Comments on: Wiring up a TempMate

By: Damian

Damian — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:30:04 +0000

Hi Trev and thanks for alerting me to the broken link over at melbournebrewers. I’ve managed to find the article again and have fixed the link. Take a look; they’ve done a good job of describing how to set it up.

The only sage advice I have is that everyone who brews should have a temperature controlled fridge!

Friends of mine have recently bought cheaper versions of the Tempmate and they seem quite happy with them ~~so, if you’ve not got around to purchasing yet and if you’re interested in saving a bit of money, let me know and I’ll find out more details. I think it might have been half what I paid.~~ (I just re-read your comment and see that you’ve already purchased)

By: Trev

Trev — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:11:21 +0000

I just got myself a Tempmate and was looking for a bit more guidance around wiring it up. I like what you did with the box and will study the picture you included. I also wondered what the “melbournebrewers” had to say but unfortunately the link you gave is dead. Did you save that information anywhere? Any other sage advice to impart given the benefit of hindsight?

By: Damian

Damian — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:50:33 +0000

I’ve done four batches in the fridge so far and have noticed a cleaner, less-estery taste. Well worth the money and you don’t need an expensive fridge. See if you can find one with a broken thermostat as you will probably want to bypass it anyway once you have your temperature controller.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:36:26 +0000

This is one of the reasons we are reticent to try home brewing a lager; temperature control. The basement in Ohio this time of year is fairly consistent around 50 degrees but with spring on the way, that won’t last long. We need to spring for a dedicated fridge or rig one up like you did here.

By: Ask An Atheist

Ask An Atheist — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:12:47 +0000

Good links! Didn’t even know anything like that was out there.

By: Damian

Damian — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:26:50 +0000

If you listen to podcasts I can recommend Brew Strong (RSS) for in depth discussion on aspects of brewing and The Jamil Show (RSS) for specific beer styles and recipes.

By: Ask An Atheist

Ask An Atheist — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:26:44 +0000

Good choices on the hops for a bitters! Give dry-hopping a shot if you haven’t yet – it’s incredible!!

I used to do the same thing: I’d repeat a recipe except I would change just one of the ingredients. Only I did it less with hops and more with the grains to see what flavor each type of grain imparts. I do miss brewing – I kept all the equipment in hopes that I would get back to it one day. It may be sooner than later – your enthusiasm is damned contagious! The next 2 weekends are definitely out – I have a project due the end of this month and I want to make sure I keep well ahead of the deadline (which probably means weekend work). But after Feb, I might just dust off the old brew kettle and give it a go! If I do, I’ll probably try an IPA.

The Hunter device was manufactured for use with room air conditioners, but brewers who used the device hooked it up to the fridge, not a room unit.

By: Damian

Damian — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:46:44 +0000

I’ve not yet attempted a lager but now that I’ve got the ability to drop the temperature down nice and low I might have to give it a go at some stage.

I put down an ordinary bitter this morning using Styrian Goldings and will try the same again in a fortnight with Fuggles to see the difference. After that I want to try out a porter or two and then perhaps I’ll look into lager.

Your mention of air-conditioning a room makes sense but you’d want really good insulation but even then the poor thing would have to work pretty hard. I’m happy with the fridge setup at the moment though I’ll need to invest in a heat pad when we come into winter I guess.

Not tempted to get back into it?

By: Ask An Atheist

Ask An Atheist — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:35:13 +0000

Ah, I’m jealous. The only option I had available when I was brewing was a temperature control unit that was designed to work with a window air-conditioner unit – I think it was made by Hunter. It was designed to be plugged into the wall, then you plugged the window unit’s power chord into the control. You put the control’s sensor in the middle of the room and you set it to the desired temperature.

Luckily for brewers, the control was cheap (around $20), and most importantly, was capable of controlling temps down to 32F (0C), though I always wondered who would ever set their room temp to 32F!

I had an old fridge in the basement that I plugged into it. I set the control to 33F and put the sensor in the freezer side of the fridge. I did a couple of lagers that way. The lagers weren’t bad, but they never approached the quality of the ales (which I kept at around 60F). I never did figure out what I was doing wrong.