Temp control: Fermentation, and lagering, and conditioning, Oh My!

[bigskygreg]

Okay so I have just been doing ales due to lack of lagering storage. I use swamp cooling with ice packs. I fermented my last batch with German Ale yeast at 55 degrees no problem for 4-5 days then allowed the temp to creep up slowly. My problem with this is it is labor intensive. I have to change ice packs frequently. Plus I still have to go to work for 8-10 hours.

Here's my problem: I really want to have a good way to control temps, however, I am limited on space. I like to have multiple batches going at a time. How do you guys and gals control temps when you are needing several different temps?

In other words, here's a scenario:
Ale fermenting at 60 degrees
Lager fermenting at 50
another lager lagering at 40
an ale I want to cold crash
bottles stored cold
etc.

There's a ton of other scenario's too, but the point is how can I have various vessels at different temps without filling my basement with various fridges?

I really don't want tons of equipment. Not because of cost (that is a factor too), but because I am somewhat limited on space.

Thanks!

 

[kombat]

There's no real shortcut here. You need refrigeration space. I have a small, square chest freezer on a temperature controller that I use as my fermentation chamber for lagers. It doubles as a serving fridge when I don't have a lager fermenting (it holds 3 cornies and a 5 lb CO2 tank perfectly). I keep this freezer at 34° F when it holds kegs for serving, or 45° F when I'm fermenting a lager.

I have a fridge that I use for cold-crashing and clarifying. Two carboys fit perfectly, side-by-side, with enough shelf space above them for some bottles of beer, and my yeast bank. This fridge is always at regular fridge temperature (34° F).

I ferment my ales in plastic laundry tubs from Wal-Mart, in a water-bath, covered in a wet t-shirt, and I swap out ice bottles every 12 hours or so (for the first 3-5 days, at least). I keep the water bath temperature around 63° F.

I also have a larger chest freezer on a temperature controller in the garage that I use for long-term lagering.

 

[403Brewer]

How much do you need to control the temperature of the bottles for the first week or two after racking? I have never paid much attention to it but maybe I should be.

 

[kombat]

If you're bottle carbing, you want to store the bottles at around 70° F for 2-3 weeks, then move them into the fridge to get as much yeast as possible to drop out and compact at the bottom of the bottles, and allow for the CO2 in the headspace in the neck of each bottle to go into solution and equalize.