Hi - I have brewed about 25 five gallon batches and have decided it is time to get a better handle on controlling fermentation temperatures. I am in New Jersey and brew in a basement. In the summer the temperatures are too hot and in the winter too cold. I use a 'Brew-belt' heat tape around the fermenter in the winter, but when the furnace kicks on the temp rises to high. Conversely I am brewing a Kolsch now and the temperature is around 74F when the target temperature should be 67F.
I have looked into a chest freezer as an economical way to control temperatures and have bought a temperature controller with 115V heat/cold outlets. The question I have is that I have realized that a chest freezer, or a small fridge, is not ideal since the fermenter has to be moved onto a counter to rack into a keg or bottling bucket. That would stir up the sediment.
How do others handle this? At the moment the fermenter is on a workbench so I simply rack off the beer when fermentation is complete without disturbing the fermenter.
I am interested in your suggestions. I am up to building something like the 'Son of Fermentation' chamber out of the rigid foam insulation, but do not want to rely on bottles of frozen water for cooling as I travel during the week and need a 'plug and forget' type system.
Thanks,
Paul