I want to take advantage of this nice cold weather and set up a cheap way to lager in my garage. Here is my idea please tell me it will work or am I crazy.
Make a box with 2" foam large enough for my 6.5 gal carboy with a hole on top for my air lock. Use one of the fermentation heaters wrapped around my carboy with a digital controller and put vodka in the air lock.
What do you think?
IDK if your smoking something but you might be drinking something.
One important question is how cold is your garage. There is a temp where even lager yeast will hibernate, but if you have a heater on it and set to 50ish you should be fine.
Lagers ferment at 50ish, but you want to lager your beer at 35ish.
And if you’re going to build a box large enough for your carboy, why cut a hole for the airlock? Why not just make it big enough to fit the carboy and airlock? Just wondering.
You could always test it out with a jug of water and see if you get consistent temps. +1 about foregoing the hole for the airlock. I would just enclose the entire thing. I did my first lager in a mini fridge and the airlock was inside.
I have done just what you propose. A 4X8 sheet will make a box large enough for 2 carboys. Including airlocks.
I used a light bulb the 1st time. I would use something else though. A ceramic heater or a cheap hair dryer.
Man, if you’re going to get the foam, just go all the way and build a Mother of Fermentation Chiller!
http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/38DD-Mother-of-a-Fermentation-Chiller
I built one a couple years ago and it’s the bomb. A really fun project and it will last a LOT longer than just a foam box.
I will try to post pics of mine here if I feel ambitious on Monday. You’ll find lots of nice pics online too. :cheers:
I can fit a 6.5 carboy into a 10 gallon round Igloo cooler,
Problem is getting that full carboy into the cooler, So I put a brew belt carrier on it.
Then the buckle part poses just enough problem that I can’t fit el cheapo heating pad down in there.
Super thin fermwrap could go on first, before brew belt carrier, and fit like a glove.
But I am El Cheapo, and only have Meijer off brand beer heating pad. So I use 6 gal primary.
Switching with a Johnson A419 and thermowell.
Heat pad set on low, probably 15 watts? Has low/med/high. High is 40 watts.
No problems yet. It got down to 4* here last night, day 5 of my primary and I’m holding steady 48*.
It was 20* this morning on the porch and it was holding steady.
[quote=“El Capitan”]Man, if you’re going to get the foam, just go all the way and build a Mother of Fermentation Chiller!
http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/38DD-Mother-of-a-Fermentation-Chiller
I built one a couple years ago and it’s the bomb. A really fun project and it will last a LOT longer than just a foam box.
I will try to post pics of mine here if I feel ambitious on Monday. You’ll find lots of nice pics online too. :cheers: [/quote]
You know, there is no reason you would not be able to put a small heater/hair dryer in there with a temp controller to give it a little heat if you are setting it outside.
Move it inside in the summer to keep it a little cooler and not use as much ice.
