Keeping the right temp

[jamiea83]

Hi just about to do my very first diy brew.

I have been trying to read up on the best place to keep the brew, and what is the best way to keep it and the right temp. I live in brisbane and the temp goes up to about 25c and down low as 13c. 

Any help would be great.

[Lab Cat]

Ideally, a spare fridge and an inkbird controller. To get started without though, you can wrap the fermenter in a damp towel to keep the temp constant. You can only brew ales with this methods, as you'd never be able to keep lager yeast at 10-12C this way.

[jamiea83]

Thanks for that. I have lager to brew.  So will try that.

[Lab Cat]

2 minutes ago, jamiea83 said:

Thanks for that. I have lager to brew.  So will try that.

I wouldn't attempt it with the towel method. You'll never get it down that low and keep it there. I didn't bother attempting a lager until I got a fridge and controller. Lager yeasts brew at 10-12C. Ale yeast at 18-21C, but will still work a bit higher.

[jamiea83]

3 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

I wouldn't attempt it with the towel method. You'll never get it down that low and keep it there. I didn't bother attempting a lager until I got a fridge and controller. Lager yeasts brew at 10-12C. Ale yeast at 18-21C, but will still work a bit higher.

Ok i have read the back and its saying to keep it between 21 - 27c. Sorry its my very first brew i have ever tried. This is what i got in the box.

[Lab Cat]

15 minutes ago, jamiea83 said:

Ok i have read the back and its saying to keep it between 21 - 27c. Sorry its my very first brew i have ever tried. This is what i got in the box.

I know. we've all been there, as this is the brew in the Fermeting kit Coopers sell. The yeast that comes with it an ale yeast, so it will work, but it won't be a lager it will be an ale, and bland one at that. The real ale is a better simple beer, the lager not so.

The yeasts and instructions on the tins are to make things simple. To make better beers than the tin and sugars, the next step is the coopers recipes page, which use the tins as a base for much better beerrmaking. And a fridge.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Lab Rat

[jamiea83]

4 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

I know. we've all been there, as this is the brew in the Fermeting kit Coopers sell. The yeast that comes with it an ale yeast, so it will work, but it won't be a lager it will be an ale, and bland one at that. The yeasts and instructions on the tins are to make things simple. To make better beers than a tin and sugars, the next step is the coopers recipes page, which use the tins as a base for much better beerrmaking.

Well that makes sence then. 

I can get hold of a old fridge, with the inkbird what would be the best heater and cooler to use?

Thanks for your advise it really helps

[Lab Cat]

27 minutes ago, jamiea83 said:

Well that makes sence then. 

I can get hold of a old fridge, with the inkbird what would be the best heater and cooler to use?

Thanks for your advise it really helps

Most here use an Inkbird off ebay. Around $50 delivered, and it does all the cooling for you. Then you think of the fridge as just a well insulated box, that can maintain set temps.

Set the fridge controller to max, and the inkbird will take control. Set it to 21C, it'll stay there, the fridge will turn on and off as dictated by the inkbird setting.

The inkird has a heating input, so you can run a heat pad off it as well. In winter my fridge is rarely cooling, it's mostly the heat pad warming the Fermenter to 21C.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Lab Rat

[muzzag]

If you live in Brisy, you probably won't need a heat pad/belt until next winter.happy brewing.

[jamiea83]

28 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

Most here use an Inkbird off ebay. Around $50 delivered, and it does all the cooling for you. Then you think of the fridge as just a well insulated box, that can maintain set temps.

Set the fridge controller to max, and the inkbird will take control. Set it to 21C, it'll stay there, the fridge will turn on and off as dictated by the inkbird setting.

The inkird has a heating input, so you can run a heat pad off it as well. In winter my fridge is rarely cooling, it's mostly the heat pad warming the Fermenter to 21C.

Thanks for that. You have really helped me. I will look at getting them both this week and hope to start the brew on the weekend.

[jamiea83]

25 minutes ago, muzzag said:

If you live in Brisy, you probably won't need a heat pad/belt until next winter.happy brewing.

Thanks for that i will keep that in mind and get one before winter. Cant wait to start

[Otto Von Blotto]

In Brisbane you'd be lucky to need heating at all inside a fridge, even in winter. But it depends where you are and where the fridge is. I never needed it at my parents place or my old place (fridge was somewhat indoors as well), but I'm now in the western suburbs and the fridge is outside, so overnight in winter can get a bit chilly and I occasionally need a bit of heat. I just use a conical flask with boiling water in there because I don't need it often enough to bother plugging something in. A hot water bottle would work as well.

You definitely won't need heating now, around June to August would be about the only time. 

Edited October 22, 2019 by Otto Von Blotto

[Malter White]

@jamiea83 A steady temperature is ideal but buying added equipment might not be e.g. fridges, Inkbirds etc. You can still make good beer without.
Are you able to brew in your house? Kitchen/laundry/bathroom. The weather outside might fluctuate but inside the house probably not so much. As mentioned above, you probably won't need heat assistance. Being in Brissy you might need some cooling help. Damp towel + a fan (swamp cooler) or ice packs on top of the vat are inexpensive options that you might consider before going out and buying stuff you might not really need.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Spoken like someone who's never experienced how much the beer is improved by properly controlling the temperature

That said, I probably wouldn't be rushing to get a fridge set up for the first batch, temperatures aren't too hot yet and it can be kept down with the more primitive methods, but I would certainly be looking at getting one set up before summer hits properly. 

[Mark D Pirate]

Even in high summer you can brew at ambient... Just stick to Saison or Kveik yeast .

 

[jamiea83]

2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Spoken like someone who's never experienced how much the beer is improved by properly controlling the temperature

That said, I probably wouldn't be rushing to get a fridge set up for the first batch, temperatures aren't too hot yet and it can be kept down with the more primitive methods, but I would certainly be looking at getting one set up before summer hits

Thanks for the advise. Looks like i will be able to get a fridge just would like to get it right first time as it will be brewed in my shed which gets hot very easy.

[Otto Von Blotto]

10 minutes ago, jamiea83 said:

Thanks for the advise. Looks like i will be able to get a fridge just would like to get it right first time as it will be brewed in my shed which gets hot very easy.

Fair point. In that instance it's a good idea to start with the fridge from the get go. I have a small shed in the yard and it too gets hot pretty easily. 

When you do get it going, keep the fermentation about 18-20 degrees and it'll turn out pretty clean. I tape the temperature probe to the side of my fermenter about half way up the brew itself, with some packing foam over it to insulate it from the ambient temperature inside the fridge. Then it's just set and forget.  

[Malter White]

3 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Spoken like someone who's never experienced how much the beer is improved by properly controlling the temperature

Actually spoken like someone who hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a newbie. 
A lot of people start this journey because they can make their first 30 long necks for about $100 and then less for subsequent brews.
I have no doubt a ferment fridge is a beer improver but is the cost justified for someone starting out, who may just turn around and decide it's not the hobby for them after all?
Personally, I have a ferment fridge at my disposal immediately but have chosen not to use it (yet) because it would be placed in the garage or under the verandah and at this stage I prefer to do my brewing in the air-conditioned, water sourced comfort of the kitchen. 
 

[Lab Cat]

10 hours ago, MUZZY said:

@jamiea83 A steady temperature is ideal but buying added equipment might not be e.g. fridges, Inkbirds etc. You can still make good beer without.

It can be done, but gees, it's a pain in the arse. I want to make beer, not baby-sit a bucket for 2 weeks. I did it for 6 months and would have been less if I could have found a fridge earlier. cost isn't an issue, with a bit of looking you can usually pick one up for free or near enough.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Lab Rat

[Malter White]

6 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

It can be done, but gees, it's a pain in the arse. I want to make beer, not baby-sit a bucket for 2 weeks. I did it for 6 months and would have been less if I could have found a fridge earlier. cost isn't an issue, with a bit of looking you can usually pick one up for free or near enough.

Cost isn't always the issue. For me it's location. Baby sitting a bucket isn't so much of a chore when it's in the kitchen. My guts is proof that I spend a lot of time in there anyway.
Nom, nom, nom!

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by MUZZY

[Otto Von Blotto]

I haven't forgotten my newbie days either, which is why I suggest using a fridge is a better and easier option.

[Red devil 44]

I live in the Western Suburbs of Brissy & have 2 fermenting fridges both with an Inkbird, I’ve been brewing just on a year & a half and have never needed a heater, my fridge remains at the constant temp I set it at. I agree with Otto if you live in brissy & want to brew then get an old 2nd hand fridge & ferment in that, you will never look back.

Cheers Red Devil 

[jamiea83]

26 minutes ago, Red devil 44 said:

I live in the Western Suburbs of Brissy & have 2 fermenting fridges both with an Inkbird, I’ve been brewing just on a year & a half and have never needed a heater, my fridge remains at the constant temp I set it at. I agree with Otto if you live in brissy & want to brew then get an old 2nd hand fridge & ferment in that, you will never look back.

Cheers Red Devil 

I have been looking. With the inkbird do you just plug the fridge into it? And im in the morayfield area and it will be out in my shed which can get really hot some days. 

Thanks for the advise as i want to be able to set it up right, right from the start.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yes, plug the fridge into the cooling plug on the inkbird, then plug the inkbird into the mains. Tape the probe to the fermenter as I explained above, then set your temperature and difference (how far above it's allowed to rise before the fridge kicks in again). Then sit back and enjoy 

[Mark D Pirate]

One thing worth considering is how hard a fridge will have to work in a shed that's extremely hot,  a newer ( more expensive)  fridge will use less energy than a hard rubbish roadside special in  50 ° ambient shed temps