Amateur setup recommendations?

[Jed_Trently]

Hey guys,

I'm on my second brew as we speak, an IPA, and have upgraded my setup since my first batch. My FV is submerged in a large garden container filled with water, regulated by a fish tank heater. I've just took a temp of the brew inside the FV and the temp matches that of water in the garden container, so it's working well.

In the name of progression I'd like to get more advanced for my next brew which might be a traditional lager/beer rather than an ale, so I'd like to scout out some equipment in preparation for my next batch.

Can anyone recommend me some setups that don't break the bank or are too advanced for me to understand?

Please post your own setups if you can, I'm well intrested :razz:

Cheers,
Jed

 

[Marcarm]

If you are wanting to brew a lager, you need somewhere cool as we are now in the warmer months.

The best thing I ever bought was a fermentation fridge. Managed to get a fridge from facebook for £10,then with all the other bits it cost me less than £40. Plenty of guides on here that explain the process of making one.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Have a look at this forum - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=26

..

 

[Dads_Ale]

You can brew a good lager clone at normal fermentation temp (20c ish) using lager malt (AG brewers) and US05 dried yeast. :smile:

 

[clibit]

Try this thread, various ideas and tips. A fermentation fridge is the way forward, I need one too!

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18887

 

[Twostage]

Try this thread, various ideas and tips. A fermentation fridge is the way forward, I need one too!

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18887

Yes, you do:smile:

Admittedly it takes you into the territory of engineering beer but :-

you can start the fermentation at a temp the yeast likes.
ramp it up for the diacetyl rest.
crash it.
ramp it back up, bottle and carbonate.

(I still have a brew fermenting away in the spare room letting nature take its course though).

 

[Jed_Trently]

Thanks for the replies guys!

This fridge stuff is fascinating and I think i'll give the temperature controller setup a go for when I move on to brewing beer/lager.

So as I understand, you do not turn the fridge, you just use the tube heater to maintain a certain temperature?

You just use the fridge as a convenient space?

Much appreciated,
Jed

 

[clibit]

You use the fridge cooling mechanism to lower temperature and the heater to raise it. They link to a temperature controller.

 

[Twostage]

Thanks for the replies guys!

This fridge stuff is fascinating and I think i'll give the temperature controller setup a go for when I move on to brewing beer/lager.

So as I understand, you do not turn the fridge, you just use the tube heater to maintain a certain temperature?

You just use the fridge as a convenient space?

Much appreciated,
Jed

I use a 40 watt light bulb for the heat source. I also use a computer fan running continuously to circulate the heat/cold (modern fridges have them built in).

Which reminds me, I bought variable voltage power pack to power the fan and there was a note on the instructions that said "Not a regulated supply". So I set it to 12 volts and measured it with a multi-meter. It was bouncing all over - 8, 16, 9, 14, 10, 13. Didn't settle at all. I suppose the average would have been around 12 :???: Really is a variable voltage power pack.

If/when you get round to building a brew fridge and you are confident with a soldering iron I can post a 'how to use a four gang multi-socket for both heat and cool supplies'. I adapted the design from a post I saw somewhere where someone had rigged up a six way with 2 cool, 2 heat and 2 permanently on.

 

[alarmsparks]

I would get a regulated power supply for what they cost, only a few pounds on eBay.

 

[Twostage]

I would get a regulated power supply for what they cost, only a few pounds on eBay.

I got this one off fleabay, it seems to drive the fan ok (it doesn't seem to mind what voltage I set it to, just spins faster or slower). If I get another fridge (and manage to sneak it into my shed) I'd consider paying a few quid more for regulated.

While we're on fans I learned (by being flummoxed by a couple of fans I extracted (pun) from old PCs ) that you need the old style fans that have black and red leads. The recent ones with blue, green, yellow etc. have stepper motors and need a fan controller to make them work.