Fridge/freezer - uses for freezer section

[salty dog]

Hi All,

I'm doing small batch (10L) all grain brewing & have scored the old fridge freezer for my fermentation chamber/place to condition beer - better than hot summer temperatures in the garage.

Got some good help/ideas from the forum so I am pretty happy with that part.
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/93028-help-making-strong-stand-alone-shelf-in-fermentation-fridge/#entry1415139

Now I am looking for creative ideas for what I can use the freezer section for. If the temperatures get down below freezing, storing glass bottles with beer in them doesn't seem wise. If it is close to freezing at times & slightly above freezing at others, do you think that perhaps I could stash some 1.25-2L PET bottles of beer in there? Would that be better for beer storage than a warm garage in summer?

I don't think I am ready to try & make things too complicated & try & add a second thermostat but if the collective brains trust of the forum have any good ideas, I'm open to suggestion. Anyone out there got any good ideas?

 

[SBOB]

beer glasses, hops, dry yeast, body parts

 

[SBOB]

I don't think I am ready to try & make things too complicated & try & add a second thermostat but if the collective brains trust of the forum have any good ideas, I'm open to suggestion. Anyone out there got any good ideas?

also, that wont work... fridge/freezer combos dont generally have separate cooling/compressors for the fridge and freezer sections

 

[salty dog]

"body parts"

What am I going to do with the barrels of acid then?

 

[salty dog]

Yeah, sort of figured that with a single compressor & two thermostats the fridge & freezer sections would be effectively fighting each other.

 

[mstrelan]

Hide things you bought before SWMBO sees them.

 

[Beamer]

I store hops and dried yeast in mine. I'm not sure if you do yeast starters, but every few brews I make an extra 4 litres of wort and freeze those 4 litres (in pet bottles) to use for my yeast starters.

Good idea to dilute that extra wort down between 1030 and 1040.

 

[salty dog]

I only started my all grain brewing mid way through this year & gradually getting my equipment so have not being doing yeast starters yet but have been thinking about it for a few months. I'll get there eventually. Good idea for the wort. If the temperatures sometimes rise above freezing at times, is there a bit of a risk of infection seeing as I would need to allow some headroom in the bottles to allow for expansion when freezing?

 

[Denobrew]

I know a bloke that cut a 100mm hole in the bottom of the freezer section and put in a fan to move the cold air into the fridge section. Just another option.

 

[mofox1]

I know a bloke that cut a 100mm hole in the bottom of the freezer section and put in a fan to move the cold air into the fridge section. Just another option.

I'm halfway thru the same process, have the hole, yet to wire up the fan.

 

[salty dog]

Pretty wild stuff - don't know if I am ready to start cutting holes in the fridge I just inherited. I might make myself unpopular & be a bit upset with myself if I kill the fridge.

 

[feralbass]

Bait

 

[damoninja]

I know a bloke that cut a 100mm hole in the bottom of the freezer section and put in a fan to move the cold air into the fridge section. Just another option.

Good idea so long as there's no coil through there, most will just have insulation.

I'd like one where if I have the fridge at 18C for beer the freezer is at ~12C for cheese. Would be awesome to be able to do both at once but can't justify a second fridge just for cheese.

 

[peteru]

Cheese culture is not exactly compatible with beer culture. I'd fear cross contamination and would be inclined to keep those two in separate buildings, not in the same fridge.

 

[damoninja]

Cheese culture is not exactly compatible with beer culture. I'd fear cross contamination and would be inclined to keep those two in separate buildings, not in the same fridge.

One being in the freezer, one being in the fridge. Additionally the cheeses I do are in their own containers, I don't even get cross contamination between cheeses let alone other stuff.

Either way, I wouldn't put them in the same fridge without nuking the fridge after having cheese in it.

 

[paulyman]

Cheese culture is not exactly compatible with beer culture. I'd fear cross contamination and would be inclined to keep those two in separate buildings, not in the same fridge.

Off topic but there is a discussion going on in the Milk the Funk group at the moment about making washed rind with lambic, sounds interesting.

 

[paulyman]

Cheese culture is not exactly compatible with beer culture. I'd fear cross contamination and would be inclined to keep those two in separate buildings, not in the same fridge.

Off topic but there is a discussion going on in the Milk the Funk group at the moment about making washed rind with lambic, sounds interesting.

 

[mtb]

You could store grain in there I reckon. You want a dry and cool environment, and it wouldn't be at freezer temps (because your fridge isn't being held at fridge temps)

 

[peteru]

Dry would be a problem. You'll get condensation in the freezer, especially if you are running it warmer than always below freezing.

 

[damoninja]

Dry would be a problem. You'll get condensation in the freezer, especially if you are running it warmer than always below freezing.

Would probably wanna rig up a dehumidifier like wine fridges and RCACs

Know someone who was gonna spend a bomb on a wine fridge before he saw my ferm fridge, set one up with an STC and dehumidifier.

Overkill for grain I reckon