How much does a fermentation chamber help?

[Cartman98]

I've been brewing ales for 10 years now and I've never stored my fermenting beer in a controlled environment. Temps fluctuated anywhere from 65-80 degrees depending on the time of year, but I've never had beer that I couldn't drink. Honestly, almost all of it was great. Has anyone upgraded to a fermentation chamber/fridge/etc and noticed a significant difference?

 

[kh54s10]

Most certainly. When I was using a swamp cooler I got the occasional not so great beer. After making my fermentation chamber they have been much more consistent. I would say all of them were a little better than they would have been without the chamber(s). The biggest advantage is that you put the beer in there, set the controller then forget about it for 2 weeks.

I am a little surprised that you could ferment a beer (other than certain styles) at 80 degrees and get a good result. Maybe it is the difference between "a beer that you can drink" and a good beer.

 

[Cartman98]

Being honest, most of my brewing was in Wisconsin, but now I've moved to TX and we don't always let the AC run so it can get warm during the days. Beer still turns out ok though.

 

[oceanic_brew]

Good beer and repeatable beer are two different things

 

[Murphys_Law]

Good beer and repeatable beer are two different things

That was my first thought - repeatable. I can take that variable away if I control temp.

I bought a cheap mini fridge for $125 (new) and a controller is something like $30. Add a hear wrap for another $20ish and you can control temp perfectly.

If you search Craig's list you'll find cheaper solutions.

 

[FrankAbagnale]

I decided that controlling temps was important to me. I think it makes a difference for me but I guess it all depends on each person and their climate and/ambient temps.

I'm using a Danby fridge and temp controller.

 

[kh54s10]

"Beer still turns out ok though". - Ambient temperature. (maybe)
good beer - requires some temperature control
Great beer - requires good temperature control
repeatable beer - requires accurate temperature control

I you want "OK" beer just let the beer ferment. If you want better beer to very good beer, control the fermentation temperatures.

IT IS IMPORTANT.

 

[oceanic_brew]

I decided that controlling temps was important to me. I think it makes a difference for me but I guess it all depends on each person and their climate and/ambient temps.

I'm using a Danby fridge and temp controller.

Yeah temp control always gets cited as the major difference in someone's brewing but it all depends on what your previous environment was and what you were trying to brew.

All I know is that you can't learn a process when it's different every time. Regardless of how important temp control is or isn't to the quality of your Brewing ultimately the control of your process and how involved in it you are is the determinant in successful brewing. Unless you deal with an environment that is consistently 64 degrees or whatever than it's always a crapshoot.

I just want to put it out there that I've made just as many bad brews after getting temp control but only due to my constant desire for experimentation but I've locked in my yeast profile on every one.

Fermentation temp, pitch rate, and yeast health wins every time

 

[oylerck]

How did monks brew beer? I'm just curious if there was a method to keep it chilled during fermentation or if it was only in spring/autumn seasons.

 

[aprichman]

Temperature control for hop forward beers is essential. How you control it is a little less relevant. Yeast management is really a foundation of most American styles.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

It depends on where you live and what season your

In the winter I know I could ferment with the bucket on the floor that's around 63 and make a mighty fine ale

In the summer My floor temp is way over an ale yeast temp...and that's without factoring in heat from fermentation. I would never start a beer in 73 ambient temps

I bought a chest freezer because I have the room and there cheap..I know I'm at optimum temps all the time....Plus It's 100% necessary for cold crashing...money well spent

 

[LaurieGator]

Yes!

The last two places I lived were Arizona and South Carolina. I brewed about 10 batches of beer without a fermentation chamber. It was way too difficult to try to control the fermentation temps without one.

Unless you are lucky enough to live in a great place where your temperatures only fluctuate a few degrees throughout the year, the fermentation chamber is great. I love many styles of beer and I am not limited to only brewing them during a narrow window of time. I can brew a few amber ales in the dead of winter then switch it up to a couple of Belgians. The chamber always keeps the temps in the right range. Do you need to cold crash a beer? Not a problem!

Seriously, the fermentation chamber was one of the first investments that I made after I got a good burner, a mash tun and a few car boys (before the kegs). I felt that keeping the fermentation temps steady was really important, especially in climates like Arizona and South Carolina.

 

[stz]

How did monks brew beer? I'm just curious if there was a method to keep it chilled during fermentation or if it was only in spring/autumn seasons.

Back in the day monks wouldn't sell beer worldwide and most of it would have been consumed in house and locally. Pretty much the same for the majority of breweries.

Your house yeast would undergo selective pressure due to cropping by the brewers and would become better acclimatised to the environment, product and process within successful breweries. Unsuccessful ones would eventually stop making beer or would become successful ones. Beer recipes which through trial and error eventually produced better beer would have been ones with optimum mash pH and water profiles and successful breweries would focus on these beers. Knowledge would spread around the local area a little. Seasonal variation in weather would have effected some breweries more than others, but supply of ingredients also influenced what was brewed at different times of the year . All sorts of recipes which were brewed at different times of the year, often focused on harvest around July and the supply of malt and hops coming through over the following months to make the stronger beers as the temperature starts to come down which would have been sympathetic to the ambient temperature and ageing process in successful breweries, unsuccessful breweries again either stop making beer or become successful. Techniques such as lagering were developed and adopted by successful breweries required by law to brew beer only during the cooler months of the year such as bavarian brewers in the sixteenth century.

Edit. Oh yeah monks. They tended to have Abbeys. Not only did the physical characteristics of the buildings help, but they had the resources to invest in plant. I remember visiting a monetary brewery and the building for mashing and boiling was over three floors, gravity dropped the wort into the copper on the final floor and fermentation was underground, it was not cool in there, but it didn't need to be. A network of tunnels linked all the buildings on the estate, these were of various ages and periods due to expansion and various cellars contained the fermentation vessels. Storage for ageing the bigger beers were the coldest deepest areas. The tunnels had surface grates at various points which allowed some light in, but the design seemed to promote air flow bringing the warmer air up and out at tactical points.

 

[theowlman16]

My office stays 69 degrees all year. No chamber needed for most ales.

 

[Sadu]

I use my fermentation fridge mostly for lagers, it's not essential but it makes life easier and you can get it much colder which helps speed things along.

I think if you have the space for it, it's worth having. There are always used fridges going cheap and the temp controller is cheap too. It really comes down to having the space for it.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Most serious brewers all use controled fermentation and for very good reason. Once you try it you will not willingly go back.

 

[dsaavedra]

Most certainly. When I was using a swamp cooler I got the occasional not so great beer. After making my fermentation chamber they have been much more consistent. I would say all of them were a little better than they would have been without the chamber(s). The biggest advantage is that you put the beer in there, set the controller then forget about it for 2 weeks.

I am a little surprised that you could ferment a beer (other than certain styles) at 80 degrees and get a good result. Maybe it is the difference between "a beer that you can drink" and a good beer.

Agree 1000x. It's so nice not having to swap out frozen water bottles in a swamp cooler or constantly monitor the temp of the water it's sitting in, worrying about it if you have to go away for a weekend. Just set it and forget it, it rules. Plus better quality, consistency, etc.

 

[FrankAbagnale]

Yeah temp control always gets cited as the major difference in someone's brewing but it all depends on what your previous environment was and what you were trying to brew.

All I know is that you can't learn a process when it's different every time. Regardless of how important temp control is or isn't to the quality of your Brewing ultimately the control of your process and how involved in it you are is the determinant in successful brewing. Unless you deal with an environment that is consistently 64 degrees or whatever than it's always a crapshoot.

I just want to put it out there that I've made just as many bad brews after getting temp control but only due to my constant desire for experimentation but I've locked in my yeast profile on every one.

Fermentation temp, pitch rate, and yeast health wins every time

Totally agree with you.

 

[oylerck]

Back in the day monks wouldn't sell beer worldwide and most of it would have been consumed in house and locally. Pretty much the same for the majority of breweries.

Your house yeast would undergo selective pressure due to cropping by the brewers and would become better acclimatised to the environment, product and process within successful breweries. Unsuccessful ones would eventually stop making beer or would become successful ones. Beer recipes which through trial and error eventually produced better beer would have been ones with optimum mash pH and water profiles and successful breweries would focus on these beers. Knowledge would spread around the local area a little. Seasonal variation in weather would have effected some breweries more than others, but supply of ingredients also influenced what was brewed at different times of the year . All sorts of recipes which were brewed at different times of the year, often focused on harvest around July and the supply of malt and hops coming through over the following months to make the stronger beers as the temperature starts to come down which would have been sympathetic to the ambient temperature and ageing process in successful breweries, unsuccessful breweries again either stop making beer or become successful. Techniques such as lagering were developed and adopted by successful breweries required by law to brew beer only during the cooler months of the year such as bavarian brewers in the sixteenth century.

Edit. Oh yeah monks. They tended to have Abbeys. Not only did the physical characteristics of the buildings help, but they had the resources to invest in plant. I remember visiting a monetary brewery and the building for mashing and boiling was over three floors, gravity dropped the wort into the copper on the final floor and fermentation was underground, it was not cool in there, but it didn't need to be. A network of tunnels linked all the buildings on the estate, these were of various ages and periods due to expansion and various cellars contained the fermentation vessels. Storage for ageing the bigger beers were the coldest deepest areas. The tunnels had surface grates at various points which allowed some light in, but the design seemed to promote air flow bringing the warmer air up and out at tactical points.

Nice answer! Sorry I didn't see this sooner.

 

[EcuPirate07]

I noticed a huge difference after converting my old kegerator into a Fermentation chamber. Wish I would have done it sooner!