100 Can Cooler Bag.

[Steve]

I just picked one up at Kmart at Maitland for $19.99.

They had 15 to 20 left in stock.

Can now ferment my first AG Pale Ale with Wyeast 1099 at a cool 18 degrees.

Wooo Hooo - no more summer brewing worries!!!!!!!!

As long as you keep rotating the ice bottles to keep it cool both morning and night. Bit of a pain but you get used to it. The temp will soon climb without them.
Cheers.
Steve

 

[craig maher]

Yep no worries - got a supply of frozen bottles on hand.

The temps have been pretty savage over he last couple of days so I will be changing them regularly to mainatain temp.

 

[Paleman]

I just picked one up at Kmart at Maitland for $19.99.

They had 15 to 20 left in stock.

Can now ferment my first AG Pale Ale with Wyeast 1099 at a cool 18 degrees.

Wooo Hooo - no more summer brewing worries!!!!!!!!

Your making me jealous craig........until i get mine. Then you'll hear about it !!

 

[craig maher]

Sorry Paleman - but after years of summer brewing worries and no dedicated fermentaion fridge - its hard not to get a litte excited about temp control.

 

[hewy]

Just got mine from kmart castle hill, they had 2 left.

Cheers

 

[Steve]

This is the air temp inside the bag at 4.00pm on a 31 degree day in Canberra. Its actually tooo cold but take into account a couple of degrees generated inside the fermenter and its good as far as im concerned.
Cheers
Steve

View attachment 10206

 

[Paleman]

Got my bag within 5 minutes of searching. K-Mart WestLakes, in Adelaide. 20 bucks on special.

Heres to summer brewing.......and thanks for the photos. Especially yours Stevo :beerbang:

Bought a quick kit and kilo ( Coopers Lager, Brew Enhancer 2, and will load it up with hops, ferment it with a Wyeast ).........all to test me 100 Can Cooler. :super:

 

[Adamt]

GOLD! I swear I looked at KMart West Lakes for them, but I guess I'll look harder.

 

[Paleman]

GOLD! I swear I looked at KMart West Lakes for them, but I guess I'll look harder.

There was only about four of them Adam. But i had to ask.......i would never have found them otherwise.

 

[Paleman]

P.S.

Thanks Roach !! :super:

 

[Adamt]

Bought mine today for $19.99. Should save my next brew from the hot weather

 

[Paleman]

Bought mine today for $19.99. Should save my next brew from the hot weather

Onya Adds......ive got an el cheapo Coopers Lager chugging away in mine.....very slowly :huh:

Maybe too cool.

At least i know it works, have three milk bottles chucked in, with frozen water.

A Safale US 56.....good tolerent yeast, all going well and slow. Just how i like it. :chug:

 

[Busboy]

I bought one of these coolers yesterday at K-mart at Parramatta. They had about ten left on the shelf, if anyone wants one.

No affiliation......blah, blah...

 

[craig maher]

Just finished brewing a pale ale in mine - the cooler kept the brew at 18 to 19 with only 1 or 2 ice bricks.

Wish I had found this site and one of these coolers long before now!!!!!!!

 

[Paleman]

Just finished brewing a pale ale in mine - the cooler kept the brew at 18 to 19 with only 1 or 2 ice bricks.

Wish I had found this site and one of these coolers long before now!!!!!!!

Just in adding to everybodys positive comments on the bag. Ive brewed two now in mine.....both during hot days. Ambient temperature in my kitchen would have been 28C +.

The bag performed admirably.......with constant rotations, at least one swap of two frozen bottles a day.

Keeping my brews under the magical 20 degree mark for Ales. I love it, wish i owned one earlier. :super:

 

[Adamt]

Well, my bag has failed me momentarily. Racked to the fermenter yesterday morning (at 28C), put in the cooler bag with 3 ice bricks and sealed. Came back a few hours later and it was 27C :S

So, I waited until I finished work and pitched at midnight, it was about 22C, and left it in there with new ice bricks, and a cold, wet towel draped around it. Woke up this morning, it was still at 22C. Moved it into the (un-controlled) back fridge, as it's 41C here today and I didn't want to risk it exploding . Seems to be keeping it around 18C for the moment.

I think it would've helped a lot to actually get it down to the correct temperature before cooler bagging it, I'll put it back in the bag tomorrow when its 30C max outside.

-Adam

 

[Paleman]

Well, my bag has failed me momentarily. Racked to the fermenter yesterday morning (at 28C), put in the cooler bag with 3 ice bricks and sealed. Came back a few hours later and it was 27C :S

So, I waited until I finished work and pitched at midnight, it was about 22C, and left it in there with new ice bricks, and a cold, wet towel draped around it. Woke up this morning, it was still at 22C. Moved it into the (un-controlled) back fridge, as it's 41C here today and I didn't want to risk it exploding . Seems to be keeping it around 18C for the moment.

I think it would've helped a lot to actually get it down to the correct temperature before cooler bagging it, I'll put it back in the bag tomorrow when its 30C max outside.

-Adam

As you mentioned, with primary, its best bringing the wort down as cool as possible. I then add some chilled spring water to the fermenter to my wort, to top up to 23 litres. Usually finishes at around 22 degrees. Then the cooler bag will do the rest.

The cooler bag is very good, but it aint no miracle worker. To expect it to bring a 28 degree fermenter down in quick time is expecting a bit much.

 

[Bobby]

the bags will keep the beer cool and as you have found they will struggle to get the beer cool.

put the fermenter in there cool and then your sweet.

 

[Voosher]

the bags will keep the beer cool and as you have found they will struggle to get the beer cool.

put the fermenter in there cool and then your sweet.

And just to emphasise the point further... if you start with your fermenter at 28C it would take almost 10l of 0C water added directly to the fermenter to bring the temp down to 20C :excl:
The same amount of water frozen in PET bottles or similar outside the fermenter is going to have no hope in ambient temps of 40-odd-C.
It is vital in hot temps to start things cool. The ferment itself is going to generate enough heat to be challenging even on a moderately warm day.
I can feel a big demand for Saison yeast coming on...

 

[Adamt]

Yeah, should've occured to me earlier it wouldnt actually cool down. Anyway, it's in the bag now at 17C (actually, could be much less, no airlock activity and it feels pretty cold), but hopefully not much damage was done . At least this is good temperature juggling practise for summer brewing!