Primary, secondary and conditioning stage

[andynohearu]

Down the line you could always make yourself a fermentation chamber. Basically a fridge with a tube heater at the back and an ‘Inkbird‘ digital thermometer to monitor the fermentation temperature. If it gets too hot, the inkbird turns the fridge on, if it gets too cold the inkbird turns on the heater. Ideally maintaining the desired fermentation temp for your brew. This way you can brew anything you want In your cellar all year round.View attachment 27197
Here is a photo of my set up. Very easy to do and fairly cheap too. The most expensive part is the fridge. Greenhouse tube heater is at the back. From Amazon. Inkbird also from Amazon.

Wow!!!! I, wouldn't even know what to get to make, all that work!!!

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Wow!!!! I, wouldn't even know what to get to make, all that work!!!

Honestly it is super easy. Take one empty fridge. Measure the size and fit for a greenhouse tube heater. Plug in an Inkbird digital thermometer. Plug the fridge into the Inkbird, plug the heater into the Inkbird. Set desired temp range as per the Inkbird instruction manual and away you go.

 

[andynohearu]

Honestly it is super easy. Take one empty fridge. Measure the size and fit for a greenhouse tube heater. Plug in an Inkbird digital thermometer. Plug the fridge into the Inkbird, plug the heater into the Inkbird. Set desired temp range as per the Inkbird instruction manual and away you go.

As easy as that!! Apart from the fridge, what sort of costs for the set up?

 

[Arrakus]

I’ve just done this. Tube heater was 14 quid and the inkbird was 26 quid. Both from eBay. I’ve got a hoppy pale fermenting in there now. The tube heater is 1ft long and kicks out 40w. I took the plug off the heater and ran the cord through the drainage hole in the fridge. The temp probe just goes through the door, so no drilling involved.

Ive never needed a fermentation fridge before as the temps in the room were always stable but some changes at home (the wife needing more space for her hobbies ) means my last brew went down the drain as it went into fermentation just as the hot period hit us.

 

[andynohearu]

Thank you for this. Very helpful. Sorry you had to waste some!!!

 

[An Ankoù]

please delete

 

[terrym]

Thank you for this. Very helpful. Sorry you had to waste some!!!

If you are transferring your beer to a plastic pressure barrel at the end of the primary fermenation you will need to prime it with sugar similar to what you would have done for bottles. If you don't, you will draw off about four or five pints and then the top pressure will die and you will glug air into the barrel if you don't stop, and once that starts to happen your beer will spoil. So when you have transferred your beer over put 90g of sugar into your PB and seal it up. Then find your warm place for two weeks. This time of year you might get down to the bottom of the PB without needing to reprime if you dont keep your beer in a cold place . If you do keep your beer in a cold place you will have tp reprime or add CO2 from acylinder or bulb.
More on PBs here
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/guide-to-a-standard-home-brew-pressure-barrel.67042/

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

I’ve just done this. Tube heater was 14 quid and the inkbird was 26 quid. Both from eBay. I’ve got a hoppy pale fermenting in there now. The tube heater is 1ft long and kicks out 40w. I took the plug off the heater and ran the cord through the drainage hole in the fridge. The temp probe just goes through the door, so no drilling involved.

Ive never needed a fermentation fridge before as the temps in the room were always stable but some changes at home (the wife needing more space for her hobbies ) means my last brew went down the drain as it went into fermentation just as the hot period hit us.

Noooo waisted beer, so sad

 

[An Ankoù]

I’ve just done this. Tube heater was 14 quid and the inkbird was 26 quid. Both from eBay. I’ve got a hoppy pale fermenting in there now. The tube heater is 1ft long and kicks out 40w. I took the plug off the heater and ran the cord through the drainage hole in the fridge. The temp probe just goes through the door, so no drilling involved.

Ive never needed a fermentation fridge before as the temps in the room were always stable but some changes at home (the wife needing more space for her hobbies ) means my last brew went down the drain as it went into fermentation just as the hot period hit us.

Was it a knackered fridge or did it still work? If the latter, you could have turned it on. Stupid question, I suppose on my part. Sorry, it was the thought of a brew being sent down to Davey Jones that gave me a funny turn.

 

[Arrakus]

I was crying as I poured it away

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

I was crying as I poured it away

May Odin save us from thrown away beer

 

[bobukbrewer]

I bottled 40 pints today. After 6 days fermentation (a long time for me) the beer was crystal clear in the FV. I use safale 04 yeast, irish moss for last 20 minutes of boil, and Clarex on day 2 of fermentation.

 

[An Ankoù]

I was crying as I poured it away

I was crying too, and I didn't know why.

Now I do.

 

[An Ankoù]

May Odin save us from thrown away beer

May Odin shield us from the rightful wrath of the gods for throwing away good ale.
Amen.

 

[andynohearu]

Anybody used no rinse sanitiser made of sodium percarbonate? Is it any good or not to be recommended?

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Anybody used no rinse sanitiser made of sodium percarbonate? Is it any good or not to be recommended?

I wouldn’t go there. There are plenty of great quality no rinse sanitisers

 

[Darenn]

Anybody used no rinse sanitiser made of sodium percarbonate? Is it any good or not to be recommended?

Yes, that's all I use. I buy it in 25Kg bags, and decant to 1Kg Ziploc bags. Never had any issues with contamination.

 

[Ale House Rock]

That's what I use. Never had a problem. 5g per litre, 20 mins contact then I do give things a quick rinse even if this is claimed not to be necessary.

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Yes, that's all I use. I buy it in 25Kg bags, and decant to 1Kg Ziploc bags. Never had any issues with contamination.

Interesting, maybe I’ll eat my words and give it another go. I tried it for a while, got a few bad results, moved to star san and haven’t had any problems since.

 

[andynohearu]

Thank you everybody