Fermentation and storage

[MrRoufa]

So I just bottled my first batch, and I'm hooked. The wife has okay'd a fridge to store beer, but I also want a good place to ferment. Can anyone advise an all in one solution solution to store / chill bottles AND a temperature controlled fermentation chamber? Will a side by side with temperature control work, or a freezer less fridge with bottles shelved and a carboy on the bottom? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[grathan]

What's your budget?

 

[unionrdr]

A small fridge to ferment in with a temp controller to keep it in the yeasts' ideal range would be great. But chilling bottles no. Storage might be ok,but a little warm at ale yeast temps.

 

[RM-MN]

I'd use the fridge to ferment the beer (with a proper controller of course) and store the bottled beer at room temp. It doesn't need to be kept cold, just chilled for drinking. I have beer that has been at room temp for well over a year and it's fine.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,that's what I do with mine. I really want a fridge in the mancave to be able to chill more of my beer at once though.

 

[MrRoufa]

My goal is to have a "beer fridge" to keep all of my final product chilled so I don't have to worry about chilling before serving; I was wandering if a temperature controller could be used in one side of a side-by-side fridge/freezer or if two separate units would be better. Budget is not the issue so much as space. I cleared space in the garage for a fridge, but I'd also like to find a way to control temps for fermentation since it's hot 10 out of 12 months down here. Ideally, I'd convert a chest freezer for fermentation, but I'm not sure where o put it.

 

[unionrdr]

You might be able to control both sides at different temps with a dual controller...

 

[kombat]

Temp-controlled chest freezer for fermentation, plain-old refrigerator for cold-crashing and bottle/ingredient storage.

 

[grathan]

You could use a fridge. Move the shelves up to make room for the fermenter on the bottom and then put the sheves at bottle height. There could be room for a few cases worth of bottles this way.

Get a dual stage temperature controller or at least one that can do heat. Get a ferm wrap, or a couple heating pads for the fermenter. Keep the fridge at your ideal serving temp and let the heaters keep your fermentation at proper temperature.

 

[kombat]

Note that putting a conventional refrigerator on a temperature controller renders the freezer compartment useless.

 

[Cyclman]

Temp-controlled chest freezer for fermentation, plain-old refrigerator for cold-crashing and bottle/ingredient storage.

+1 on this. I keep my "beer cave" deep freezer at 40, perfect beer temp plus I can lager whole carboys on the bottom shelf. Getting a small chest freezer for fermentations. Good 'ole Amex points. You can use a bucket with water / ice bottles as a cheap alternative, but it takes more tending.

 

[sok454]

Cycleman do u serve all your beer at 40? Or do you store at that temp and then serve at diff temp dep on style, preference ?