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03 Mar 14:27
Boiling Home Brewed Beer with Dr Charlie Bamforth – BeerSmith Podcast #121
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!"He has written over 20 books on brewing, and one on Soccer goal keeping."
Hello friend.
Dr Charles Bamforth, Professor of Malting and Brewing Science at the University of California at Davis joins me this week to discuss boiling your beer and some of the chemical processes involved in the boil.
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Topics in This Week’s Episode (56:12)
- Today my guest is Dr Charlie Bamforth from the University of California at Davis. Dr Bamforth is Professor of Malting and Brewing Science, and specializes in the specializes in the study of the wholesomeness of beer including beer perception, polyphenols, foam stability, oxidation and flavor stability. He has written over 20 books on brewing, and one on Soccer goal keeping.
- Charlie shares some of his new projects including recording his popular class on brewing beer.
- He explains why the boil is so important to brewing beer and the six major reasons why a good robust boil is critical for beer
- We discuss some of the chemical changes that occur during the boil
- Charlie tells us why getting rid of many volatile chemicals is important, and we discuss DMS in particular as well as covering your pot and the design of commercial boilers
- We talk about goals during the boil and how long a homebrewer should boil their beer
- Charlie shares some of his thoughts on boiler design as well as some of the new trends in boiler design
- We discuss saving energy which is the goal of many new boiler designs
- Charlie shares some of the flaws that might appear due to a poor boil as well as some of the strengths you can get in stability, clarity and flavor from a robust boil
- Charlie tells us about some of his most recent books – available on Amazon and from the ASBC
- He shares his closing thoughts
Sponsors
- Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine who is still offering a 15% discount with your subscription or other items when you use the new offer code beersmith2015 when you purchase.
- And also Anvil Brewing Equipment. Anvil is a new line of kettles, burners and accessories from John Blichmann at Blichmann Engineering. They make top quality brewing equipment built to last a lifetime.
- Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Mobile software and the new DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
Thanks to Mary Pellettieri for appearing on the show and also to you for listening!
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
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You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
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03 Mar 13:34
More countries pledging to freeze oil production levels
by George Judson
None!lol. never going to happen. they all try to get the others to freeze production but no one wants to lose market share. hence why OPEC is worthless.
Russia and several other oil-producing countries are near agreement to not increase production
02 Mar 19:14
What the heck is goodwill, anyway?
by Sabri
None!ooof
Yahoo has already written off $230 million of the value of Tumblr, the blogging site it bought for $1.1 billion two years ago. It may soon write off the entire $750 million “goodwill” value of the company.
But what is goodwill?
It might be easier to start with what is not goodwill.
When you buy a company, you’re buying the physical stuff of the company, obviously.
“Trucks, buildings, property, these kinds of things,” said Paul Kedrosky, a partner with SK Ventures, a venture capital firm in California.
All of that stuff is written down on a company’s balance sheet, there are receipts and records. It’s all very neat and tidy. But if you add all those things up, that’s usually just a portion of the actual price you pay for an acquisition.
“Typically, companies don’t get sold for the book value of a company,” said Kedrosky. Because there are other things that a corporation has, things that are worth money, things that make money, that you can’t really nail down. But you still have to pay for them.
“Things that don’t show up on a balance sheet, so the most obvious example of that is the brand," he said.
It’s fuzzy, but it’s worth something; think about the Coca Cola brand name. There are other fuzzy things (known as intangible assets) that push up the price of a company – customer relationships, patents. But that still doesn’t always account for the total price of a company, because there are even fuzzier things you may end up paying for.
“Some of it, even after you try to put a fence around it and call it a brand or call it something else, there’s leftover, and the leftover is the goodwill,” said Alon Kalay, assistant professor at Columbia Business School.
Goodwill is the fuzziest of the fuzzy values of a company. (Technically, it’s the difference between what you pay for a company and all the identifiable things of value that make up the company.)
“Goodwill is often referred to as the hope value,” said Mark Mahaney, Internet analyst at RBC. “As in, 'we hope this asset we just acquired for a billion dollars will generate x amount of revenue and profits long term, but we don’t know.'”
Yahoo had a lot of hope for Tumblr. Out of the roughly $1.1 billion Yahoo paid for Tumblr, $750 million was goodwill. In writing that down – crossing it off its balance sheet list of assets – Yahoo would be saying, in the words of Kedrosky, “we screwed up. This isn’t worth anything. Our bad.”
In other words, Yahoo’s hopes were dashed.
And why is Yahoo writing off such a huge hunk of its Tumblr acquisition?
02 Mar 19:12
Two arms good...three arms better?
by Levi Sharpe
Wearable robotic arm can transform you into a three-armed drummer.
02 Mar 01:46
No one's minding the tax preparer store
by nmarshall-genzer
None!true story
There's almost no regulation of tax preparers in the U.S.
29 Feb 16:24
Farmers feel thrown under the bus as Big Food changes
by Annie Baxter
None!yummy
Some farmers feel their concerns are ignored as the food industry changes.
25 Feb 18:39
Hollywood's diversity problem goes beyond the Oscars
by Sarah Menendez
None!i think leo did a good job but they may give it to eddie or bryan, because i feel the oscars are biased for historical gay characters and film characters.
A new study released highlights lack of diverse representation in film and television
25 Feb 17:44
Nick WoosterSource: www.fashionising.com - Paris Streetstyle
None!@ wifey do you want to do a 1:1 fantasy league this year?
25 Feb 02:15
Residual Alkalinity and pH for All Grain Beer Brewing
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!beer is looking pretty good guys.
This week I take a look at Residual Alkalinity, and what it means for your mash pH for all grain beer brewing. Residual Alkalinity is an important characteristic of your brewing water that you need to understand if you’re going to get the mash chemistry right.
The Importance of Mash pH
I’ve written previously about why mash pH is important for all grain beer brewers as well as the many advantages you get if your mash pH is correct. Getting the mash pH down to the 5.2-5.4 range during conversion gives you better enzyme activity, better yeast health, better hop extraction, improved clarity and better flavor stability.
Most household water is slightly alkaline, which means it has a pH of 7.0 or higher. Fortunately grains are acidic, and then tend to drive the pH down closer to the desired range when you mix them with your water. Darker grains are even more acidic, which is why pH becomes less of a concern when brewing darker beers.
Residual Alkalinity
Residual Alkalinity (RA) is a measure that helps us determine how resistant our water pH is to change. If you have a very high residual alkalinity, then it will take quite a bit of acid, either in the form of malts or additives to get our pH in the desired range. Low RA indicates the pH value is relatively easy to change and in many cases the grain additions alone may be enough to get to our desired mash pH.
Residual alkalinity is determined by your base brewing water’s profile. In particular the Calcium, Magnesium and Bicarbonate ions play the dominant role. You can also use the Alkalinity (ppm as CaCO3) measure in place of the bicarbonate if you don’t have the bicarbonate value. These ion measurements can be found on your local water report or can be measured using a home water test kit or by sending a sample of your water to a lab.
Note – all of the equations are in parts per million (ppm) – first we can determine the effective hardness:
Effective_hardness = Ca_ppm/1.4 + Mg_ppm/1.7
If working from the Alkalinity_as_CaCO3 (ppm) we can calculate the Residual_alkalinity (as CaCO3 in ppm):
Residual_alkalinity = Alkalinity_as_CaCO3 – Effective_hardness
Alternately if your water profile includes the Bicarbonate (ppm) instead you can use:
Residual_alkalinity = (50 * Bicarbonate)/61 – Effective_hardness
Looking at the above equations, we can see that effective hardness from the Calcium and Magnesium ions drive the residual alkalinity down, while alkalinity and bicarbonates drive the RA up. Calcium tends to play a dominating role (as magnesium levels are typically low) in lowering RA, while Bicarbonates (HCO3) drive it up.
Interpreting Residual Alkalinity Without Adjustment
Now that you know your RA, you can look at what it means for brewing beer. John Palmer published a chart in his How to Brew book showing recommended color ranges for a given RA. Though the chart includes a lot of assumptions (gravity, water ratios used, malt acidity), it does give us a rough guide to asses how much malt acidity in the form of dark grains is needed to offset a particular RA. He also provided the equations:
Here’s a rough guideline for RA levels above -128:
low_color_srm = RA*0.082 + 5.2
high_color_srm = (RA + 122.4) / 12.2
So to do a quick example, an RA of 40 would correspond to a color range of roughly 8-13 SRM based on the high/low above. So a beer brewed in that color range would likely provide enough acidity in the malt to offset our residual alkalinity and give us a pH approximately in the 5.2-5.4 range. I would still recommend measuring your mash pH in the mash and making adjustments as needed.
Additives and Adjusting Residual Alkalinity
Once you know your RA and what it means you can consider adjusting your RA ahead of time.
Adding calcium will reduce your RA, so additions like Gypsum (CaSO4) and Calcium Chloride (CaCl) can be added. Magnesium also reduces your RA, so Epsom Salt (MgSO4) will also work. You do need to be cautious, however, as you don’t want to raise the Calcium or Magnesium levels beyond the range recommended for brewing. Calcium has a recommended range of 0-150 ppm, and Magnesium a range of 10-50 ppm, and you don’t want to exceed those.
Similarly adding carbonates will increase your RA. So you can use additions like Baking Soda (NaHCO3) and Slaked Lime (CaOH) to reduce your RA. Some sources also recommend Chalk (CaHCO3), though chalk dissolves poorly. Again you want to watch your overall ion levels to keep Ca in the 20-150 range, and bicarbonates (HCO3) generally below 250.
Because of the limited range you want to keep your overall water profile in, most often mineral additives like Gypsum, Baking Soda, and Calcium Chloride simply won’t get you in the mash pH range you want, particularly for lighter beers. As a result most professional brewers measure their actual mash pH and use acid additions to drive the pH down to the desired range. Typical acid additions for a home brewer include acid malt and lactic acid. Some commercial brewers also use phosphoric and hydrochloric acid additions.
Limits of Residual Alkalinity in Predicting Mash pH
I will close by saying that even if you understand your water profile and residual alkalinity in advance, it is not a perfect predictor of mash pH. Residual alkalinity is a tool to help you get into the ballpark. Despite recent advances in understanding water and grain acidity, there is still no substitute for measuring the pH of your mash after mixing in the grains and then adjusting if needed with acid, acid malts or water additives.
Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. You can grab a trial version of BeerSmith from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing.
23 Feb 15:44
A driver murders six people, and Uber has a crisis
by George Judson
None!snap
Uber's business model relies on customers' trust
23 Feb 15:41
Hoboken Announces CDBG Funding Opportunities for Community Groups
by dbryan
None!i read that as CBGB
The City of Hoboken will accept applications for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for 2016-2017 to provide funding to eligible programs and projects sponsored by public agencies or not-for-profit organizations. The City encourages local community groups who provide quantifiable benefits to the low and moderate income population to apply. The CDBG funding is provided through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The City of Hoboken’s Public Service Funding amount allocated through the CDBG Program is currently anticipated to be $164,422.50, which can be granted to organizations providing services including, but not limited to child care, after school programs, health care, family planning, and assistance to the homeless. The City’s Public Facility Funding, also through the CDBG Program, is anticipated to be approximately $800,000 which can be allocated for capital improvements benefiting the low to moderate income population.
Applications are due by 4:00PM on April 1, 2016. Funds will become available for the selected applications on July 1, 2016. Since the funding source is limited, this is a competitive application process. The review criteria and eligibility requirements are noted in the application.
The City of Hoboken’s CDBG Program Goals are consistent with its adopted 2015-2019 five-Year Consolidated Plan as well as the National Objectives defined by HUD. The City is hosting a community meeting on March 3, 2016 at 6:30pm at the Multi-Service Center, located at 124 Grand Street, to collect input and identify needs relevant to low and moderate income residents within the 2016-2017 program year. An online survey is also available at: www.hobokennj.org/cdbgsurvey.
Interested applicants can request an application from Christopher Brown, Principal Planner through the City of Hoboken Department of Community Development via email at cbrown@hobokennj.gov or in person during business hours (9 am – 4 pm) at the Hoboken Planning and Zoning Office, 94 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030. All questions should be directed via email to Mr. Brown, Principal Planner, or phone during business hours at 201-239-6642.
19 Feb 21:04
A look at a Las Vegas gun shop's sales
by asastry
None!guys what do you want for lunch tomorrow? or are we sticking with begals and booze?
A Bloomberg reporter talks about his time behind the counter and 'fear marketing.'
19 Feb 16:26
France might pass a law that lets people legally ignore emails after work
by Sarah Menendez
Some are calling it the "right to disconnect"
19 Feb 16:10
On the Street…West Fourteenth St., New York
by The Sartorialist
None!so what do we all think about our new football coaches house: http://imgur.com/a/doTHP
18 Feb 17:44
The high-priced taste of Maine shrimp
by Eve Epstein
None!in my belly! oh, ... oh i see. okay maybe next year.
Coldwater shrimp, pink shrimp, Northern shrimp — call them what you will. But, whatever you call them, it has probably been a few years since you’ve enjoyed sweet Maine shrimp. A regulatory panel considers Maine shrimp stocks to be collapsed, and for the third year in a row, has shut down the fishery in an effort to give the species time to recover. But, thanks to a government program, some Maine fishermen are catching a limited amount — all in the name of science.
“There’s gonna be a battle on the auction for these things today,” said George Parr, a fish wholesaler. Parr is getting ready to buy Maine shrimp at the Portland Fish Exchange, a seafood auction in Portland. “They’re still bearing eggs, which is a good thing, because while they are still bearing eggs, they’re sweeter. Once they’ve spawned out, the meat becomes very soft and not as desirable.”
Wholesaler buyers like Parr are paying more than double what they paid last year at auction. During the last commercial shrimp season in 2013, dealers paid, on average, less than $2 a pound. This year, it’s more than $8 a pound. Today, every last shrimp gets snatched up at the auction in about five minutes.
“Even as good as the shrimp are, this is still a stupid price for shrimp,” said Parr. “I got the bid at $8.21,” added Parr.
Hours earlier, fisherman Marshall Alexander caught shrimp on his trawler, the De Dee Mae II. Alexander has been fishing commercially for more than 50 years. And even though Maine’s shrimp fishery is closed for the third straight season, he is catching shrimp, though not nearly as much as he once did.
“They want to manage by letting a certain percentage of them, make sure they spawn before we catch them,” said Alexander.
The De Dee Mae II is owned by Marshall Alexander, one of the six fishermen participating in a shrimp research project.
Caroline Losneck
Alexander is one of six fishermen participating in a government research program this winter that allows a limited catch in the Gulf of Maine, which spans the entire Maine coastline. Fishermen are required to collect a few small samples each day they fish as part in the program. And — this is the part of the research that is creating quite a buzz — the fishermen are allowed to sell the part of their catch that doesn’t go to the lab.
“We wanted them to be able to catch something as compensation. So we’re paying them in shrimp, basically. So we hope that they catch enough to, you know, make the trip worthwhile for them,” said Maggie Hunter, a biologist at Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. Hunter, the resources department and other agencies are managing the study.
The total haul of shrimp from the program, which runs until early April, will only be about 6 percent of what Maine fishermen caught the last time they had a season. But according to Hunter, it is important for biologists and regulators to get data every year.
“We’re collecting the samples mainly to measure the shrimp and count how many eggs they’re carrying, and to determine the timing of the egg hatch," Hunter said.
Before the closures, shrimp seasons lasted a lot longer. The harvests were worth $6.5 million six years ago. According to Hunter, the significance of the sampling program goes beyond just the research.
“I think it’s good to keep shrimp in the news and to keep a few on the market for some lucky people to be able to eat,” Hunter said, laughing.
Almost half of today’s catch goes to an out-of-state buyer who sells it to sushi bars in Boston and New York. But some of the catch stays closer to home. At the bustling Harbor Fish Market on Portland’s waterfront, the shrimp are in hot demand.
“It doesn’t last more than a day, even with the prices being skyrocketed,” said employee Connor Vincent.
Nearby, at Fore Street Restaurant, owner and head chef Sam Hayward hopes to score some, too.
“We love them! It’s one of those things that expresses delicious Maine seafood in the winter, when many other seafood products aren’t available to us,” Hayward said.
And customers do come in asking about Maine shrimp. Hayward said people who don’t know about the closure on the shrimp season might say: “We loved them, and we remember them, and we want them back. Are you going to be bringing them in?”
According to Hayward, his answer is always the same: “Nobody wishes we could get them more than we do. There is nothing that will really quite equal Maine shrimps’ place in our communities and on our tables.”
But even with the Maine shrimp fishery closed for the third year in a row, Maggie Hunter, Sam Hayward, George Parr and scientists are all concerned. The Gulf of Maine has been warming over the past decade, creating an inhospitable environment for the shrimp. “And they are pretty sensitive to temperature,” said Hunter.
Some fishermen are catching the coveted seafood in the name of science.
18 Feb 15:56
Don’t Cover Your Pot when Homebrewing – Beer Brewing Quick Tip
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!What about if you are worried that birds will poop in your homebrew? I was boiling outside this weekend so i had the lid partially on.
Today’s tip explains why you should not cover your pot when boiling up a batch of beer. An important function of the boil is to release a number of volatile chemicals including DMS that you don’t want in the finished beer.
BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 minute video clips I’ve put together for brewers. For more clips visit my blog at BeerSmith.com/Blog or subscribe to my Youtube Channel: MrBeerSmith.
Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing. Also check out the How to Brew Video series I shot with John Palmer if you want to learn more about all grain brewing.
18 Feb 14:52
Community Invited to Rebuild by Design Meeting on February 18
by dbryan
None!stupid old hoboken crowed came out in favor of double parking on washington instead of bike lanes. so angry. i get why we don't want a wall but COME ON
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Rebuild by Design (RBD) Hudson River Project team will host a community meeting to introduce the three Build Alternatives that have emerged after evaluating all of the comments received on the five concepts presented at a public meeting on December 10, 2015.
The meeting will be held on February 18, 2016 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Wallace School gymnasium, located at 1100 Willow Avenue in Hoboken.
The DEP project website (www.rbd-hudsonriver.nj.gov) has been updated with additional project materials.
A Summary of Public Comments on Five Concepts for Rebuild by Design (RBD) along with answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is available at: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/floodhazard/docs/rbdh-five-concepts-summary-of-comments.pdf
Residents can sign up for project updates by visiting: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/floodhazard/rbd-hudsonriver-subscribe.htm
Additionally, the DEP will have surveyors in southern Hoboken/northern Jersey City between February 8 until February 22 and in northern Hoboken/southern Weehawken February 23 until March 11.
18 Feb 14:50
Counting Your Homebrewed Beer Calories – BeerSmith Quick Tip
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!whatever. big beer is trying to make beer a food, pushing a big cost down to the craft breweries. they will need to pay $600+ every new beer.
In this very short video I show you how to use the Percent Alcohol tool in BeerSmith to find out how many calories are in your home brewed beer. You can get to the tool in BeerSmith from Tools->Percent Alcohol.
BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 minute video clips I’ve put together for brewers. For more clips visit my blog at BeerSmith.com/Blog or subscribe to my Youtube Channel: MrBeerSmith.
Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing. Also check out the How to Brew Video series I shot with John Palmer if you want to learn more about all grain brewing.
18 Feb 14:49
Don’t Use Regular Soap on Beer Glasses – Beer Brewing Quick Tip
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!never going to happen.
This week I tell you why using conventional dish soaps on your beer glasses is bad for foam retention. Instead you should wash your beer glasses using a beer cleaning agent or other cleaning agent that does not contain fats (lipids). Also don’t wash your beer glasses with any dishes that might have fatty foods.
BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 minute video clips I’ve put together for brewers. For more clips visit my blog at BeerSmith.com/Blog or subscribe to my Youtube Channel: MrBeerSmith. You might also enjoy my newslettter which has more detailed weekly articles on brewing.
Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing. Also check out the How to Brew Video series I shot with John Palmer if you want to learn more about all grain brewing.
16 Feb 17:51
Using an Ice Bath or Fermentation Chiller for Brewing Lager Beers
by Brad Smith and Friends
None!i'll be using mama fink's wine fridge.
This week we look at ice baths and fermentation chilers for brewing lager beer. Brewing a lager can be a frustrating experience for many home brewers who lack a separate fermentation refrigerator. However these methods, including the “Son of a Fermentation Chiller”, give you the ability to brew a lager at home without a separate fridge.
Fermenting a Lager
Ales are easy to ferment at home – as most can be fermented near room temperature of 68-72 F (20-22 C). Lagers present a special challenge, however, as most lager yeasts require a fermentation temperature between 45-55 F (7-13 C). This temperature is slightly above the temperature of a typical home refrigerator, and well below the temperature of most homes. Unfortunately if you ferment your lager too warm, you will get excessive ester production along with other off flavors that will cause problems in the finished beer. Temperature is most critical during active fermentation, but ideally you would like to keep your lager cold throughout the entire fermentation and aging period.
The simple solution is to purchase a separate refrigerator or freezer along with a temperature controller that switches the fridge on/off to maintain the desired fermentation temperature. However not all brewers have the money or space for a dedicated beer fermenting refrigerator – particularly one large enough to hold a typical 5 gallon (19 l) carboy.
So we’re going to look at some makeshift alternatives for fermenting your lager.
The Ice Bath
One solution is to use an ice bath to chill your fermenter and maintain its temperature. This can work surprisingly well but it does take some care and feeding to make sure you maintain enough ice in the bath throughout the fermentation. It also helps if you can keep the entire ice bath insulated so the ice melts slowly and the entire system stays within a few degrees of your target temperature.
Some possible solutions include:
- A Large Picnic Cooler or “Gott style” water cooler can contain/insulate your fermenter. Ideally you would like the fermenter immersed in the ice bath and contained entirely in the cooler, but even a smaller cooler can work if you put insulating material over the top to maintain the temperature.
- A Large Bucket with Insulation – You can use a large tub with the cold water in it and then either surround the entire bucket and fermenter with high quality insulation wrap or build an insulating box out of insulating styrofoam (1-1/2″ or 2″ styrofoam board).
When using this type of system, you will need to use quite a bit of ice to get the fermenter to its initial fermentation temperature, then pitch your yeast. After that you will typically need to add more ice at least twice a day, possibly more depending on your insulation and ambient temperature.
One trick is to use plastic bottles of ice. Fill a number of old 1 or 2 liter bottles with water and freeze them in your refrigerator. Change them out at least twice a day, and use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your ice bath. Using bottles also means you don’t have to deal with the “ice melt” – or increasing volume in the tub as the ice melts.
Some brewers have even made sophisticated water chillers that have separate ice bath as well as a pump and controller to maintain a constant water bath temperature around the fermenter. Personally, I prefer an air cooled system (see below) to provide precise temperature control as it is generally cheaper and simpler to build.
Air Cooled Systems – “Son of a Fermentation Chiller”
Another solution is to create your own air-cooled box. One example of this is Ken Schwartz’ popular Son of a Fermentation Chiller design. The chiller is basically a three chamber box built from 2″ thick extruded polystyrene (foam) insulating board. In the large chamber sits the fermenter, while the other two chambers house ice filled bottles. A small fan and return connect the ice chambers with the main chamber so cold air can be circulated past the ice bottles and around the fermenter. Instructions can be found here.
The fan is tied to a thermostat so you can accurately set the desired fermentation temperature. As with the ice bath the bottles of ice need to be refreshed at least daily to keep the chamber cool. However unlike the ice bath, you can set and maintain a precise fermentation temperature. You can probably build one of these at home for $70-100 depending on your local material costs – the most expensive elements are the full sheet (4 foot x 8 foot) foam board and thermostat.
I’ve also found a few links to even simpler designs that use just a big Styrofoam box (made from the same insulating board) but have no fan or thermostat. In this “box” design you add bottles of ice to the Styrofoam box directly and manage the temperature by varying the number of bottles used. This is the air equivalent of the ice bath above – it does not offer precise control, but may give you enough control to brew a decent lager.
So those are some alternatives for brewing a lager if you don’t have a dedicated fermentation refrigerator and controller. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. You can grab a trial version of BeerSmith from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing.