Way to control fermentation temp

Originally posted by emacgee
Just put my first batch in the carboy and I’m trying to figure out a way to lower/control the fermentation temperature without lowering the entire ambient temperature of my house which would be expensive as balls. Suggestions?

Originally posted by awaisanen

Originally posted by emacgee
Just put my first batch in the carboy and I’m trying to figure out a way to lower/control the fermentation temperature without lowering the entire ambient temperature of my house which would be expensive as balls. Suggestions?

Buy a cheap chest freezer from Craigslist (~$90). Buy a Ranco temperature control device (~$90). Buy a carboy hood with a thermocouple well that places the thermowell in the center of the carboy (~$20). This will be the single biggest improvement you can make to the quality (and style diversity!) of the beers you brew.

In the meantime, you can put a t-shirt over your carboy and keep the t-shirt damp with water. This will help somewhat, but if you really want to control fermentation temps with ANY sort of accuracy, you need to eventually invest in my first suggestion. I wish there was an easier answer to your question, but following this tip will make life incredibly easier and worry-free, not to mention yield better results.

On a slightly more encouraging note, since this is your first batch, I wouldn’t worry too much about temperature control. If the beer ends up having no noticeable problems caused by anything other than a warm fermentation temperature, you’ve done a fantastic job (assuming you are using a fairly neutral yest strain).

Just for kicks, what style are you brewing?

Originally posted by awaisanen

Originally posted by emacgee
Just put my first batch in the carboy and I’m trying to figure out a way to lower/control the fermentation temperature without lowering the entire ambient temperature of my house which would be expensive as balls. Suggestions?

Buy a cheap chest freezer from Craigslist (~$90). Buy a Ranco temperature control device (~$90). Buy a carboy hood with a thermocouple well that places the thermowell in the center of the carboy (~$20). This will be the single biggest improvement you can make to the quality (and style diversity!) of the beers you brew.

In the meantime, you can put a t-shirt over your carboy and keep the t-shirt damp with water. This will help somewhat, but if you really want to control fermentation temps with ANY sort of accuracy, you need to eventually invest in my first suggestion. I wish there was an easier answer to your question, but following this tip will make life incredibly easier and worry-free, not to mention yield better results.

On a slightly more encouraging note, since this is your first batch, I wouldn’t worry too much about temperature control. If the beer ends up having no noticeable problems caused by anything other than a warm fermentation temperature, you’ve done a fantastic job (assuming you are using a fairly neutral yest strain).

Just for kicks, what style are you brewing?

Originally posted by DancingBear

Originally posted by awaisanen

Originally posted by emacgee
Just put my first batch in the carboy and I’m trying to figure out a way to lower/control the fermentation temperature without lowering the entire ambient temperature of my house which would be expensive as balls. Suggestions?

Buy a cheap chest freezer from Craigslist (~$90). Buy a Ranco temperature control device (~$90). Buy a carboy hood with a thermocouple well that places the thermowell in the center of the carboy (~$20). This will be the single biggest improvement you can make to the quality (and style diversity!) of the beers you brew.

In the meantime, you can put a t-shirt over your carboy and keep the t-shirt damp with water. This will help somewhat, but if you really want to control fermentation temps with ANY sort of accuracy, you need to eventually invest in my first suggestion. I wish there was an easier answer to your question, but following this tip will make life incredibly easier and worry-free, not to mention yield better results.

On a slightly more encouraging note, since this is your first batch, I wouldn’t worry too much about temperature control. If the beer ends up having no noticeable problems caused by anything other than a warm fermentation temperature, you’ve done a fantastic job (assuming you are using a fairly neutral yest strain).

Just for kicks, what style are you brewing?

Sorry for the hijack emacgee,

awaisanen,

I have a standard fridge with top cooler. I just purchased a ranco controller. To start and hold my ferment at 66F for a couple of days before I let it rise, do I turn off the fridge, let it get to ambient (it will be above 66f) put the carboy into the fridge and plug in 66F to the controller? The temp probe will be taped to the carboy and fridge kicks in to cool if the probe senses temp above 66F, right? I’m having trouble around the temp physics of refrigetator mode vs temp controlled cooling.

-Cheers

Originally posted by emacgee

Originally posted by awaisanen

Originally posted by emacgee
Just put my first batch in the carboy and I’m trying to figure out a way to lower/control the fermentation temperature without lowering the entire ambient temperature of my house which would be expensive as balls. Suggestions?

Buy a cheap chest freezer from Craigslist (~$90). Buy a Ranco temperature control device (~$90). Buy a carboy hood with a thermocouple well that places the thermowell in the center of the carboy (~$20). This will be the single biggest improvement you can make to the quality (and style diversity!) of the beers you brew.

In the meantime, you can put a t-shirt over your carboy and keep the t-shirt damp with water. This will help somewhat, but if you really want to control fermentation temps with ANY sort of accuracy, you need to eventually invest in my first suggestion. I wish there was an easier answer to your question, but following this tip will make life incredibly easier and worry-free, not to mention yield better results.

On a slightly more encouraging note, since this is your first batch, I wouldn’t worry too much about temperature control. If the beer ends up having no noticeable problems caused by anything other than a warm fermentation temperature, you’ve done a fantastic job (assuming you are using a fairly neutral yest strain).

Just for kicks, what style are you brewing?

Thanks for the advice, I was actually telling my girlfriend that a wet towel or something would be a good idea. I’ll probably do that and put it in my room. Its a small room and I can put the AC in and keep it cooler than the rest of the house.
It was our first batch and we decided to do an APA. I comprised my own recipe (partial mash) and then got to the homebrew store and found out they didn’t have the hops I wanted (SURPRISE!, should have called). So I had to do some alterations. Whatever, I was mostly just happy to see that first 5 gallons of something bubbling away on the floor