Controlling Fermentation Temperatures

[Stephen M]

Hi!

I'm completely new to homebrewing, and about to invest in a set up. My plan is to start simple, probably go for the basic plastic fermenting barrel and use the homebrew kits, just to get the hang of things. From there I hope to move to all grain, but one step at a time!

I've been reading about the importance of the room temperature for the fermentation process, so wondered if anyone had any advice on the best way to achieve a consisted temperature, without spending an arm and a leg. 

My setup will probably be in my garage (uninsulated), so I might look at building some sort of fermentation chamber, and maybe use something like the STC-1000 Temperature Controller to trigger a heat pad to keep the desired temperature. Does this sound like the standard approach, anyone got any other approaches?

Alternatively, is it better just to try to brew seasonally to match the current temperature? I'm a big fan of IPAs, but I've been told you need a higher fermentation temperature compared to other beer styles (I haven't looked into this too much). Is it a lot less headache to just brew styles that match the current conditions, and in that case is there any need to control the fermentation temperature? If so, what's good for Auckland in the winter?

This might have been covered in other threads, so if so just post a link :) Otherwise any tips would be appreciated!

Cheers

[David Malpas]

Hi There,

A cheap fridge off trademe, an STC-1000, and a "mechanics hood lamp" with a 60 watt bulb (as a heat source - google it) was my first gear upgrade after a fermenter and brew kettle - and I haven't looked back since.

Being able to control fermentation temp has significantly improved by beers - and I wholeheartedly recommend that you do the same.

Good luck!

[Peter Smith]

Old fridges , often free if you keep ear on neighbourly etc....

for us-05 IPAs  1.060 ish  I start at 18.5 for 2 days then start to creep up 0.5C a day until its about 20, at day 6 I often dry hop and push to 22C for a 5 day D rest, then crash to about 1-2C for a week and bottle/keg, the week at 1-2C drops out yeast and drops hops to bottom.   for a 6% + beer I have always got better results with 2 x us05 packs,   almost finished a 7.9% amarillo beer with us05 following above temp profile.

BEST thing you can do after good sanitation is temp control, at the moment my garage is 11C great for lager ferments but you still need to push up 5C for a D Rest if you believe they help.

At the moment 11C  only true lager yeast will ferment,   you are going to need big starters or dry lager yeast,  I would not want to trust ale yeast like  us 05 at 11C   my limit would be 15-16C for that yeast for a dry IPA  they problem is that the ale yeast can give up, your beer stops at 1.020-25 and tastes too sweat.

A mate in Auckland just brews lagers in winter etc, he even lagers outside if it gets cold enough amoungst the ferms etc      8)

Trouble is in summer my garage sits at 26C all the time in summer so you need a temp Controller then.even for ales

[Stephen M]

Awesome, thanks! Yeah I've heard similar re. fridges, so that sounds like an easy way to go. Thanks for the tip about the hood lamp too, sounding like a good DIY setup.

Yeah I figure at this stage get the sanitation and temp right, suss that out then move onto the exciting stuff :)

[Peter Smith]

wash and clean well then use Starsan as the steriliser..... 

[Stephen M]

Photo:

[Stephen M]

Photos:

[Stephen M]

Photo:

[Grant R Baker]

Ditto the fridge.... get a cheap one and ferment within.

[Stephen M]

Wicked, thanks!

[Cain Harland]

+1 on the fridge recommendation. Get one that works and make the STC cool as well. I would be far more concerned about cooling than heating but fortunately you can do both with an STC-1000 and get it just right.

[Stephen M]

So, finally got all this set up and ready to use with our first all-grain brew! Thanks to my bro for doing the 3D printing and controller wiring.

Posting photos. Someone mentioned having a lightsource next to your brew while its fermenting might not be a good idea, so perhaps look at shielding the fermenter with a blag plastic bag? Also need to make sure the sensor is picking up the ambient temperature instead of the direct hear from the lamp, so maybe some rejigging there.

Happy to share resources, tips for anyone else wanting to wire up a similar setup.

[jt]

You've run the cord for the light and the probe through the drain? Very neat