Temperature controlled fermenting

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Cloud Surfer

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Seems temperature control rates near the top priorities for producing the best beer. I see lots of fermentor setups using fridges. But how does this compare to using something like the Grainfather fermentor with temperature control? The Grainfather looks like a good setup.
 
Seems temperature control rates near the top priorities for producing the best beer. I see lots of fermentor setups using fridges. But how does this compare to using something like the Grainfather fermentor with temperature control? The Grainfather looks like a good setup.
Costs a bit too, if you didn't want a fridge then this set up would be cheaper.
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Cant beat a used fridge, quite often see them for free or around $50-100.
Are you saying a fridge would be better than something like the Grainfather fermentor? Just seems to me you can do the whole primary, secondary, conditioning, cold crashing and then bottling process in a Grainfather without moving the wort/beer once. I like how efficient that sounds, not to mention reducing the oxygen and infection risk.
 
Are you saying a fridge would be better than something like the Grainfather fermentor? Just seems to me you can do the whole primary, secondary, conditioning, cold crashing and then bottling process in a Grainfather without moving the wort/beer once. I like how efficient that sounds, not to mention reducing the oxygen and infection risk.


I'm saying its a cheap way of controlled fermentation and you can also cold crash in it and even serve from it, for the cost it cant be beat.
 
The little 12 volt unit is a Thermenter King, heat and cool, I saw it working at 30 C ambient and the ferment was at 17 C. Without the insulated jacket!

I gather these are still in development and/or not available yet? Ive seen them mentioned a few times on the forum but cant find any more information on them anywhere. Do you know, Is it likely weeks or months away? Any other details?
Thanks
 
I gather these are still in development and/or not available yet? Ive seen them mentioned a few times on the forum but cant find any more information on them anywhere. Do you know, Is it likely weeks or months away? Any other details?
Thanks
The Thermenter King was almost ready for release prior to the lock down, another larger model was due to be released later this year. I expect there will some be delays, best to email CEO Keg King to find out any more definite information.
 
Seems temperature control rates near the top priorities for producing the best beer. I see lots of fermentor setups using fridges. But how does this compare to using something like the Grainfather fermentor with temperature control? The Grainfather looks like a good setup.
Hey mate. Can't comment on the grainfather as I don't have one, but had a good look. It seems pretty sweet however you could pretty much buy a pressure fermenter (KL or KK) something like a snub nose or all in one or what ever ($80) and a temp controller ($50) and heat belt ($30) and even a brand new fridge ($250) that's like $400 in total. Considering the grainfather is close to $1,000 without a glycol cooler, my simple brain reckons you can get an entire kegerator ($500) plus a gas bottle ($80) and a keg or two and still be better off financially.

Not sure if my maths is wrong but I'm sure someone will correct me.

Honestly I love my snub nose inside an old garage fridge with a KK temp controller. I lift it into the fridge once, lift it out once when I need to transfer. Considering it's fully closed and pressure fermented there's no risk of oxygen no matter how much my arms wobble lifting 20kg out of the fridge.

Just my thought
 
Hey mate. Can't comment on the grainfather as I don't have one, but had a good look. It seems pretty sweet however you could pretty much buy a pressure fermenter (KL or KK) something like a snub nose or all in one or what ever ($80) and a temp controller ($50) and heat belt ($30) and even a brand new fridge ($250) that's like $400 in total. Considering the grainfather is close to $1,000 without a glycol cooler, my simple brain reckons you can get an entire kegerator ($500) plus a gas bottle ($80) and a keg or two and still be better off financially.

Not sure if my maths is wrong but I'm sure someone will correct me.

Honestly I love my snub nose inside an old garage fridge with a KK temp controller. I lift it into the fridge once, lift it out once when I need to transfer. Considering it's fully closed and pressure fermented there's no risk of oxygen no matter how much my arms wobble lifting 20kg out of the fridge.

Just my thought
That seems like a good setup. So many different ways to skin the cat. I don’t care how much it costs, so that doesn’t factor in. I just want the cleanest and most efficient process from start to finish. Seemed the Grainfather ticked all the boxes. I’ll keep snooping around for ideas. Cheers
 
That seems like a good setup. So many different ways to skin the cat. I don’t care how much it costs, so that doesn’t factor in. I just want the cleanest and most efficient process from start to finish. Seemed the Grainfather ticked all the boxes. I’ll keep snooping around for ideas. Cheers

Yeah, not sure what your space requirements etc are, but I find that something like a ferm fridge can also double up for warming yeast starters etc. Also, when you're not brewing you can use it as a fridge on it's own (I brew too often for this hahaha) but I also like making bread / pizza so I use it for making pizza / dough in as well.

It really is a very painless process, but that's only for 23L batches. My setup is all in the garage, and within a few meters of each other. If I was super lazy, I would put the empty prepped fermenter into the fridge, then pump from the Guten into the fermenter to fill it. Then, when done I could have a 2-3m gas line from the bottle and hook to the fermenter still in the fridge and transfer it. Means I wouldn't need to lift a filled fermenter once.

At the end of the day, at least in my opinion, a dedicated ferm fridge + keg setup made a world of difference, because of zero oxygen transfers. The other thing to look up (and please don't jump on me everyone) is the RAPT ferm chamber I believe from KegLand. (I buy from both places I AM NOT AN EMPLOYEE OF EITHER KK OR KL) which seems like a really nice bit of kit for $499 RAPT Temperature Controlled Fermentation Chamber/Fridge

but yeah, I am in the camp of 'buy once, cry once' but sometimes a little thrift can get you much for value, and sometimes a better set up (in my opinion).

Either way, the GF looks sweet and if money wasn't an issue I would seriously look at running it with a Glycol, just remember the GF doesn't come with a chiller so that's another $600+ and then having to deal with Glycol.
 
Another plus for the old fridge as a fermenting chamber is when the main fridge in the house craps itself you can save the food! Mine did on friday night. Was due to brew on saturday so had one of the fermenting fridges empty. Unplug brewpiless controller and voila you have a fridge for food. Saved the day
 
If you use an old fridge, just make sure that when you change it from being fridge temp to fermentation temp that nobody has put food into the freezer section while you weren't looking.
Hundred percent. Emptied the side by side to use the fridge part. Almost forgot there was a heap of stuff in the freezer. Had a moment of clarity (rare) and realised the freezer won't run independently haha. Phew.
 
I also had to defrost our main fridge cos the vents had iced up. Brew fridge came to the rescue. You don’t even need to buy a brew fridge. Just pick one up off the side of the road 9 times out of 10 they’re only there cos they bought a new stainless one. Even if it’s down on performance you only need it to hold 19’c
 
Seems temperature control rates near the top priorities for producing the best beer. I see lots of fermentor setups using fridges. But how does this compare to using something like the Grainfather fermentor with temperature control? The Grainfather looks like a good setup.
Mine is a 170l bar fridge with a thermostat control, perfect for my 20l brews. In summer I can set up or down for lagers or pale ales and the temp remains constant. Bar fridge was $150, (some years ago) cheap thermostat control from Ebay, ( about $25 )works well in my garage. In winter, because the temp in the garage rarely goes below 16c so a heat band or mat does the warming.
 
I’ve seen that KegLand fermentation fridge before, and it looks very neat. I’ve also seen a bank of Grainfather fermentors all hooked up to a glycol chiller and bubbling away.
 
Mine is a 170l bar fridge with a thermostat control, perfect for my 20l brews. In summer I can set up or down for lagers or pale ales and the temp remains constant. Bar fridge was $150, (some years ago) cheap thermostat control from Ebay, ( about $25 )works well in my garage. In winter, because the temp in the garage rarely goes below 16c so a heat band or mat does the warming.
Sounds perfect. Wondering if you had any pics of this bar fridge setup in action? I have always wondered about a bar fridge vs a big fridge because I have space constraints in my shed. A lot of bar fridges I have seen never quite have enough room with the protruding motor, or the internals cannot be removed to make enough space etc. It might be my barrel fermenter is the wrong shape or I am always looking at the wrong kind of bar fridge. Cheers
 
Look out for a bar fridge that is all fridge with no freezer, should be enough height for a 30l fermenter or a couple of corny's.
I was lucky to find a freebie ex medical supplies fridge that i can set from -25 to + 20c which will cover most of my brewing, going to experiment with a Kveik yeast in the fridge turned off to get extra heat or use a belt/mat.
 

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