Who ferments in a chest freezer?

[kharper6]

I just put a 1.088 beer in there on Monday.

Popped it open today to raise the temp a bit, stuck my head in there to see if I could hear the bubbling in the blowoff growler.

Took a big deep breath of CO2 and almost passed out!

:cross:

 

[Newsman]

Yeah, I use a chest freezer as well... finally got a small Igloo refrigerator/freezer to try and turn into a Kegerator. Tired of not being able to fit kegs AND a carboy in the freezer..

 

[kharper6]

Yeah, I use a chest freezer as well... finally got a small Igloo refrigerator/freezer to try and turn into a Kegerator. Tired of not being able to fit kegs AND a carboy in the freezer..

Do you ferment in the keezer while you have beer on tap?

I've been finding myself with that predicament.

Can't keep my serving beer at 45 degrees AND ferment my carboy at 62 at the same time.
Guess it's time for another mini fridge for fermentation.

 

[Brewtus_Maximus]

I ferment in a chest freezer and I love it! Definitely know what you mean by almost passing out from the co2 when you open it up! I really like using a thermowell for the temp controller probe. I have found that there is a big difference between the internal temp of the fermenting beer and the surrounding air in the freezer. Eventually I will get a separate fridge to use as a kegerator. As previously mentioned, it does suck having to use the chest freezer for either carboys or kegs (not both at same time). I could do a lot more brews if I didn't have this limitation!

 

[ChefRex]

:d

 

[skunkfunk]

Haven't passed out yet, but the lager in there right now smells pretty gross.

 

[Newsman]

Do you ferment in the keezer while you have beer on tap?

I've been finding myself with that predicament.

Can't keep my serving beer at 45 degrees AND ferment my carboy at 62 at the same time.
Guess it's time for another mini fridge for fermentation.

Well, I don't have a keezer... I just have a couple kegs with picnic taps. That's why I'm making the kegerator. And yes, that's part of my problem -- I want to be able to ferment at the same time as I'm serving. Right now I don't have room in my freezer for a keg and a carboy. I can barely fit two corny kegs in the freezer as it is!

 

[ChefRex]

My problem is I need a third so I can cold crash, fermentation chamber usually has something fermenting in it so I can't turn it down.

 

[shelly_belly]

Do you ferment in the keezer while you have beer on tap?

I've been finding myself with that predicament.

Can't keep my serving beer at 45 degrees AND ferment my carboy at 62 at the same time.
Guess it's time for another mini fridge for fermentation.

This is why I'm mostly doing lagers now. When I do ferment an ale, I will fill some 2 litre soda bottles to keep in the regular fridge for serving. And, I love the way the CO2 kind of burns my nostrils!

 

[b-boy]

I just finished a fermentation chamber using a chest freezer with a collar.

I had the same issue - how do I get 2 temperatures at the same time? It's a 9 cu ft freezer with 3 taps. My plan was to have it available for fermenting and to use it as a keezer every now and again. Also, if I'm fermenting a belgian and a pale ale I'd like to control both carboy temps independently.

I ended up using dual STC1000 controllers. One is wired to 2 outlets (one internal for heat and one external for the freezer). The other is wired to a single internal outlet with a hot and cool side. The controllers work independently of each other.

Under normal use, I only use the controller powering the freezer.

If I turn on the other controller I can use it to power another small heat source (heating pad, heat tape). I can use it to directly warm a carboy using the probe and a carboy thermowell. The temperature probe will control the STC1000 controller based on the temperature of the carboy.

I also cut a piece of 2-inch foam so I can create a small, isolated chamber inside the freezer. That will allow me to use a reptile heater to control the tempurature of the entire space.

I'm still testing it. So far it works, but I'm still on the fence about long-term use.