Where do you ferment?

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jpsherman
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Where do you ferment?

Post by jpsherman »

Sorry, if that is kinda personal. :lol:

My basement stays under 70 pretty much year-round. When Iowa gets hot as hell, my AC runs enough to keep the basement cool. During the cooler months I get to ferment around 64ish. :banana:

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Barleywine 2016


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philm00x
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by philm00x »

Fermentation fridge is outside in the storage closet, which is now dubbed the brew closet. Using the STC-1000, I keep temps controlled all year round :)
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gwcr
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by gwcr »

Basement just like you jp. Although it has been around 72 the past couple weeks down there. Had to do the old frozen bottle trick for a while. Fall/winter/spring it stays around 65-68. Still working on getting that ferm fridge...
Fermenting: Bucket 1 - Fresh Squeezed IPA; Bucket 2 - Empty

Kegged: Keg 1 - Irish Red; Keg 2 - Cream Ale; Keg 3 - Amber Ale; Keg 4 - APA; Keg 5 - Empty; Keg 6 - Empty; Keg 7 - Empty
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RickBeer
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by RickBeer »

Used to be in kitchen pantry then moved to basement which is 64 except during the hot summer months when it hits 70. Took time off, plan on restarting in a few weeks.
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Sites to find beer making supplies: Adventures in Homebrewing - Mr. Beer - MoreBeer
My Beer - click to reveal
Currently using 6 LBKs.

Beers I regularly brew:
Bell's Best Brown clone
Irish Hills Red - I call this "Ann Arbor Red"
Mackinac Island Red - I call this "Michigan Red"
Oatmeal Stout - I call this Not Fat, Stout - Oatmeal Stout

Bottled 5 gallons of Ann Arbor Red on 4/18/17. Bottled 5 gallons of Michigan Red on 5/8/17.

Brewed in 2017 - 22.13 gallons (19.91 in 2012, 48.06 in 2013, 61.39 in 2014, 84.26 in 2015,46.39 in 2016)
Brewed in lifetime - 282.14 gallons
Drinkable beer on hand -  13.58 cases, with 6.11 cases ready in May and early June.
Average cost per 12 pack through all beer brewed - $6.27(ingredients only)
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FrozenInTime
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by FrozenInTime »

Summer time, I have a freezer on the first floor with a johnson controller I use. Winter time, I just leave it in the kitchen upstairs, we keep the temp around 66 in the winter. Right now I have 2 IPAs going in da chill box. Might be putting a brew demon kit in da chill box next couple days, I have to check to see if it will fit in there with the other batches fermenting.
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BrownstotheBone
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by BrownstotheBone »

Right now it's a Coleman cooler from the 70's w/ blocks of "refreeze-able plastic ice blocks" changed out every 12 hours.

But I think I've secured a Whirlpool 18.3 cu ft upright fridge for $100 off of Craigslist. Lady is moving and will let it go next week or so. ;-)

W/ the addition of a Johnson Controller my "temperature controlled fermentation chamber" in the basement will be in sight. Finally, hopefully... no more babysitting my beer.

It looks like plenty of room for a few LBK's or conical's or maybe even a carboy sometime down the road. I'm jacked.


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Foothiller
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by Foothiller »

My work room is near the kitchen and stays reasonably stable over the day, and day-to-day. But it does vary by season. So, I brew Belgians in summer, lagers in winter, and other ales in between.
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mashani
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by mashani »

Basement on a bookshelf in a corner. It has 4 shelves, with a temperature gradient of about 8 degrees from top to bottom, more in the winter. I just pick the shelf that has the temps closest to what I want for any given beer, and then move the keg around if I want to raise or lower the temps later.

Low tech, but it works, and I just brew beers that are appropriate for my seasonal temperature. Which is fine for me since I like all types of beer.
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by Beer-lord »

Closet and/or great room. It's a space issue for me.
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Gymrat
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by Gymrat »

jpsherman wrote:Sorry, if that is kinda personal. :lol:

My basement stays under 70 pretty much year-round. When Iowa gets hot as hell, my AC runs enough to keep the basement cool. During the cooler months I get to ferment around 64ish. :banana:

:cheers:
What area of Iowa are you from?
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teutonic terror
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by teutonic terror »

In the basement in a spare bedroom that is mostly underground.

If I open the vent during the summer, I can keep it between 60-64 most of the time with the air set on 74 upstairs.
If I close the vent in the winter, I can keep it between 58-62 with the heat set on 68 upstairs.

The problem I run into a lot with this room, is the fermentation starting sluggishly, so when I put a brew in the bucket I leave the door open to moderate the temperature until I start seeing bubbles, hen I shut her up and leave it alone for two weeks!
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zorak1066
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by zorak1066 »

converted my extra shower enclosure into a brewery. ive got a sterilite tote wrapped inside and out with reflective insulation. i use the seat/ledge... under it.... the floor in front of the sterilite chiller box...

ive got a chocolate espresso milk stout, a hobo wine, 2 ciders, a cream ale, and a blue berry mead all going atm. just recently bottled a franken beer... soon to be making a 1 gallon saison.
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Betolis
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by Betolis »

I have a laundry room in the basement that stays nice and cool during the year except for the summer. June to September is too warm for me... one more month until the madness begins!!!
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RickBeer
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by RickBeer »

I thought about opening a vent in the basement for the A/C, but I only run the A/C when the temps get into the mid 80s consistently, since if it's cool in the morning I can keep it from going past the high 70s. My house costs roughly $10 a day to run the central A/C, so I only run it if it's going to be uncomfortable during the day or for sleeping. We have two zones, so I can cool the bedrooms upstairs for sleeping and not run the downstairs at all.
I have over 9,000 posts on "another forum", which means absolutely nothing. Mr. Beer January 2014 Brewer of the Month with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it...

Certificate in Brewing and Distillation Technology

Sites to find beer making supplies: Adventures in Homebrewing - Mr. Beer - MoreBeer
My Beer - click to reveal
Currently using 6 LBKs.

Beers I regularly brew:
Bell's Best Brown clone
Irish Hills Red - I call this "Ann Arbor Red"
Mackinac Island Red - I call this "Michigan Red"
Oatmeal Stout - I call this Not Fat, Stout - Oatmeal Stout

Bottled 5 gallons of Ann Arbor Red on 4/18/17. Bottled 5 gallons of Michigan Red on 5/8/17.

Brewed in 2017 - 22.13 gallons (19.91 in 2012, 48.06 in 2013, 61.39 in 2014, 84.26 in 2015,46.39 in 2016)
Brewed in lifetime - 282.14 gallons
Drinkable beer on hand -  13.58 cases, with 6.11 cases ready in May and early June.
Average cost per 12 pack through all beer brewed - $6.27(ingredients only)
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John Sand
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Re: Where do you ferment?

Post by John Sand »

Kitchen in winter, basement in summer. The kitchen is around 65 in wintertime, the basement 58. In summer the basement rises to the upper 70s, so I use a 52qt cooler with ice packs. To please the Mrs., I may continue in the basement this winter with hot water bottles or a fish tank heater. Or I may use Nottingham, which does well down to 57.
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