Chest Freezer or Small Fridge

Over The Cliff Brewing

Over The Cliff Brewing

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Let me start by saying I cannot have both. Here's my dilemma. I want a dedicated ferm chamber but I also want a place to keep beer (kegs and such) until they are ready for the kegerator. I think the ferm chamber is more important. Thoughts?
 
Frankenbrewer said:
Let me start by saying I cannot have both. Here's my dilemma. I want a dedicated ferm chamber but I also want a place to keep beer (kegs and such) until they are ready for the kegerator. I think the ferm chamber is more important. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Agreed: A full-size refrigerator will hold kegs and you can lager in them.
 
A chest freezer with an Inkbird controller is probably your least expensive option. And with the temperature controller, you can use it as a fermentation chamber or for cold beer storage when not fermenting. I bought a new 5.0 cu ft chest freezer three years ago for $140.
 
I found a free minifridge that fits my brewbucket if I put something heavy beside the door.
 
Bubba Wade said:
A chest freezer with an Inkbird controller is probably your least expensive option. And with the temperature controller, you can use it as a fermentation chamber or for cold beer storage when not fermenting. I bought a new 5.0 cu ft chest freezer three years ago for $140.
Click to expand...

The problem now is finding one! Both Lowes and Home Depot are out of the reasonably priced 5-7 cu ft chest freezers. If I want what they have available then it'll cost around $300.

Edit:
I'm sure the lack of affordable chest freezers is pandemic related. That's how I "lost" my fermentation chamber. Hopefully there restock them soon.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
The problem now is finding one! Both Lowes and Home Depot are out of the reasonably priced 5-7 cu ft chest freezers. If I want what they have available then it'll cost around $300.

Edit:
I'm sure the lack of affordable chest freezers is pandemic related. That's how I "lost" my fermentation chamber. Hopefully there restock them soon.
Click to expand...
Good luck. They’ll be back in stock soon. You can also scan Craigslist for used ones.
 
Bubba Wade said:
A chest freezer with an Inkbird controller is probably your least expensive option. And with the temperature controller, you can use it as a fermentation chamber or for cold beer storage when not fermenting. I bought a new 5.0 cu ft chest freezer three years ago for $140.
Click to expand...
Even craigslist in my area has nothing
 
Yep that's what id do hunt around for second hand one. Just bad timing I suppose.
 
I was able to get a upright freezer on craigslist for $50, but it was way before covid-19.
 
As someone who currently has neither a ferm chamber or a dedicated lagering /storage fridge: I'd take the ferm. chamber. It would be great to keep the kegs cold until I could use them but production over storage in my opinion.
 
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I'm thinking of trading SWAMBO my upright freezer for her chest freezer. I can fit more kegs in the chest freezer and she can find stuff easier in the upright. Only sticking point is if the refrigerator I'm currently using for lagering is tall enough to hold my fermentor....
 
It's the strangest stuff.... I went looking for buckets a while back, not a one to be found! Then I could find the buckets but no lids.
 
Nosybear said:
It's the strangest stuff.... I went looking for buckets a while back, not a one to be found! Then I could find the buckets but no lids.
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Sounds like grocery shopping especially in the soaps and deodorant isle :confused:.
Put me in front of meat or lollies I know my way around ask me to find toothpaste I rock back and forth in a state of horror in the corner...
 
Frankenbrewer said:
Let me start by saying I cannot have both. Here's my dilemma. I want a dedicated ferm chamber but I also want a place to keep beer (kegs and such) until they are ready for the kegerator. I think the ferm chamber is more important. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I had the great luck of finding a broken fridge which can fit either two corny kegs (plus a 2 kilo co2 bottle) or a 50 liter fermentation tank. The great luck was in that the only thing broken was the thermostat and once I bypassed that with a separate aftermarket unit I got a great setup for both temperature-controlled fermentation and serving the beer from kegs. Now the only real problem is that I can only ferment beer or have it ready to serve from a keg, but not the both at the same time...
 
I finally bought a 7 cu chest freezer! I practically had to frisk the store salesperson to get it. I was looking to find a used one but there's just nothing out there. So I lucked up and found one brand new. Now on to better ferm temp control. Oh yeah, I also picked up the wifi inkbird 308. Can't wait to try it.
 
My fermenting fridge seems to be dying a slow death, time to find another one on kijiji (Canadian Craig's List)
 
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