Brewing in a Fridge

[simonb]

Hi
I have an old fridge that fits my fermenter and want to know if there are any issues related to brewing in this way.

I know there is a post only a few spots down regarding this topic, but I wanted to start a fresh one.

I have put it to the highest temp which is about 15 degrees and should be perfect for brewing lagers in summer in Melbourne. (I have an ESB pilsner which comes with a lager yeast)

Do you have to open the door to let air escape, or is it ok just to leave it shut? I don't want to have to drill any holes in the door etc.

Any advice related to brewing in a fridge would be great.
Thanks
Simon

[anti-fsck]

I give you the thermatically controlled open-source beer brewing fridge

[Oliver]

Simon,

I would have thought you'd be right just leaving it to ferment.

I doubt it's going to blow up your fridge!

It will smell bloody good when you open the door though!

If you're worried, I guess you could always stick something in the seal around the top of the door, like a rolled up bit of paper, so that there's a tiny space for pressure to escape. Don't put it down the bottom, otherwise cool air will drain out!

Oliver

[stevem]

I brew in a fridge with a Gro Warm(?) thermostat to control the temp. I keep the fridge door closed all the time for both lagers and ales. The only thing I do once a day is to wipe up the condensation that forms on the freezer section.
Cheers
Steve

[simonb]

excellent
thanks for the advice - can't wait to give it a go

[Lebowski]

I'm also getting an old fridge to brew lagers in, would sticking one of those stickon thermometers to the inside of the fridge give me an accurate temperature?

[Oliver]

I'm also getting an old fridge to brew lagers in, would sticking one of those stickon thermometers to the inside of the fridge give me an accurate temperature?

Not sure about that. If there are warm or cold spots on the wall of the fridge it might give you a dodgy result.

I'd be inclined to get a thermometer (ordinary or electronic) and suspend it in the fridge, at about the height of your fermenter (remembering that cold air sinks so placing it right at the top may tell you it's warm, while at the bottom it might be a fair bit cooler).

Cheers,

Oliver

[Dogger Dan]

Why not let the thermostat do it for you?

Dogger

[Oliver]

Very good question, Dogger

Oliver

[Lebowski]

I got one of those suspended kind of thermometers, and it's an old fridge from up at the farm, wanted to check what temperatures it runs at.