Fridge for Fermentation Vessel (Fermzilla All Rounder)

[jonnygtt]

Hello! First post following finishing my first all grain brew...well first ever brew...of anything....which so far has been surprisingly successful (still conditioning, but I've of course had a little tester, or two!). I ended up brewing a recipe from the Graham Wheeler book - the Hopback Summer Lightning. Everything went reasonably according to plan apart from losing 7 litres at various stages throughout the process and ending up with 16 litres of wort rather that 23. Doesn't have the floral notes I was hoping for - I guess I might need to learn a bit about dry hopping! It is, however, very tasty indeed and crystal clear which I'm most chuffed about!

Have been fully bitten by the bug already and am looking at the Fermzilla All Rounder with the intention of transferring to the 12l corny under pressure and bottling what is left. I also like the idea of being able to see my yeast at work. These are the two many reasons this thing appealed to me.

Still unsure about whether I should do primary and secondary fermentation in the fermentation vessel or the transfer to the corny for secondary, moving the beer of the trub; opinion seems to be quite divided on this!! Will probably end up trying both and seeing for myself :)

Anyhow, onto my question - I'm looking for an under counter fridge to put the All Rounder in (using an Inkbird for temp control); all the fridges that have come up for sale recently have had the compressor / drawer at the bottom of the fridge and don't have the internal height I need for this thing (60cm, including airlock). Does anybody use an All Rounder with an under-counter fridge? Be great if anyone has any recommendations of a fridge a sufficiently large internal cavity which would do the job; google is letting me down on this one!

 

[QED]

It fits in a normal fridge with a bit of work. You need to build a shelf where the salad drawer sits so it’s the same level as the compressor. Then using foam, build an “egg cup” for the FZ so it sits inside it and isn’t as high as the metal holder. Lastly don’t use the airlock that came with it, just use a rubber bung with some tube going into a bottle of water that sits on the foam “egg cup”.
Im waiting on foam being delivered as I’m constructing this myself.

 

[QED]

.....or use a chest freezer

 

[jonnygtt]

Genius, a foam egg cup! There's a challenge! Many thanks, makes sense. Thanks also for the tip about the airlock. Might even put it in a wooden container so I can add some handles to help with transfer in and out of the fridge.

 

[jonnygtt]

Chest freezer won't fit in my setup unfortunately. Notwithstanding that, I'm not sure my back would be game for it! No, the foam option will do the job perfectly. Added to the to-do list!!

 

[QED]

Might even put it in a wooden container so I can add some handles to help with transfer in and out of the fridge.

You could just use bubble wrap or similar for the egg cup if it’s in a wooden container. Saves faffing around with foam. I’m just a glutton for punishment.

 

[jonnygtt]

I'm also a glutton for punishment! I've been thinking about how I can engineer something along the lines of what you've mentioned, that will still allow me to see the goings on at the base of the Fermzilla. Some kind of tray with Styrofoam 'bumpers' for the vessel to perch on seems to be winning at the moment!

Out of interest, will you be secondary fermenting in the Fermzilla, or are you an advocate of a second vessel for this?

 

[QED]

will you be secondary fermenting in the Fermzilla, or are you an advocate of a second vessel for this?

I will be mainly using it for primary fermentation (I tend then to bottle half and keg half in small 5 litre party kegs) however now I have the option of it being a pressure vessel I'm interested in just gassing it after fermentation and using it as a keg (yeast still in the bottom) to see what it's like.

(example here: )

 

[jonnygtt]

Crikey! Well I must say, after many many hours/days/weeks of reading up on all this I would not have expected the beer to have that sort of clarity, and would have been sure that the all the krausen falling back into the beer would have caused it to be very bitter.

I must say, despite reading about all the 'right' ways to do things (and I've subsequently been very conscious to try and hit exactly every temperature, weight, gravity, volume etc.), its becoming clearer all the time that there is margin for error and for experimentation.

A good friend of mine chuffed up several things on his first all grain brew (too many cooks spoiling the broth!) , including a mash which was well under target, and still has ended up with a perfectly drinkable golden ale.

Good video, appreciate you highlighting, I'll be giving it a go!

 

[ian1971]

It fits in a normal fridge with a bit of work. You need to build a shelf where the salad drawer sits so it’s the same level as the compressor. Then using foam, build an “egg cup” for the FZ so it sits inside it and isn’t as high as the metal holder. Lastly don’t use the airlock that came with it, just use a rubber bung with some tube going into a bottle of water that sits on the foam “egg cup”.
Im waiting on foam being delivered as I’m constructing this myself.

HI Did you ever manage to get this working thinking of getting an all rounder ,Do you have any pictures or dimensions would be appreciated .would a ball lock fit still as thinking try pressure ferment.

Any advice apparated

 

[Rob11TC]

Also thinking of an all rounder. Does anyone know the dimension of the stand top (352mm)and bottom? Thinking of making a shelf just below the compressor hump to give a bit more head room by using the stand small side down. If that makes sense!

 

[Mrobson]

I've not got any dimensions at hand but just cut down some eight inch pvc ducting and used that as a stand inside my fermentation fridge. I've seen others build a wooden shelf or just cut an old bucket. I had to trim a little off the inside of the door but it was easy enough to do with just a Stanley knives. I had to extend the gas line of the spunding valve too.

Hope this helps

 

[Floodweiser]

Hi @Mrobson - Specifically what make and model of fridge are you using there? I've had no luck finding one to fit my All Rounder or two cornys.

 

[Siscokid85]

Hi @Mrobson - Specifically what make and model of fridge are you using there? I've had no luck finding one to fit my All Rounder or two cornys.

At an educated guess, I think it is a hotpoint RLA30something.

It has a dial above the door for the thermostat rather than in the chamber, so one less thing to get in the way inside. I have one in white but I dont have a fermzilla to test. hope that is of some help.