Brewery upgrade

[Gymrat]

[BigPapaG]

Roger, that's SWEET!

[gwcr]

Yeah Roger! That is one gorgeous piece of equipment!!

[Beer-lord]

Lovely! Somehow I thought it would be much bigger but I'm glad it's not in case I would ever be able to go this route.

Seems Ralph's a camera hound.

[russki]

Oooh... Shiny!!! Count me jealous.

[rickbray66]

That is very nice indeed. Congrats on the upgrade. How soon until the inaugural run?


Rick

[Brewbirds]

Okay I'll be the first newb to post. That is what is known as a conical fermenter correct? So how do you manage temps? That won't fit in a beer fridge or ice chest.

Edit: Oh wait! you are one of the lucky basement brewers right?

I can't figure out how all the micro breweries here in my area control temps on the big fermenters they use.

[Beer-lord]

It's made to fit in a standard fridge with all the shelves removed but some companies do make a kit (expensive) to heat and chill it. Unfortunately, I live in an area where I can't use that fermenter without a chiller.

[gwcr]

Here's some info from the mfr website on how they deal with it:

"If you don't know what a jacketed fermenter is, it is a fermenter that has an extra "skin" on the outside of the tank that allows liquid to flow around the outside of the tank. By controlling the temperature of the liquid that flows around the outside of the tank, you control the temperature of your fermentation.

Commercial breweries do use jacketed fermenters for their primary fermentations. This is because fermentation is an "exothermic" process – that is, it generates heat. Because the tanks in a commercial brewery are quite large, the ratio of the surface area to the volume of the tank is low. As a result, there isn't a lot of surface area for heat to dissipate naturally. So, it is necessary to provide this extra level of temperature control to ensure that the product ferments at a consistent temperature, which is important for getting a consistent flavor profile.

For your home brewery, the ratio of the ratio of the surface area to the volume of the tank is much higher. There is a lot more surface area on the fermenter for every gallon of beer or wine. As a result, it is much less of a challenge to control the temperature of your fermentation – it is easier for the excess heat to leave the fermenter through the outside surfaces of the tank.

I have compared the temperature of my fermenting beer to the room temperature that the tank sits in, and it is almost always within 1 degree. Therefore, you can control the temperature of your beer by controlling the temperature of the room it is sitting in, or perhaps by putting it in a refrigerator with a good temperature controller on it."

Not sure I buy the "1 degree of room temp" claim, but would definitely be something to test. I don't think Gymrat is planning on any cooling system, so I'm sure he'll let us know how the temp rides during primary.

[RickBeer]

Maybe he's going to lower the house A/C to 63 degrees. Ralph won't care, and he'll incorporate the cost of a heavy robe and fuzzy slippers into "brewing supplies"...

[haerbob3]

nice

[mtsoxfan]

Roger... very cool purchase. Nothing but the best. Can't wait to hear about the first run...

[Gymrat]

Thankyou Borg.
As for brewing temps, I really don't know why this would be any different than my buckets. My man cave stays a constant 68F year round. So that should not be an issue.

And yes Ralph is a camera hog. He is always interested in anything new around the house. And he is always by my side.

I may brave the heat this weekend as I really want to play with my new toy. I don't have too much time to brew before my surgery.

[FrozenInTime]

Very nice!

[FedoraDave]

What...? It's the same old dog he's had for years.