Keeping Your Fermenter Cool In Summer

[Damo]

There seems to be a lot of new home brewers out there that have discovered Oliver & Geoffs Homebrew and Beer site, so i thought i would add this information and invite others to do like wise.

So here is a tip to brew your beer at 20c - 22c on even the hottest day.
First of all boil up 2 litres of water and set it aside to cool. Once cool place the water in a clean and steralised ice cream container and freeze it. I also place the icecream lid on top.
Boil up what ever ingredients are nescasary to make your brew. Keep your boiled water to a maximum of 2 litres.

Put your boiled ingredients into the fermentor first and then add a few litres of cold water and stir to combine them. Then add your frozen bolck to your fermentor along with the rest of the water.

I place my fermentor in a laundry tub full of water with some aditional large blocks of ice. I also put a t-shirt over the fermentor and let it hang in the water. If a laundry tub is not available a big plastic drum or maybe even the bath tub could be used, either way it should be left in the coolest part of your house.
Allways use a yeast starter to ensure fermentation gets underway asap.

[r.magnay]

G'day brewers,
Funny you should bring that up Damo, I do a simmilar thing, ie put ice in my brewer when I start it, I always keep some brew tins in the freezer of my beer frige which I use to start off, then put a couple a day on top of the brewer with some cloth draped over it etc. BUT!! I, (with a litle help from my son) have just finished pouring a slab of concrete in my backyard which is about to have my own personal brewery built on it! I aquired some of the panels they use to build transportable buildings out of, and am going to build my brewery out of them, I also have sourced a small refigerated air con. that I will install in the room, and I am an electrician, so I intend to install a thermostat, seperate to the one in the unit, to control the room temperature, and if need be I will fit a heater for the winter time (though I dont think that will be needed too often here in Alice) Does that sound any good or what? As you all know temperature control is one of the biggest issues with brewing, especially hard here in the centre.
Happy Brewing,

[Evo]

Geez Ross, I thought I was the duck's when I got beer on tap, but building a whole brewery ? What can I say ? Congratulations, you've made it.

One comment though, would you not be better off brewing your beer in a fridge (or fridges) rather than running an aircon unit 24/7 ? I use a 160 litre chest freezer that can hold at least two 25 litre brews (in kegs I can hold a total of 72 litres). If you were to up the size of the freezer and source more suitable sized brewing containers I'm sure you could brew a whole lot more (if that is your aim).

Just a thought.

[Andy]

r.magnay

That is hardcore! I guess that you will be using plenty of insulation to help keep the cool in and the heat out, otherwise it could get a little expensive to run.
Still, wow. I look forward to hearing how well it works although I would never need anything like that over here. Unless it was rain powered.

[Shaun]

Ross I like your plains for your own brewing room. Will you have plumbing and hot plates so all brewing takes place in the one spot?

For those of us that can not build a brewery try this. Make a wire frame that fits over your fermentor drape the frame with a towel or sheet fill the top of the fermentor with water and place the top end of the towel in the water. If extra cooling is required place a fan to blow over fermentor.
Top up the water as required.

You have just place your fermentor in an evaporative cooler.

[Dogger Dan]

Come to Canada, you will never have a problem with it being to hot. It is about as cheap as building the brewery. (I am so jealous).

Does this mean you are going to put in a three tier system? With PLC regulated sparge water?

(I am so jealous did I mention that)

Dogger

[r.magnay]

Evo,
yeah a frige would be OK but, a) I wouldn't fit in a frige and it still gets hot in the shed for me too, b) I need somewhere to condition my beer, and I would need some sort of frige to hold 400-500 stubbies, and c) because I can!.............. The little A/C shouldn't cost a lot more than a frige to run becuase I am hoping that once it is cool the insulated panels will keep it pretty right, I have camped in rooms made of the same stuff when I work on sites with camps, and the A/C cuts out for a fair bit of the time after the sun goes down and the room stays cool! I will keep you posted when it is all finished and operating.

[Dogger Dan]

Yeh,

We use those pannels at work to build fridges out off.

Dogger

[Andy]

r.magnay is a man on a mission, and that mission is righteous. Go on my son!

[Evo]

Yeah, well, when you put it like that. 400-500 stubbies. You definitely need a coolroom. And I thought after I posted that yes, it would be a nice place to drink too in the Alice.

...and coolroom panel is tops. We made a magic box out of it and the ice lasts ages.

...and you've gotta post photos when you've built it.

[grabman]

Jealous isn't the word, that sounds like a top setup.

I'm with Evo, we need photos of the finished project and maybe some of the building phase.

Grabman

[Dogger Dan]

Yeh, photos,

Send one of the slab to mate, nothing I like better than 42 MPa concrete

Did I mention I was jealous, this is just way to outstanding

Hmmm

Dogger

[r.magnay]

Bloody hell!,
I was having a little brag when I posted this first, but it looks like I've created a monster, I have sent Oliver a photo of the slab as per Doggers Request, ( I mixed it and my son layed it , so I think it may be a bit below 45mpa.) I am not too smart at driving computers so I have no idea how to get a photo onto the forum so I have left it up to Olver to put it out there somewhere for you peasants, ...... oh um I mean fellow brewers to perv on!

[grabman]

the peasants thank you

now send detailed instructions, we might get this little gem on Backyard Blitz yet

[Longbeach Brewer]

Stuff the photo's and instructions. I want an address! I'll be over next week to help out with the 500 stubbies!
With such a top place to brew, I'd even help out with the refilling!

Go hard, or GO HOME...

[rain]

Ross, hark not the Plebeians cry.




I wish I was 40 years younger! Bugga!

[Oliver]

Guys,

Here's the pic:



Cheers,

Oliver

[r.magnay]

Thanks for that Oliver,
I will sent a few more as things progress. Hey rain! I wish I was fourty years younger too! (Well 35 anyway)
Happy brewing all!

[Evo]

Gotta say, top work Ross. Not only is what you're doing good for mankind, it also makes for great pub talk for me.

"So this guy... wanted to aircon a whole room to brew in... so I say, use a fridge... to which he says, for 500 stubbies?... so I said, good work mate".

Nice.

[Dogger Dan]

It looks like 40 mpa, drive on my friend

I was just thinking I would have to heat my room -22 deg C with white stuff flying. Should be drinking beer

Dogger