Managing your fermentation chamber

[Tarks]

So I finally have a chest freezer that I am using for my ferment chamber and currently have a blonde ale fermenting away at 64F. All is good!

Tomorrow I am brewing up a double decoction lager that will require months of lagering and that got me thinking. I want to use the chamber for my ales but this won't be possible if I have beers lagering at 35F in there.

Damn, I need another chest freezer!

Or do I? For those of you who lager on a regular basis, can you pull a batch that is lagering out of the fridge for 5 days to make room for an ale? Or, is that a no no?

How do you guys do it?

 

[Trail]

I believe you're overthinking this, homeslice. Bottle your beer with priming sugar, then lager the bottles in your main/grocery fridge. Then pull them out and let them bottle condition at room temp for a month.

 

[PDX_T]

I use heat tape and a second controller to keep the primary warm while lagering. Search for Huaco's fermenter build for all the detail you can get.

 

[Tarks]

I use heat tape and a second controller to keep the primary warm while lagering. Search for Huaco's fermenter build for all the detail you can get.

Excellent. Thank you!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

This is why I have a fermentation fridge and a lagering fridge (in addition to my keezer)!

Okay, so the lagering fridge is also the spare food & beer fridge... But I use it for lagering, and I deliberately have called it "the lagering fridge" ever since I brought it home so SWMBO knows that is its FIRST purpose in life.

 

[Tarks]

I believe you're overthinking this, homeslice. Bottle your beer with priming sugar, then lager the bottles in your main/grocery fridge. Then pull them out and let them bottle condition at room temp for a month.

I hate bottling!!! Every since I built my 4 tap keezer I haven't bottled.

 

[Tarks]

This is why I have a fermentation fridge and a lagering fridge (in addition to my keezer)!

Okay, so the lagering fridge is also the spare food & beer fridge... But I use it for lagering, and I deliberately have called it "the lagering fridge" ever since I brought it home so SWMBO knows that is its FIRST purpose in life.

This is the road I think I'm heading towards. A basement (museum) of chest freezers! :rockin:

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I have a small 5ft chest Freezer. I usually have an 6 gallon better bottle and a couple of 1 gallon jugs fermenting, and while they are fermenting, the serving keg inside serves slightly warm. I just put a lager in, so no Ales inside now. I've had to regress to a swap/cooler Yooper inspired cooler and a Cool Brewing Bag for my Ales as they are easier to manage than the lager would be. When the lager goes to lager temps my serving kegs will be too cold, but I can live with that. I wish I had room for a second (and third) chest freezer, but I at least I have one.

 

[eric19312]

Same problem, my fermentation fridge is busy ramping a Belgian I brewed last weekend up to 78. I'd like to brew an ipa
this weekend but doesn't look like it will work out.

 

[Trail]

I hate bottling!!! Every since I built my 4 tap keezer I haven't bottled.

So lager in the keezer. Principle's the same.

 

[BigFloyd]

This is the road I think I'm heading towards. A basement (museum) of chest freezers! :rockin:

Go for it. I'm at two upright units (one fridge and one freezer) in my little basement, each with an STC-1000 on it.

Life is good.

 

[Tarks]

So lager in the keezer. Principle's the same.

I could, but I would have to sacrifice a tap to do that. My keezer is small and just fits 4 kegs.