Brewing Beer in outside shed - Controlling Temperature

censuspro

I'd like to move my home brew outside to the garden shed as it's not ideal to keep in the home. Just wondering if other people have done this and if so how do you control the temperature especially at night and in winter.

This is the shed I'm thinking of getting.

Saruman

A lot of Beoir members do it. What they tend to do is ferment in a temp controlled fridge in the shed.
Another option is to insulate the shed but it might get very warm in summer, yes even in Ireland.

Baz_

Saruman wrote: »

temp controlled fridge

A temp controlled fridge or a temp controlled cabinet?

What I mean by that is can the fridge be used to control the temperature in the high teens to mid 20's as required as well as keeping the temperature low, for example when brewing with lager yeast?

And where does one get one of these fridges?

Saruman

Yes both warm and cold. Simple really, a fridge by itself will make things cold but some sort of heating element inside combined with the insulation hooked up to a temp control system will sort it out. The heating element might be a brewbelt or even an old school light bulb.

Temp control either turns on fridge to cool down or turns on the heating element to heat up.

Sbillings on Beoir ferments in a fridge so maybe ask him about the specifics.

Baz_

I know you just said to ask someone else the specifics and I'm not ignoring that but you might know this. Is it expensive? I'm thinking it could be an xmas present at this stage

Baz_

never mind my last question, I see I need a fridge first of all and then some other stuff on top so its a long term project.

I'll get onto that.

Saruman

Yes. A fridge is either free or will cost money. Keep an eye out on jumbletown and adverts for some freebies.

You can just stick a cabinet or closet in the shed, insulate it with something and have a thermostat controlled heater to keep it warm in winter. Summer is your only problem doing it that way.

azzeretti

I brew and ferment in my shed(garage). I have an ATC 800 I got from a UK company (their site is down at the moment) and this is connected to a second hand larder fridge I acquired. Some people take the internal thermostat out of the fridge itself but I didn't need to. I simply connect the power to the fridge to the ATC and then the ATC to the power. The ATC is also connected to a standard 60W bulb socket that I mounted in the fridge. When the temperature get +/- that temp I set it at for fermentation it will either switch on the fridge to cool it or switch on the bulb to heat it.

They're a great bit of kit and well worth the small investment if you have the space for it!