Weather warnings

[user 25861]

Like many other members I have a large number of maturing beer bottles in my garage. Approx 400. At the moment they are covered with wet tea towels to try to keep them reasonably cool. I have also set up a couple of house fans to help with the process of latent heat of evaporation. Next week I am going on holiday and fear that this hot weather will continue in my absence. What suggestions do home brewers have for helping me to keep the garage cool and ensure that when I return I won't have a garage filled with fragments of broken glass and beer draining over the walls and floor!?

 

[hoppyscotty]

I had a similar dilemma it for three beer I’m leaving in the fermenter while I’m away and worrying the chiller won’t be able to come with the temps my garage will hit. I was thinking about rigging up a spare inkbird to a fan and setting the temp to about 26 degrees c or so to kick the fan in. Wasn’t sure if the fan would do much but figured having some air moving is better than having still stagnant air. Didn’t bother in the end and the chiller seems to have coped the rough today? The first of two of the hottest days so hopefully I’ll be ok. Temps drop quite a lot after Tuesday so only one more day to go.

But a similar set up might help in your case.

 

[user 25861]

I had a similar dilemma it for three beer I’m leaving in the fermenter while I’m away and worrying the chiller won’t be able to come with the temps my garage will hit. I was thinking about rigging up a spare inkbird to a fan and setting the temp to about 26 degrees c or so to kick the fan in. Wasn’t sure if the fan would do much but figured having some air moving is better than having still stagnant air. Didn’t bother in the end and the chiller seems to have coped the rough today? The first of two of the hottest days so hopefully I’ll be ok. Temps drop quite a lot after Tuesday so only one more day to go.

But a similar set up might help in your case.

I thought I had replied Hoppyscotty but maybe I didn't manage to send. Thanks for your thoughts anyway.

 

[Clint]

I have found that beers kept directly on the floor keep cooler than those stored on a shelf.

 

[user 25861]

I have found that beers kept directly on the floor keep cooler than those stored on a shelf.

Yes I'm thinking along the same lines. Maybe I should move them all to the garage floor (concrete) cover with wet towels, cover this with a tarpaulin, and if any explode it will be contained.

 

[Clint]

I've never had any explode. I put 130 in the shed yesterday to carbonate as it's so warm . I will try one in a week to check progress.

 

[user 25861]

I've never had any explode. I put 130 in the shed yesterday to carbonate as it's so warm . I will try one in a week to check progress.

Thank you for your reply.
I've only had one exploding (fingers crossed I'm not speaking too soon) bottle in 7 years but it was one too many. Makes such a mess. The glass goes everywhere. The beer gets into every nook and cranny. Maybe I will move them all to the garage floor (concrete) cover with wet towels, cover this with a tarpaulin, and if any explode it will be contained. There are some variables in determining the pressure of CO2 inside a bottle beer.
Firstly I prime on the lower side 3.04g/L fermented beer. This calculates to 1.4Vol CO2/bottle which is low. Depending on the temperature you bottle, to this you need to add 1.1Vol CO2 at 12C or if warmer only 0.9 Vol CO2 at 20C.
Secondly there are always 'unfermentable' sugars in real ales obtained by allowing the mash temperature to wander over 66C. Between 67C to 72C alpha amylase produces these so-called complex sugars which are 'unfermentable' under normal conditions by the brewers yeast. These sugars form the 'body' of a beer. However over time, and I mean years (up to 5 years) in my brewery some of these sugars break down to simpler sugars which then become available for the dormant yeast to wake up and digest. This adds to the volume of CO2 in each bottle. It really depends what your objectives are in brewing. I aim to have at least 10-12 different beers all at various terms of maturity for my friends to sample. I haven't ever produced a beer intending to be drunk after 4 weeks of 2nd fermentation at a party all in one go. If I did I think I would use a cask/keg but this is against my real ale instincts. I enjoy tasting the difference in the beers as they mature. A year in the bottle ALWAYS improves a beer.
Lastly any bottle that has been chinked against another or any such accidental knock may weaken the crystalline structure of the glass (glass is in fact a liquid) rendering the bottle dangerous for future use. My stock of around 700 bottles are used again and again so some failure of the glass is bound to occur.

 

[Clint]

You must be brewing on the higher abv side keeping beer for so long?
My limit is around 5% as I like to try a few on an evening without getting spangled!

 

[user 25861]

You must be brewing on the higher abv side keeping beer for so long?
My limit is around 5% as I like to try a few on an evening without getting spangled!

Yes you are correct. My highest is a Barley Wine 11.7% ABV and my lowest an IPA 4.8% ABV. My brewery average over 7 years is 6.3% ABV. It is mostly the stronger brews that I keep and mature long term but I believe it is possible with good technique and hygiene to keep even the weaker beers for a long time. Certainly 3 years. You have several defences against spoilage. Alcohol, hops, CO2, the yeast itself and cleanliness.

 

[Clint]

As further preparation I have set the empty brew fridge to 3c and loaded it with beer and pop.
Always thinking me.

 

[user 25861]

As further preparation I have set the empty brew fridge to 3c and loaded it with beer and pop.
Always thinking me.

Yeah I've been thinking I need a fridge but the numbers of bottles are too large so I'd need several big fridges and that wouldn't be good for the climate either. Digging a Swedish type cellar in the garden would be good. It's always cooler underground and in the winter warmer. Dreaming!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

How about a chest freezer (or two!)?

 

[user 25861]

I have got a large chest freezer in the garage brewery but don't know if it can be set at say 8-10C. Think all its settings are too cold. Or are you thinking about using it as a bomb shelter for beer when switched off?

 

[Clint]

You could control it maybe..with an inkbird.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Yeah, I was thinking about an Inkbird. Plug the freezer into the cooling socket, set the temperature to 8 degrees if that’s what you want, put the temperature probe in the freezer.

You can layer the bottles either lying down or better still upright with a piece of pegboard or similar on top of one layer forming the base to stand the next layer on. I’d guess you could get 200-300 in a good sized chest freezer.

 

[hoppyscotty]

With a chest freezer probably better bypassing the freezers own thermostat with an stc-1000.

 

[user 25861]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm looking up Inkbird because this is the first time I've heard of such a piece of kit. Does it control the chest freezer temperature or actually act like a mini refrigeration unit in itself? Seems it works between -50C and +99C which is a massive range. Can't see how it works from their website.

 

[hoppyscotty]

There are two units, the simpler one is where you simply plug your fridge or freezer into the device and it will cut the power or restore power to the fridge or freezer to regulate temp. Or the stc—1000 which is a small device that you use to bypass the fridge or freezers own thermostat so you can more precisely control the temp. They’re both cheap devices and can control both heating and cooling so can work in conjunction with a heating element.

I use the former for my fermentation fridge control and my clycol circulation for my second fermenter.

 

[Clint]

It's plug and play..put the probe off the unit where you want to control,plug the fridge into "cold" socket on the unit,set temp..away you go.

 

[user 25861]

Wow. Didn't know that. I'll have to think about it because the freezer is used for food storage as well as making my ice to cool the wort. Thanks for the knowledge everyone.