Temperature

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Depends which one is blooping loudest, Kev.

I have a fermenting fridge with a controller. Water bottle in fridge that I take the temp of.
Cool. Let's just remember that when we're talking to brand new brewers it might be a good idea to make it clear that we aren't taking the lid off and bunging a thermometer into the wort to check it out.

I think if OP goes down the water bath road (and it looks like he probably should) I think he'll find reasonably more accurate results by measuring that than any other simple method.
 
Depends which one is blooping loudest, Kev.


Cool. Let's just remember that when we're talking to brand new brewers it might be a good idea to make it clear that we aren't taking the lid off and bunging a thermometer into the wort to check it out.

I think if OP goes down the water bath road (and it looks like he probably should) I think he'll find reasonably more accurate results by measuring that than any other simple method.

Good point, bum! Shoulda pointed that out. Yeah, don't do that Robbie!
 
Went to check the temp of my fermeter (with temperature sticker). The temp is about 32 deg outside, but the temperature stickers ranges is about 20-22 degrees in the cellar.

Just bought a mercury thermomter, which records the min and max temps over a selected period. I have put it in the cellar, so ill take readings shortly and monitor over the next few days.

To prove my determination about getting this home brewing a good go, i have promised myself not to buy another beer.

I have one Coopers green in the fridge, and that is going to have to last me till my first batch of beer is ready to drink.

Luckily i got a bottle of whiskey to get me through the festive season :)
 
Although its pretty hot outside (+32 deg), my cellar temp is 23 deg, so unfortunately i wont have the luxury of a cellar which is a stable 18 degrees.

Question, if the rule of thumb is that lager brews at 12 degrees, why does the Coopers Lager (extract) recommend 22-27 degrees?
 
I have one Coopers green in the fridge, and that is going to have to last me till my first batch of beer is ready to drink.

Luckily i got a bottle of whiskey to get me through the festive season :)
You got about 2 weeks fermentation time + 3 weeks in the bottle for carbonation

You might have to buy some more beer, or do the 40 day famine
 
Rough rule of thumb

Saison 22c
Ale 18c
Lager 12c

Properly measure the temp in your cellar and choose a yeast to suit. Even if you just fill up a bucket of water and let it sit for a couple of days and measure that.

Then read up on maintaining temps of your fermenter.

QldKev

16C sounds like a good place to do Ales. Remembering the yeast generate their own heat, so 16C ambient might result in an 18C brew. If you choose a yeast which is good from 16-20C then you should be good.

Pretty certain US05 is fairly tollerant, athough I'm no longer a fan of US05 as it just produces cloudy beer
 
Yup, it looks like its going to be the 40 day famine! I'm sure ill make up for it when the first batch is ready to drink :)

Also, gives me the determination to make sure the first batch is success.
 
The way I've overcome this issue is to get hold of an old S/S dip tube from a keg, fold one end of it over on itself a couple of times to seal it. Drill a hole in the lid of your fermenter and add a rubber grommet and slide the dip tube into it from the underside. The temperature proble of my fridge mate fits snuggly into the open end. When fermenting the dip tube is submerged in the wort along with the temp probe. A bit of work, but worth while in the long run.

Diggles


Same thing, no work, better result, more money
fermentthermo.JPG


Fermenter Fermowell
http://www.beerbelly.com.au/ferment.html
 
Cool. Let's just remember that when we're talking to brand new brewers it might be a good idea to make it clear that we aren't taking the lid off and bunging a thermometer into the wort to check it out.

I think if OP goes down the water bath road (and it looks like he probably should) I think he'll find reasonably more accurate results by measuring that than any other simple method.

I think bum has smelt out the problem here. His solution, whilst on the face of it, may look cheeky I can't see a hole in it.
 
Although its pretty hot outside (+32 deg), my cellar temp is 23 deg, so unfortunately i wont have the luxury of a cellar which is a stable 18 degrees.

Question, if the rule of thumb is that lager brews at 12 degrees, why does the Coopers Lager (extract) recommend 22-27 degrees?

Ahem... its not really a lager ;)

I guess its an ale which is supposed to taste like a "generic aussie-style lager". If you used lager yeast... then it would be a lager...
 
with regards to getting an old fridge for temp control, it doesnt need to be in working order? its merely acting as a big eskey right?
 
Working is preferred. You attach something called a fridgemate (or one of it's various counterparts) and it acts as a ghetto modified thermostat by turning the fridge on and off at your desired temperature. It's pretty much the best effort/reward for set and forget temp control.

Having said that, a none working bar fridge or large esky can work too, with a bit of an ice rotation. Before getting the fridge I used to use my 70L ice box turned on it's side so it looked like a bar fridge and just put a 2L frozen water bottle in the back corner every couple of hours.

Wasn't great, but I'd get it about 7-10 degrees below ambient, which was about as good as I was going to get in QLD. In your cellar you'd probably get far better results.
 
with regards to getting an old fridge for temp control, it doesnt need to be in working order? its merely acting as a big eskey right?

As GuyQld said, working is preferred, but it doesn't have to be working well since you won't be running it at fridge temperatures (much)

Old fridges are cheap/free on eBay/gum tree etc

A homebrewer, isn't that someone with 5 fridges? ;)
 
As GuyQld said, working is preferred, but it doesn't have to be working well since you won't be running it at fridge temperatures (much)

Old fridges are cheap/free on eBay/gum tree etc

A homebrewer, isn't that someone with 5 fridges? ;)

Yes it is. The missus keeps reminding me 5 is too many. Fair point. But they are staying!
 
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