Getting a Better Bottle carboy would allow me to lager a beer. I have plans to brew a cream ale in February or March and lager it through the cold months using:
- A styrofoam box that I got from Mike…looks like it was used for Omaha steaks
- Snow and/or ice from the outside
- If there isn’t any snow or ice outside, I will freeze half liter water bottles and use them
I think that I can regulate temperature just enough without freezing the beer. Without a spare fridge, I am willing to give this makeshift ice box a try.
Mike
For lagering I would also do a temperature check in a garage or outside wall closet, in the winter time you might be able to find a spot that doesn’t heat up much but doesn’t also freeze. You could lager there just fine. Perhaps wrapping a few towels around a fermentor in a cold garage would serve to lager well, not ferment but lager.
Mon
I lager in my garage– it stays at about 44degrees unless the temperature outside drops well under 10below.
I had my carboy in a cooler (a 70quart ICEmax..or something like that) and was worried that the temp wasn’t dropping fast enough– staying about 55 for >1day. I added snow and frozen liter bottles— the moral of the story being WATCH the carboy. I dropped the temp to 38 while fermenting.
Just bottled (got the temp up, fermentation continued at 44) at SG of 1.010… right where I wanted it. Now bottles are out in the garage, this time with iced bottles.
If you have a cold garage, this is easier than ales. Good luck