Beer Forum

I live in East County San Diego and it gets pretty brutally hot out here in the summer. I've just got 6 batches under my belt and all have been very drinkable so far. I've also just started listening to the Sunday Sessions and am about 6 podcasts in (starting from the very beginning...summer '05) and one of the things that I've heard stressed over and over is that constant fermentation temperatures are key.

My first 6 batches were fermented in the 2nd bathroom of our last residence. I was only able to keep temp in the 65-85 range in there. We've moved recently and I no longer have a 2nd bathroom.

I've been looking at getting a cheap used chest freezer to ferment in. I've already got 2 temperature controllers so I'm set there. What I'm wondering is, will a carboy fit in the bottom of a chest freezer like this and not have an issue with the compressor hump?



I figure that if it does, I can sit the carboy on the bottom and put the blow off tube bucket on the hump and ferment at a constant temperature all summer long.

I'm also assuming I can buy one of those carboy bags/strap systems to get the carboys in and out of the freezer or I can rig up some sort of tray for the carboy to sit on that I can lift out of the freezer with some rafter mounted block and tackle system...aka a come-a-long.

Anyone have any input? Am I on crack?

Thanks!

MexicanMafia wrote:What I'm wondering is, will a carboy fit in the bottom of a chest freezer like this and not have an issue with the compressor hump?

Only you can find that out. Who know what those dimensions are? I assume since it is on craigslist - that it's a local ad. Why not just bring an empty carboy with you and test it out before you buy it. If it fits - you are golden.


Mylo

san diego is a HUGE county. It could easily be an hour away. I've got an email into the seller to see where he's located, but from what I can tell, this size of freezer is pretty common so I was foguring someone else would know.

There's endless discussions about the Sanyo fridges that can be converted to kegerators so I figured someone must have had these same thoughts in the past and would know.

oh, and I'm bored at work too

I'm sorry I can't stop staring at your avitar..what were you saying?

I was saying I have a mug at O'Briens.

There are also 15 and 8 gallon conicals on the SD Craigslist too. $250 and $160 respectively

Yeah Yeah Yeah bite me. Thanks for the heads up on the conicals!

While looking for the conicals I found this freezer

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/for/1020053318.html

TapItGood wrote:While looking for the conicals I found this freezer

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/for/1020053318.html

Oh, dude... One of you must buy that immediately. You get extra points for the Reddi-Whip fermentation cooler!


Mylo