serious injury if you break one, some folks have gotten quite hurt.

 

[boscobeans]

I have to second Netflyer's suggestion about getting plastic rather than glass carboys.

They are heavy and if you are going to be jostling them about in swamp coolers and fridges chances for catastrophic accidents are increased. In the labs where I worked they were kept in wooden crates before during and after use. They still had a habit of breaking.

OMO

bosco

 

[evrose]

I disagree with the above comments about carboys. Nothing wrong with bucket fermenters, but there's also nothing wrong with glass carboys. If you don't drop them or bump them, your children will be using them after you're gone. Don't diminish the potential for serious injury if you break one, some folks have gotten quite hurt.

I'd be willing to bet that more kittens have drowned in 6 gal buckets than glass carboys. After all, it's pretty hard to stuff a kitten in to the small carboy opening. Trust me on this.

 

[iambeer]

I have a sharp knife that cuts carrots like they are softened butter. It's a dangerous tool that needs to be respected. I would never drink (too much) wine while prepping a dinner, for example. That knife is also one of the best things in my kitchen. I think there are benefits to glass but it needs to be carefully handled. I use 3 gallon carboys, so I don't have much trouble. If I had larger ones I would definitely have to spend more money on the handles and carboy jackets, etc. Breaking a carboy full of beer sounds dangerous and a real bummer.

On the flip side, you can buy ten five gallon food grade buckets at Home Depot for $55, so who cares if it doesn't last forever ... (well, unless you care for plastic waste and our planet, but who's counting)

 

[hefehawk]

I've heard too many horror stories of people breaking glass carboys while being very careful Seems like some just break for not much of a reason. I don't trust them and thus use buckets or better bottles.

 

[bottlebomber]

One difference is that your knife is a well made and predictable piece of equipment. Carboys are usually of inferior quality, with bubbles and stresses in the glass and they occasionally can just break. I've also found that my hands are often damp when I'm moving them, and the outsides of the carboys frequently have a Starsan residue to boot. All things that can be addressed while "being careful", but it sure is nice to grab a bucket by the handle. I have been increasingly interested in these though as well.
http://bit.ly/LTmEiN

 

[bleme]

I have used glass carboys, plastic carboys and plastic buckets. They all have their pro's and con's. All-in-all, my glass carboy is my first to get filled.

 

[brewvac]

Check out the vendor showcase on this forum for the cool brewing fermentation cooler. I never tried it, but at $50, it might be worth trying before going out to buy a freezer and temp controls. btw, you should definitely give homebrewing a try. It will be an obsession before you know it. And don't fear the glass - be nice to it and it will be nice to you (especially if you buy a handle for it)

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/new-product-cool-brewing-fermentation-cooler-296052/

 

[H-Balm]

Any way you go ..... Hurry up and get started!!!

You can drink beer until you set it in motion!
Ferment today!

 

[Justintoxicated]

Thanks for the tips, the kit I was looking at getting actually comes with a plastic carboy, but my friend really prefers his glass one. I guess I could start off with the bucket and the plastic secondary.

I'm not worried about the cost of a used refrigerator, or even a new freezer from costco. If I didn't like brewing it would simply become a second freezer anyways The controller however adds to the cost. I can probably pickup a used refrigerator pretty cheap locally too. The refrigerator would probably be cheaper due to having to buy a controller for the freezer, and would also serve as multipurpose as I need more actual freezer space already.

This is the kit I was thinking about getting with the plastic carboy.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_52&products_id=13389

They also have a more complete kit here with a glass carboy:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_52&products_id=12921

Not sure what to use yet for boiling up some wort. My friend is suggesting a turkey fryer, but I am open to suggestions. My Stove is an electric but maybe it would work well enough...