Hello from London!

[snbrewer]

Hi,

I've just started home brewing, having done two beer kits (one IPA and one indiscriminate ale :-). I did the first one in the summer (which turned out terribly as it was far too warm during the fermentation :-( ). The second batch was OK, although I think once again it could have turned out better had I used a wort chiller to get the wort temperature down before pitching - at least it was drinkable!

I'm planning on doing John Palmer's Cincinatti Pale Ale for my next batch it's slightly more complicated to do than the beer kits without being too difficult (for example there's some steeping of hops there), and then I'm hoping to move on to doing some nice hoppy ales. I've got most of the basics (plastic fermentor, large pot, recently bought a wort chiller etc.). I'd be grateful for advice on any ways of controlling the fermentor temperature without having to buy expensive equipment and also your recommendations of online stores which sell good ingredients.

 

[Fil]

welcome along..
seems like you have done your homework and hit the crucial nail dead centre on the head, the best way to improve your brewing is to control the fermentation temp to give the yeast the best possible environment to work the best way for you..

the 'best' option if you have the room is a brewfridge which if you can pick one up from the local freecycle or a friend or neighbour who is upgrading.. Shouldnt cost too much to set up (£50) its a simple diy job especially now as you can buy an inkbird controller for about £30 (and a low watt tube heater for about £20) which you simply plug the fridge (and any heater you elect to use) into. other options for the more diy inclined include using a STC1000 or similar controller, the stc1000 V1.0 can also be upgraded with custom brewfridge firmware allowing you to program different temps for different durations..

The cost isnt that much of an issue as its paid for itself after a brew or 2 (assuming a freeby fridge).

Small under the counter fridges (an old and unpopular style) are ideal, and dont be put off by a freeby thats too narrow or short for your brewbucket, new fermentation vessels are cheap and the options are wide....

If interested in brewing, it sounds like your interested in more than tweakin the odd kit a bit?? So if you can find the time for a 5+ hour brewday consider venturing into AG with a biab brew, a 5-10l stove top taster/test brew is well worth the time (3-4 hours), and the experience and result will tell you if its at all for you . A basic biab brewery (boil kettle and bag) can be knocked up cheaply with a suitable PP bucket, a couple of recycled budget kettle elements, and with a plumbing fitting drain and tap. as if up your street it will halve or more the cost of ingredients compared to the extract brews your brewing.

however you proceed may the brewing gods smile down on you..

suppliers for grain and hops i use..
the malt miller (freshly milled grain to order delivered quickly)
worcester hop shop

online brewshops for general bits n bobs
www.copperkettlehomebrewing.co.uk

and our local hbs which is also online
stonehelm.co.uk or .com?

both small businesses run by brewers who know their stock and can walk you through things brewing on the phone if needed

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum. :cheers8:

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Welcome to the forum.

 

[svenito]

Welcome. The good thing about living in London is that you are much more likely to find stuff for free or cheap. Free cycle and such can often provide you with a fridge for temp control. Whereas where I live I had to hunt on eBay, pay for it, and drive to pick it up.

Good luck with your brewing adventures

 

[terrym]

Welcome.
Alternative to a brew fridge here....
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[LarryF]

Welcome to the forum sn. Where abouts are you in London? I'm up beside Ally Pally.

 

[snbrewer]

welcome along..
seems like you have done your homework and hit the crucial nail dead centre on the head, the best way to improve your brewing is to control the fermentation temp to give the yeast the best possible environment to work the best way for you..

the 'best' option if you have the room is a brewfridge which if you can pick one up from the local freecycle or a friend or neighbour who is upgrading.. Shouldnt cost too much to set up (£50) its a simple diy job especially now as you can buy an inkbird controller for about £30 (and a low watt tube heater for about £20) which you simply plug the fridge (and any heater you elect to use) into. other options for the more diy inclined include using a STC1000 or similar controller, the stc1000 V1.0 can also be upgraded with custom brewfridge firmware allowing you to program different temps for different durations..

The cost isnt that much of an issue as its paid for itself after a brew or 2 (assuming a freeby fridge).

Small under the counter fridges (an old and unpopular style) are ideal, and dont be put off by a freeby thats too narrow or short for your brewbucket, new fermentation vessels are cheap and the options are wide....

If interested in brewing, it sounds like your interested in more than tweakin the odd kit a bit?? So if you can find the time for a 5+ hour brewday consider venturing into AG with a biab brew, a 5-10l stove top taster/test brew is well worth the time (3-4 hours), and the experience and result will tell you if its at all for you . A basic biab brewery (boil kettle and bag) can be knocked up cheaply with a suitable PP bucket, a couple of recycled budget kettle elements, and with a plumbing fitting drain and tap. as if up your street it will halve or more the cost of ingredients compared to the extract brews your brewing.

however you proceed may the brewing gods smile down on you..

suppliers for grain and hops i use..
the malt miller (freshly milled grain to order delivered quickly)
worcester hop shop

online brewshops for general bits n bobs
www.copperkettlehomebrewing.co.uk

and our local hbs which is also online
stonehelm.co.uk or .com?

both small businesses run by brewers who know their stock and can walk you through things brewing on the phone if needed

>>>>>>>

Fil,

Thanks very much for the advice. I'm planning on working up to all-grain brewing in the longer run once I get the space to do so (living in a flat in London). I've been thinking about trying to modify a fridge with a thermostat control (there are even some examples on the web using a raspberry Pi which sounds like good fun to set up). Unfortunately due to space constraints I'm going to be doing the fermenting either in the bathroom or potentially a neighbours garage, so I won't be able to use electricity to control the fermenting temperature, which rules out the option of using a fridge for the meantime. I'm sure there's money to be made by someone who can devise a system for brewing in confined spaces! :nod:

Someone else below has suggested using a combination of a fish-tank heater and a tub of water to control the temperature, so I'll have a look at whether it is possible to run that off a car battery.

 

[snbrewer]

Welcome to the forum sn. Where abouts are you in London? I'm up beside Ally Pally.

I'm down in South Norwood (south of Crystal Palace if you know where that is). I used to live up in Wood Green so I know that area of North London quite well. Do you know of any decent home brewing clubs in the London area?

 

[LarryF]

Funnily enough I worked in Croydon for long while and went through Norwood on a daily basis. I'm afraid I don't know of any Homebrew clubs, I'm sure there are some and someone on here will know them.

 

[LarryF]

>>>>>>>

Fil,

Thanks very much for the advice. I'm planning on working up to all-grain brewing in the longer run once I get the space to do so (living in a flat in London). I've been thinking about trying to modify a fridge with a thermostat control (there are even some examples on the web using a raspberry Pi which sounds like good fun to set up). Unfortunately due to space constraints I'm going to be doing the fermenting either in the bathroom or potentially a neighbours garage, so I won't be able to use electricity to control the fermenting temperature, which rules out the option of using a fridge for the meantime. I'm sure there's money to be made by someone who can devise a system for brewing in confined spaces! :nod:

Someone else below has suggested using a combination of a fish-tank heater and a tub of water to control the temperature, so I'll have a look at whether it is possible to run that off a car battery.

No electricity supply will make temperature control difficult in the winter. In the summer however, you can use high temperature tolerant yeast which will ferment up to 32c without issue.

 

[Fil]

a bin bag lined old sleeping bag can be used to insulate a brew vessel and a daily exchange of how many are needed 2l bottles of frozen or hot water can be a pita to maintain but can help keep a steady temp. (1-2 frozen bottles exchanged daily should do the trick unless the garage is a summer heat trap?

large containers full of water can also aid maintaining a stable temp by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it in the night but may hack off your neighbour..

perhaps some basic insulation and a water bottle exchange along with a bit of seasonal planning may be in order, take the summer hot months off from brewing and then in autumn/spring concentrate on ales and bitters then come winter consider the lagers, and select your yeasts accordingly tho i would keep some US-05 on hand as its good between 12or is it 15-22C iirc.. tho it will give you more fruity flavours due to fussels etc at the warmer end of the scale.

Build up a good stock for the summer and sit back in the sun and enjoy..

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to the Forum. :thumb: