Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Equipment Update

I put my latest two brews in the wine chiller I bought on craigslist.  Even without a good thermostat, I can regulate the ambient temperature in my chiller to roughly 60 degrees.  The wort is usually a couple of degrees warmer, so although it is a few degrees cooler than I'd like, this still makes for a good fermentation environment.  Beats the heck out of the ice & cooler method I used last time, that's for sure! 

Sooner or later, I will purchase a Johnson temperature controller, which will allow me to get my fermentation temperatures set to a very specific range.  The device is basically a thermostat that allows you to set a specific temperature, then cuts (or enables) the power to your fridge to maintain the desired degree.  Having good temperature control will help with consistency in my brews.  
 
I also discovered I can fit four Little Brown Kegs in the unit at the same time.  This allows me to brew about 9 gallons of beer at once.  I haven't yet decided if that is a good or a bad thing!

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