I've made a 20 liter beer lolly!

[tazzymutt]

I am have been allowing time for a Hoppy Copper brew to clean up and thought I would give it a couple of days at about 6C to encourage it to drop clear before bottling.

Today I noticed that the temperature display on my fridge controller was showing 13C and cooling. Oh well, not a big problem Idecided to go ahead and bottle any way so I got the FV out of the brew fridge. It felt rather colder than 13C as I moved it to the kitchen for bottling. I placed the FV on the counter, impressed with how steady my carry had been as the beer was not slopping in the bucket at all. Then I noticed the strange mottled look visible through the FV... curious...

Lifting the lid all became obvious; the brew has frozen to the consistency of a very cold slush puppy. The hydrometer I'd dropped in and left is frozen in like a lolly handle. Argh!!!!!

Investigation revealed that the sensor in the fridge was sitting on top of the other brew that is in the fridge at present and the temperature at the top of the fridge really is 13C. Putting my spirit thermometer on the bottom shelf of the fridge where the Hoppy Copper had been sat revealed a temperature of around -3C.

I am now waiting for the brew to thaw so that I can bottle it, hopefully tomorrow. I am also cursing my lack of care in placing the STC1000 sensor. I guess I'll have to find a better spot for it in the brew fridge. i have also turned the fridge's own thermostat from it's coldest setting to a notch or so warmer so that hopefully it will cut out before freezing the brew next time (a couple of dry run tests will be required to check that) and am wondering whether to add a small circulating fan to reduce the temperature variations.

Looks like I have a few lessons in beer fridge design left to master.

Oh well; it gives me something else to talk about in the pub later.

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[floydmeddler]

Nightmare! I use a small pad of bubble wrap (3 layers) and duct tape it to the side of the fermenter. Works a treat.

[WalesAles]

Tazzy,
Glad I read this, the sun is shining so I will get one of my Raspberry TC 7.9% lollies from the freezer and sit in the garden!
WA

[Ditch]

Nightmare! I use a small pad of bubble wrap (3 layers) and duct tape it to the side of the fermenter. Works a treat.

What? The sensor ....?

Interesting, all this. Because, I now have my Kingspan. My little, what ever it's called, thermostaty thing. I really just need to buy that electric blanket. Then (with duct tape!) I can make my 'Fermentation Box'.

And, I foresee a rare old time, figuring out exactly where and how to position that sensor, to get the right temperature! Probably take me a f**kin' month of buggering about with it!

[cellone]

Ice filtering eh Tazzy.

[och29]

I once decided to just turn my fermenting fridge to the lowest setting to crash cool. This resulted in a partially eis'd beer, I was in a rush to keg so I just went ahead and siphoned through a hole in the ice. Beer turned out really well. I've read about other members who have thawed and didn't taste anything off.

[tazzymutt]

It is now about half thawed and I have to say that it smells really good. I don't think I'll have time to bottle tomorrow but it should be ready to go on Monday.

This is how the lolly looks now, the ice has started to roll over as it melts:



I'm not too concerned about the beer, just hacked off that I've lost the bottling time I'd planned.

Happy brewing,


Ian

[Hopping_Mad]

Isn't this how Brewdog make Tactical Nuclear Penguin?

Get that ice block out by the hydrometer Tazzy and you'll have 15* ABV beer!

[tazzymutt]

Isn't this how Brewdog make Tactical Nuclear Penguin?

Get that ice block out by the hydrometer Tazzy and you'll have 15* ABV beer!

That thought did occur to me, but I generally don't want over strong beer as I like to be able to have a couple and still function

The brew is now thawed and was bottled this morning and already there is some visible clearing at the top of the bottles. This was the best smelling brew I've done with a lovely fresh hoppyness about it as it went into the bottles. I'm looking forward to trying this...

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[rbw0471]

Hullo

Did you resolve the issue with positioning the prove? I've just bought a larder fridge to set up with an STC1000 etc, its big enough for two FV's but youve got me wondering now....

[DeadFall]

I've heard of people putting PC fans inside the brew fridges to move the air around to even the temps out. That looks like a suspiciously large temperature differential to me.

[tazzymutt]

I considered adding a fan, but decided to try to map the temperature range in the fridge with multiple thermocouples first. Having relocated the probe to about half way down the side of the fridge, I find I have a temperature range of about three degrees from top to bottom.

The issue I has was a small pocket of air that did not circulate, right on top of the FV at the top of the fridge; the temperature either side of the top FV is fine, as is the temperature of the brew, unless I force the fridge to over cool by leaving the probe in the hot spot.

Problem solved and lesson learned.

Happy brewing,


Ian.