Back to the op, I bought a reptile heating cable off Amazon for $15 and strung it around the walls of my refrigerator. It’s plugged into a dual stage temp controller. Works very well. It’s surprising how little heat is needed inside an insulated box. The fridge is located in my unheated garage which is currently in the 50s. Easily kept my most recent ale at 68.
Hopefully Porterhaus doesn’t mind too much; the “derails” on this forum are frequently where the most interesting discussion occurs…
With the caveat that I’ve only fermented a large numbers of batches (I’ll arbitrarily say >50) with a handful of strains, I can definitely say that the effect is strain-dependent. With lager strains - and again, that would include Chico - temperature seems to be much less important. That said, I’ve never deliberately fermented a lager above about 15°C.
As far as ale strains, UK and UK-derived yeasts seem to express more temperature effects. One of the big reasons I picked 1272 as a house ale yeast was that it can taste so different when using different temperatures. Pitched at 16°C it hits all the marks for a pseudo-lager West Coast-style ale; at 21°C it’s “British-y”. 1968 doesn’t exhibit quite that same variability, though that may be because it’s so sluggish at low pitching temperatures that it’s simply a different stress character. I can definitively say that if your glycol goes out and the temperature runs away it gets unpleasantly estery, but that’s getting up into the 25°C range.
Belgian strains are probably impossible to generalize - even calling them “Belgian strains” implies a commonality that doesn’t really exist. I’ve played with some (Chimay comes to mind) that are fairly tolerant of pitching temperature variations, and other that can be completely different yeasts (the Chouffe strain is frustratingly sensitive variations of even a couple degrees).
Of course, I don’t have an HPLC, so this is all anecdotal. And for the record, I’m assuming roughly a 1-2°C cooler fermentation for a 5 gal batch than for 15+ bbl, although that pressure/temperature relationship is probably yet another thing that’s strain-dependent.
I also have an aquarium heating cable. It’s not cheap but works very well and seems very safe.
I haven’t had any cause to get a heater before now.
My plan was to make one like this http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=515779 and line the top of my fermentation chamber with it. I do small batches and use a rubbermade bin as a swamp cooler for decipation and increased thermal mass, the small batches can have rather rapid temp changes depending on the radiator and if a windows open so I like the swamp cooler.
You guys with the heating cables could you provide a link? If it’s sufficient and requires no work, I wouldn’t mind spending an extra $5-10 for a ready to plug in unit, already have a temp controller.
Not at all, like you said that is where a lot of new ideas come from. I appreciate all the replies, I’m happy to get a thread comunicating.
As of right now I use a small space heater with a built in overtemp safety along with my Johnson controller. Fermentation keeps itself warm in the well insulated freezer. The heater kicks on from time to time just to give it a little heat. I use this set up because out in the garge in dead of winter it can be into the teens or 20’s at times. I have been researching and shopping around to see if there is a better option but what I am doing does work.
On a side note and maybe it’s worth of it’s own thread or already talked about but for those that use a Johnson type controller for heating and cooling what setting do you use for heating? Is it better to cut in on setpoint or cut out at setpoint? I’m not sure which setting I use for cooling either. I wonder if it really makes a difference.
My 12.2 gal MoreBeer conical is in two nested collapsable trash cans. The larger can is the cover and lifts off very easily for access. Inside the bottom is a space heater controlled by a Ranco controller with the probe in a thermowell inside the wort. This baby lets me easily ramp my Saison temperatures up into the stratosphere, even when my basement is in the 50’s. Hence, the name Saisonical.
Heat Tape by the foot ($3/ea): 12" THG Heat Tape
Plug kit ($4): Redline Science Heat Wire/Clip/Insulator Set: Reptile Basics (+$1 option so RB connects it all for you)
Pay for shipping and your done - it’s ready to plug into a controller.
Thanks, suggested # of feet? I’ll probably order two sets.
+1
I don’t know if mine has a safety auto-off feature, but it is designed to run constantly, in direct contact with a person, as they sleep. I feel pretty safe about it.
The machine-washable cover is also a huge plus.
I wrap mine around the bucket/carboy and secure with a bungee cord that’s not too tight. If I’m going for heating only (either with saisons or just keeping the fermentor warm during D-rest), I’ll wrap a blanket around it and secure that with the bungee instead.
Very consistent and relatively inexpensive ($20?), especially when combined with a thermowell. Although not necessarily required, I think it improves control, especially in fast or high-temp fermentations.
Since my basement is ~60F in the winter, heating is absolutely required for proper temp control.
Space heater + nylon = scares me.
I use an aquarium (fish tank) heater. I put the carboy in a water bath in a rubbermaid bin and put the heater in the water. I haven’t been able to acheive the 90 degrees people say 3724 really likes, but it warms up well over ambient. I still worry about the thing shorting out, or melting through the bin.
I like where you’re going with that.
Maybe the perfect excuse to pull the trigger on a sou vide cooker?
Can you cook and ferment saison at the same time?
I have a friend who built a sou vide cooker. I don’t know what he eventually did with it, but for a while everything got cooked that way.
The best way is to measure the vessel you want to heat. I was buying for buckets and I went with 2’8" to leave about a 4" gap (I went in with two friends so it was 8’ total and we cut it down/assembled ourselves). They specify that the heater tape should never overlap on itself, so I choose to heed that advice. You can always buy a little longer than needed and cut it back yourself - you’ll just need to cover the two cut copper strips if you do it this way (electrical tape works). Hope this helps.
I just use a 40-W light bulb in an old lamp socket. It’s what I had on hand at the time, and I’ve never had a need to upgrade it.
Incandescent bulb in the ferm chamber. Stainless fermentor so I don’t have to worry about light exposure.
SS conical has a fermwrap, and a 60 Watt bulb in a shop trouble light that hangs from the dump valve elbow. Both are on a temp controller that has the probe in a thermowell. The cardboard shipping box is the surround. Nothing hot ever gets close to it, so no worries.
I use reptile tape which is similar to fermwrap but cheaper and available in different sizes. It can raise beer temperature about ten degrees on its own and 20+ degrees inside my fermentation fridge. Running this on a Johnson controller I can set a smooth ramp up and maintain stable warm temperatures within 1-2 degrees.
Right now as its not too cold out yet I have my latest batch out in the fermentation freezer in the garage. Temps have been in the 40’s so keeping the fermentation in the mid upper 60’s with an electric Sunbeam heating pad has been fine. Come dead of winter though Im not sure how well the heating pad will work. I use a small space heater at times but because of the high temp safety features built, in it kicks out when used in an small enclosure.
I think I kind of like the idea of a heat lamp the best…might have to try that as it gets colder in the garage.