Frequently Asked Questions For The New Brewer

[kelbygreen]

its not hard but its not something you dont want to play with if your not to sure. there is threads on how to hook up tempmate on here its the same thing thats what I used and mine works but if you know a sparky get him over for a drink or 2 and get him to do it. Hopefully before the beer or 2 lol

 

[drfad]

Just a question on using the fridge with a controller - does this really crank up the electricity bill?

 

[Samuel Adams]

regarding the temp control, some aldi stores still have wine cooler fridges for $149.
if i recall correctly, temp range is 7-18degC

Sweet, I'll have to have a look to see if they still have some.
$150 is pretty cheap, how crappy is it ?
Saves the search for an old fridge and the need to buy & install a temp controller.

Only problem will be keeping the missus wine away from it !

 

[HeavyNova]

Just a question on using the fridge with a controller - does this really crank up the electricity bill?

I haven't got my first bill while using my new controller however since the firdge switches on and off and is fairly well insulated I would expect the increase in power consumption to be quite small. I'm fermenting a smaller batch than usual at the moment in the fridge and it probablt turns on for maybe 10 minutes in the hour. Could be a bit more or less though as I haven't sat there and watched it for an hour!

 

[Hatchy]

no chance. i'll have to look into something like this: https://daveshomebrew.com.au/index.php?opti...8&Itemid=99

does anyone know if these are any cheaper elsewhere?

and has anyone tried those heating pads?

That one looks exactly the same as the one I inherited for nothing. If it is then it doesn't heat, it only cools which works fine for me, in winter I just put on my heat belt & leave the fridge at 20. Can you have a heater & the fridge hooked up to one of the ebay ones at the same time, they look the goods. I've got a couple of sparky mates who should be able to sort those out easily enough. Fermenting fridge number 2, here I come.

I'd suggest that my keg fridge will have a bigger impact on my power bill than my ferment fridge. The keg fridge only went in during winter so I'm not looking forward to our summer bill (especially now that I have a 2nd fermenting fridge on it's way). Maintaining a fridge at 20 has to be cheaper than maintaining one at 4.

Before I had the ferment fridge I had my fermenters in the bath with ice bricks & wet towels around them. Sometimes it was tough to keep them under 25 but I made some good beer & it got me through until I got a fermenting fridge. Brewing is quite a forgiving process until you bugger it up entirely.

Edit: after posting I read this & I'm thinking that one of these may be a better option than the ebay one. I've answered my own question about hooking it up to a heater & fridge at the same time, you can use it to heat or cool but it doesn't look like you can have the fridge & heater plugged in at the same time. Sort of what I expected.

 

[dr_pepper]

Sweet, I'll have to have a look to see if they still have some.
$150 is pretty cheap, how crappy is it ?
Saves the search for an old fridge and the need to buy & install a temp controller.

Only problem will be keeping the missus wine away from it !

can anyone confirm the temp range on the aldi wine fridges?

an interesting option if it works well

 

[dr_pepper]

regarding the temp control, some aldi stores still have wine cooler fridges for $149.
if i recall correctly, temp range is 7-18degC

is this the wine cooler you are talking about?

if so, its gone up a bit in price..but if it does 7-18degC, then thats good enough for me

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_14944.htm

 

[Ravenous]

Hi there,

This is my first post on this forum and I am still fairly new to brewing. I have done around 6 or 7 brews with mixed results so far.

I always follow the instructions on the kit accurately, have sanitised gear and ferment until I get a consistent reading over a few days. The only thing that I haven't got right yet is the temperature control which after reading these posts I will follow through with.



All, this being said, a few of my brews have seemingly had little or no alcohol content upon drinking yet they have not exploded even after months in the bottle.

Would a fluctuating temperature between 21 and 27 result in a beer with a lower alcohol reading? If not then why?!

Cheers

 

[kelbygreen]

would need to know what fermentables you put in there ravenous. but try keep temps between 18-20 is best but upto 22 would still be good you can go higher but wouldnt recommend it. Tell us what you put in and we would have a better understanding of what might of happened, also how long it was in the fermenter.


drfad: I would say power bill would be less as its not turning on as much but it may be running longer. I know my keg chest freezer costs 7c a day to run with the fan going 24/7 I will put the power meter on the fermenting fridge now and try remember to post in here tomorrow with how much it cost

 

[Ravenous]

would need to know what fermentables you put in there ravenous. but try keep temps between 18-20 is best but upto 22 would still be good you can go higher but wouldnt recommend it. Tell us what you put in and we would have a better understanding of what might of happened, also how long it was in the fermenter.


drfad: I would say power bill would be less as its not turning on as much but it may be running longer. I know my keg chest freezer costs 7c a day to run with the fan going 24/7 I will put the power meter on the fermenting fridge now and try remember to post in here tomorrow with how much it cost

Currently I am brewing the Coopers Pale Ale Kit with Brew enhancer #2. It has been brewing for 6 days and stopped bubbling and the reading is currently at around 2% alcohol, why so low?

 

[kelbygreen]

you go buy the numbers on the hydrometer to work out the alcohol %. get a reading on brew day, try to stir in with a sanitised spoon or it will be all the wort on the bottom and water on the top and give a higher reading. Then get a reading about 8-10 days later and then the next day and the next if the reading is the same for 3 days your right to bottle. A kit should (but wont always) be around 1.040 OG (original gravity) and finish around (but again will vary could be more or less) 1.010 and its around 4.5% alc. dont use the alcohol % on the hydrometer as its just a guide and a very rough guide at that.

Try leave your beers for at least 8 day in fermenter this way you save on hydrometer samples and your beer benifits being longer in the fermenter, the yeast have a chance to clean up after them selfs. For me I brew wait 10+ days take hydrometer reading leave 2 more days take another hydro sample if its the same then put in the fridge at about 2-3c for at least 3 days (can be upto a month and usually a month min for a true lager) only spends that long in there as I some times dont have the time to bottle but have kegs now so will be easier.

 

[Samuel Adams]

is this the wine cooler you are talking about?

if so, its gone up a bit in price..but if it does 7-18degC, then thats good enough for me

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_14944.htm

Nice work dr pepper, I tried looking on the Aldi website but didn't find it.
It looks pretty good, $179 ain't bad for what it is either.

3 things to check first though - Temp range, can you remove shelves & measurements (ie. will it fit my fermenter in it)

If all checks out I might be able to do a lager in the QLD summer, hell yeah !

 

[dr_pepper]

Nice work dr pepper, I tried looking on the Aldi website but didn't find it.
It looks pretty good, $179 ain't bad for what it is either.

3 things to check first though - Temp range, can you remove shelves & measurements (ie. will it fit my fermenter in it)

If all checks out I might be able to do a lager in the QLD summer, hell yeah !

the aldi catalogue on that link is from august though, i just went to two aldi's in sydney today and no sign of them as expected... prob only lasted a week or two if that

im on the hunt on gumtree / ebay for 2nd hand wine fridge

just need to look for one with a flat bottom inside to make sure it fits properly... and all shelves need to be able to be removed as you say

temp range seems to be a standard 7degC-18degC on most of the wine fridges i've seen so far

good luck!!

i will report back if i have any luck

 

[Silo Ted]

Hi there,

This is my first post on this forum and I am still fairly new to brewing. I have done around 6 or 7 brews with mixed results so far.

I always follow the instructions on the kit accurately, have sanitised gear and ferment until I get a consistent reading over a few days. The only thing that I haven't got right yet is the temperature control which after reading these posts I will follow through with.



All, this being said, a few of my brews have seemingly had little or no alcohol content upon drinking yet they have not exploded even after months in the bottle.

Would a fluctuating temperature between 21 and 27 result in a beer with a lower alcohol reading? If not then why?!

Cheers

I like your choice of font.

 

[Silo Ted]

Dr Pepper, I was considering one of those Aldo fridges a while ago, less about the temp control but for a small unit that could fit a keg. Most bar fridges have a hump, which makes it impossible to squeeze a fermenter in. never git to see the Aldi one, I was two days late.

You should probably take your fermenter measurements with you, to make sure this will work if that's the direction you want to go in. However if you have a garage, then an old warhorse of a fridge can be had on Ebay for under $50 quite often, and will hold two jugs. Coupled with a $35 STC1000 from ebay, and a carton of beer to the kind member who recently offered to help you wire it up, you'll be off and running.

 

[dr_pepper]

Dr Pepper, I was considering one of those Aldo fridges a while ago, less about the temp control but for a small unit that could fit a keg. Most bar fridges have a hump, which makes it impossible to squeeze a fermenter in. never git to see the Aldi one, I was two days late.

You should probably take your fermenter measurements with you, to make sure this will work if that's the direction you want to go in. However if you have a garage, then an old warhorse of a fridge can be had on Ebay for under $50 quite often, and will hold two jugs. Coupled with a $35 STC1000 from ebay, and a carton of beer to the kind member who recently offered to help you wire it up, you'll be off and running.

i'm really short on space, so need to go for something small as possible. i actually couldn't fit a full size fridge anywhere.

does anyone know of the validity of using the airlock upside down (into the fermenter)? i think i saw someone else here mention it ???

i have found a wine fridge, but just about an inch too small to fit the fermenter in with the airlock attached upright....

someone else mentioned glad wrap too???

thanks for all the help everyone

 

[Silo Ted]

does anyone know of the validity of using the airlock upside down (into the fermenter)? i think i saw someone else here mention it ???

Not valid.

someone else mentioned glad wrap too???

That's the way to go. Especially if you have space restrictions. Assuming your fermenter is a screw-top, you can throw the lid out along with the airlock, but keep the rubber sealing ring. That can be used to hold your plastic film on top. Its cheap, easy and sanitary.

 

[drfad]

drfad: I would say power bill would be less as its not turning on as much but it may be running longer. I know my keg chest freezer costs 7c a day to run with the fan going 24/7 I will put the power meter on the fermenting fridge now and try remember to post in here tomorrow with how much it cost

Thanks for that. I would have thought keg freezers would run harder for some reason.

 

[Hatchy]

Keep the lid, handy for cleaning & aerating. I'm not so sure about the upside down airlock, I may give that a go at some point. Glad wrap does the job but I've gone back to the lid & airlock.

 

[djt]

G'day guys

I bought, and use a second hand wine fridge for brewin lagers etc. Cost me $50 of ebay. Works well, both my fermenters fit perfectly (yeh the racks come out) but what I've found is that the fridge wont actually cool the wort / fermenter, only keep it at the same temp you put it in at. So... get your wort to correct temp, then put it in. Works at treat. $50 bucks well spent IMO.

BTW, I bought my fermenters at bunnings for $15 bucks, and i think taps are $2ish. Just need to drill hole in the lid for the grommet and airlock. Cheaper than LHBS, but feedin the big guys I guess.

Hope this helps
darrtoo