Brewing fridge advice

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gr_baker
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Brewing fridge advice

Post by gr_baker » Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:09 pm

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on buying a fridge or freezer suitable for brewing ales and lagers. I've got an Inkpen controller and a heating belt that I've used successfully during the winter in my kitchen, I'd like to add the cooling side to my control and I'm wondering if a fridge will give me enough cooling to be able to lager a beer for a month or so or if I should get a freezer?

Any advice appreciated.

Russell

Ulsterman

Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by Ulsterman » Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:57 pm

I use a tall fridge for fermenters and a chest freezer set at 1 degree for lagering, both on inkbirds. Bought both cheap on gumtree. Not sure you can get a fridge down low enough for lagering temps. Freezer is also good place to store your hops.

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gr_baker
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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by gr_baker » Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:42 pm

Thanks. I suspected that might be the case. I'll probably have look at under the counter freezers. I think a chest freezer would present difficulties lifting a full FV out and I don't have the room for a tall freezer like yours unfortunately.

Russell

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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by jaroporter » Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:28 pm

Ulsterman wrote: Bought both cheap on gumtree. Not sure you can get a fridge down low enough for lagering temps.
well i've frozen a beer in a fridge, so i guess where there's a will there's a way!
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Jocky
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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by Jocky » Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:41 pm

Indeed, you can definitely get fridges cold enough to lager. A chest freezer might be more efficient though.
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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by JonoT » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:32 pm

I have had several fridges... The Beko is deffentally the best one i've had. I've had a bosch and that wouldn't go down below about 3.5oC I use my Beko tall larder fridge to larger.

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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by Fil » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:41 pm

the best fridge is a free one scour freecycle gum tree and pester family n friends, anyone upgrading the kitchen fridge will be glad of a free removal service.

Its a lot cheaper and sensible imho to get a new FV to sit in your fridge than buy a new fridge to fit your £5-10 bucket..
when brewbuckets were to wide to fit inside my 'new' brewfridge i switched to using the 4" neck wine fermentors and jerrycans..
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by JonoT » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:48 pm

|I found mine on GumTree, paid £10 for it as they could sell it as there was a huge dent in the door and no handle. Its worked fine for 7 years :)

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gr_baker
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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by gr_baker » Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:29 pm

All good advice, thanks. Unfortunately fridges don't come with a minimum temperature specification so it looks like it'll be a freezer.

I agree with the comments about Bosch. I replaced my integrated fridge freezer with a Bosch a couple of years ago. It's more noisy, more expensive and smaller than the Neff it replaced.

Russell

AnthonyUK

Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by AnthonyUK » Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:50 am

gr_baker wrote:All good advice, thanks. Unfortunately fridges don't come with a minimum temperature specification so it looks like it'll be a freezer.

I agree with the comments about Bosch. I replaced my integrated fridge freezer with a Bosch a couple of years ago. It's more noisy, more expensive and smaller than the Neff it replaced.

Russell
Bosch, Neff and Siemens are fundamentally the same at least for ovens, hobs and dishwashers.
Just check any appliance part site and look at the supported models :wink:

If you have issues getting a fridge temperature low enough just bypass the thermostat at it will likely be that which is stopping it.

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Re: Brewing fridge advice

Post by Fil » Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:22 am

+1 for bypasing the fridges internal thermostat, a simple mod and you can chill well below 0C..
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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