Temperature Control For Bottle Conditioning

[Guysmiley54]

Hello,

I brew in Tassie and it is f@#$ing cold down here at this time of year!! I bottle condition my beers and at ambient temps it takes quite a while for them to carb up and condition. For the first time in ages I have had an empty temperature controlled fermentation fridge and heat belt not in use (no time to brew for a few more days...) and I thought why not condition in there

I have taken around a dozen, attached my heat belt around them and set the temp to 19. They are carbing up twice as fast as the room (freezing!) temperature ones.

I am concerned that the belt is only touching the outside ring on bottles. I am hoping that the bottles on the inside of the pack warm up nicely being pressed up very close to 19 degree bottles. Another problem is that I can really only get 12 inside my belt. I would have preferred to do the whole batch.

Does anyone else temperature control their bottle conditioning period? Does it make the beer more drinkable in a quicker period? (faster carbonation and conditioning also consistent temp to keep the yeast happy and clean up off flavours)

Thinking about making a cheap and easy setup to fit an entire batch. This will make sure that my ferment fridge stays available for brewing too. I'm sure this is a common thing, but I couldn't really work out how to search for it...

Cheers B)

 

[komodo]

build a small cupboard to store your bottled batch in and fit a temp controlled heat pad or heat belt. The small amount of insulation gained by isolation should help things along.
One of my mates dad uses a small fan heater as he likes that it blows the warm air around all his bottles...

 

[Guysmiley54]

Would the cupboard need to be insultated? Geez a fan heater :unsure: that sounds like a fire hazard h34r:
Love the idea, would you get all the bottles on the heating pad or would you attempt to heat the entire space?

 

[bullsneck]

Chuck them all in. Secondary fermentation will happen at or about 18. No need to only wrap 12 in the belt. I place my heat pad on the bottom shelf in mine, then have them all in there carbing up.

 

[pdilley]

Now that I am in the cold highlands and have 4 temperature controllers at hand I use the water bath method. The bottles are in a very large plastic storage container and water added just to cover their lower half. Fully submersible fish tank heater for $10 delivered from eBay and I am humming along nicely. The bath lets the water get to 20 and the bottles lag and slowly meet temperature eliminating the concern of overheating bottles. I don't have the bath in a sealed environment but out in the room to help humidify the dry low humidity air in the winter. The humidity gauge never measures more than 40 percent humidity in the room so all in all it works out great.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[QldKev]

Will all your bottles fit in the fridge? If so, a few people on here just hang the heat belt in the fridge, chuck the bottles in and set the controller. Even if the fridge is big enough using this method you could have a fermenter and bottles in there. I would also run a small pc fan to help move the air around.

QldKev

 

[RdeVjun]

If you have an electric hot water system, sit the bottles on top in a box with a blanket over them, should get around 20C, if they're too hot put a spacer underneath. Mine does excellent winter- time bottle carbonation and also doubles up for diacetyl rests! B)

 

[Amber Fluid]

Will all your bottles fit in the fridge? If so, a few people on here just hang the heat belt in the fridge, chuck the bottles in and set the controller. Even if the fridge is big enough using this method you could have a fermenter and bottles in there. I would also run a small pc fan to help move the air around.

QldKev

+1

If you aren't using your fridge then just sit them in their with temp control.

I have a friend who built a cabinet with temp control just to condition his bottles. It works the same as a fridge but it's a cabinet with a reptile heat cord in it and he has used Styrofoam from the fruit and veg at the supermarket for a bit of insulation.

 

[[email protected]]

Another possibility is pitch a small amount of lager yeast at bottling time. Being fresh and suitable for colder environs should have them done in no time!

 

[Guysmiley54]

Now that I am in the cold highlands and have 4 temperature controllers at hand I use the water bath method. The bottles are in a very large plastic storage container and water added just to cover their lower half. Fully submersible fish tank heater for $10 delivered from eBay and I am humming along nicely. The bath lets the water get to 20 and the bottles lag and slowly meet temperature eliminating the concern of overheating bottles. I don't have the bath in a sealed environment but out in the room to help humidify the dry low humidity air in the winter. The humidity gauge never measures more than 40 percent humidity in the room so all in all it works out great.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

Do you need a pump to get an even temperature through the water? Do you mount the heater vertically or horizontally? I have found a couple on ebay but it seems that they need to be covered completely in water and I think that would completely submerse the bottles as well...

If I could find one with a thermostat for $10-$20 delivered, that sounds like a pretty good plan.

 

[Guysmiley54]

Another possibility is pitch a small amount of lager yeast at bottling time. Being fresh and suitable for colder environs should have them done in no time!

+1 for ingenuity

 

[MaltyHops]

I recently wrapped a heat belt around a stockpot with a Tempmate
controlling the belt inside a switched off fridge to make a yeast starter
at 20C - worked really well.

If you have a pot of good size to fit a few bottles inside and remaining
bottles around it in a fridge/cupboard, it should work well. This solution
keeps things dry and having a heat belt operating in free air is not good
for the belt.

T.

Edit: Also, used a buckle/nylon strap setup and a wide strip of insulation
foam to secure the belt against the pot.

 

[pdilley]

Do you need a pump to get an even temperature through the water? Do you mount the heater vertically or horizontally? I have found a couple on ebay but it seems that they need to be covered completely in water and I think that would completely submerse the bottles as well...

If I could find one with a thermostat for $10-$20 delivered, that sounds like a pretty good plan.

They all have thermstats built in but not accurate so dial in 20 then after the light goes off test the water temperature with another thermometer to calibrate how far out your fish tank heater is. Or use a Temp Controller and set the fish tank heater to maximum and use the Temp Controller to switch it on or off and forget about calibrating it.

Mine are laid horizontally under water AC cord and all at the bottom for best heat transfer without need of a water pump (fully submersible unlike the heaters of yesteryear). Thermodynamics and heat transfer work well in water compared to air so no need for pumps. You put as much water in as you want. I keep mine at half way up the bottles and because I am always looking at it I can see if its a slow evaporation rate and top up if needed (usually a little water after two weeks for my set up).

I use high wattage as I have large volumes of liquid to heat but if you have a small sized bath the low wattage works fine and less chance to overshoot temperature by a degree (only if used with external Temp Controllers) as with the longer higher wattage glass heaters (stainless heaters an option if glass is not your thing). Low watt heaters cost the same or more than high watts on eBay so pick what suits your idea of what you want or need. I have four high wattage heaters and four Temp Controllers. I even ferment indoors with no fridges or cooling connected during winter using the same water bath method. I also use them for heating my 5 litre flasks to optimum yeast temps for growing yeasts for pitches or revivings of multi-year old yeasts. Very flexible bit of kit.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[ianh]

Also in Tassie, all brewing done in the garage/workshop area.

I have a fermentation fridge with uses 2 (incase one fails) light globes controlled by a digital controller as the heat source. The globes are located under a solid bottom shelf, fortunately I have enough room in the door to handle the bottles (15 by 1.5 litres) for conditioning.

As well I have a fermentation cupboard, this sits on top of an old kitchen unit, which is used for storage. It has 2 light globes and a computer fan controlled by a digital temp controller. It cupboard is partitioned in two halves which have removable shelves. So I can use it for 2 fermenters, to condition 4 brews or one fermenter and two brews conditioning.

Ian

 

[ekul]

If it were me i'd just start making lagers, they should be able to carbonate in the lower temps. Or get kegs

 

[Guysmiley54]

Cool idea.

Is it bad for the belt because there's nothing pressing against the belt to dissapate the heat? Is it really that bad for it?

I have now put my belt on the bottom shelf and put all of my bottles on the next two shelves. I taped the sensor to a long neck and it'the setup seems to maintaining the temp beautifully! Just need to find a better solution that doesn't tie up my ferment fridge... Considering an old cupboard or even a broken bar fridge because of the insulation factor.

I recently wrapped a heat belt around a stockpot with a Tempmate
controlling the belt inside a switched off fridge to make a yeast starter
at 20C - worked really well.

If you have a pot of good size to fit a few bottles inside and remaining
bottles around it in a fridge/cupboard, it should work well. This solution
keeps things dry and having a heat belt operating in free air is not good
for the belt.

T.

Edit: Also, used a buckle/nylon strap setup and a wide strip of insulation
foam to secure the belt against the pot.

 

[Guysmiley54]

If it were me i'd just start making lagers, they should be able to carbonate in the lower temps. Or get kegs

Kegs.... mmmm, would love to keg! I'm saving up for a deposit on a house. Once moved, I will have more space and be able to get funds together more easily.

Also, I love ales to much to give them up It's not always this cold in Tassie but I think I'd rather have to heat bottles to have a consistent conditioning temp than have to cool them. I lived in QLD for the last 10 years and although I went through a few brewing phases never got good results due to temperature problems. I also didn't know about firdge and thermostat controls either

 

[MaltyHops]

...
Is it bad for the belt because there's nothing pressing against the belt to dissapate the heat? Is it really that bad for it?
...

Yes, this has come up in an earlier thread before and I seem to recall
someone posting a picture of a melted belt that probably had potential
for tarting a fire. Wrapping a heat belt around a large heat sink like a
fermenter or pot would be more even than say wrapping around bottles
of beer directly.

Don't know if you've considered it but it just occurred to me you ought
to make sure the controller temp. sensor is attached to a bottle that is
in contact with the heat belt (and not the end sections that may not
have the heating element) ... otherwise, think high temp and boom!

T.

 

[Guysmiley54]

Yes, this has come up in an earlier thread before and I seem to recall
someone posting a picture of a melted belt that probably had potential
for tarting a fire. Wrapping a heat belt around a large heat sink like a
fermenter or pot would be more even than say wrapping around bottles
of beer directly.

Don't know if you've considered it but it just occurred to me you ought
to make sure the controller temp. sensor is attached to a bottle that is
in contact with the heat belt (and not the end sections that may not
have the heating element) ... otherwise, think high temp and boom!

T.

Geez, hadn't thought of that... I actually have it free standing now h34r:

When it was wrapped around bottles, I did have the sensor on one of the ones I thought would get the maximum amount of heat of all in contact with the belt. I had the exact same thought mate!