Hey guys, another thread from the newb...

I am about to brew my first ever batch (outmeal stout) and I need some advice on keeping the temperature stable during fermentation. I figure this is the section to post the thread since it probably requires certain equipment, given my circumstances:

I live in Bangkok, Thailand and my house temperature is hot year round. I typically keep the air conditioner on in the particular rooms I am using at the time. Any rooms without an air conditioner on (such as the room I intend to brew/ferment in) are in the low to upper 80's Farenheit on average) sometimes hotter.

My recipe says I need to keep a stable temperature of 68-72 F for 2 weeks while fermenting. I was planning on putting the fermenter in my guest bedroom closet so it could stay dark and somewhat cooler, but it still won't be cool enough. I'm not even sure if leaving a fan blowing on it 24/7 would be enough.

Any suggestions on how to keep a steady temperature without keeping my air conditioner on for weeks? Keep in mind I plan on brewing all the time from now on, so a temporary solution won't help much....

Thanks!

A tub of water and ice bottles will help, though you will be changing the bottles alot. Normally you need 4-1l bottles every 12 hours but with the temps higher you may need more or change them more frequently.
Light isn't the big concern compared to temp, if you have an area that's coooler but has more light, a black garbich bag is fine or even the original box cut down a bit.

A more costly but permenent solution would be a dedicated refridgerator or freezer to control fermentation temps. You really only need to run it for the first week or so during primary fermentation. If you have the money and space it this is the way to fly.
Good Luck!

But still cheaper in the long run that running AC constantly...

Another suggestion to get around the temperature problem is to brew saisons. These beers work just fine with fermentation temperatures into the 90's. I've had success with fermentation temps as high as 95°F.

Wayne

In lieu of a dedicated refrigerator for fermenting, I think a swamp cooler is the best way to go for you. Basically a large tub with water that will hold your fermenter and frozen water bottles to control the temp. As said earlier, you will have to swap them out quite regularly to keep your temps stable. I would probably just keep the AC running. Won't you have a room with the AC running all the time anyway?

I don't keep the A/C running when I am not home, or if I am not spending time in that particualr room (each room has its own A/C, it is not one central unit). My guest bedroom is the smallest unit/room and would therefore use the least electricity, so I could keep it in there with the A/C on constantly until I work out a permanant solution down the road...

The swamp bucket sounds decent but also a lot of work, especially since I am not home on many weekends. I would also think this method would be difficult to maintain a steady temperature. How important is a steady temperature anyway? Is it bad if it fluctuates more than 3 or 4 degrees in either direction over the course of the day?

The most efficient way would be to create some sort of small insulated environment for your carboy so you don't have to worry about blasting the AC all day and holding a consistently low temp in an entire room of the house. A dedicated mini fridge or something would be ideal. If you can't get that find an area of the house that doesn't have big temp swings. A steady temp is vital for the majority of the yeast strains during the early stages of fermentation. You get a little more wiggle room with Belgian yeasts but temp control is a very important part of any fermentation.