How big a freezer?

I'm ready to get a fridge/freezer dedicated to brewing.  My question is how big do I go?  I had thought of just getting something big enough for my primary, but then got thinking that for lagering (which I've never done), I may need to bottle condition for a few weeks.  Any advice out there?

Thanks in advance.

I have a small 7.3 Cubic Foot Freezer with a Johnson Temp Controller on it. I can ferment Ales at 65 - 70 or Lagers down in the low 50's.. I use Carboys so it works for me. If you use Conical Fermenters I suggest maybe an Upright Freezer or 18 cubic foot fridge.
 

ArtCox said:

I have a small 7.3 Cubic Foot Freezer with a Johnson Temp Controller on it. I can ferment Ales at 65 - 70 or Lagers down in the low 50's.. I use Carboys so it works for me. If you use Conical Fermenters I suggest maybe an Upright Freezer or 18 cubic foot fridge.

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I have an old chest freezer that I use for both storing kegs while conditioning, and also for controlling fermentation temperatures when needed  (I use a carboy as a primary)

For me,  the size of the freezer  I have is ideal - probably around 7 cu ft - I think it is about 46" long.  I guess it could easily hold six or more corny kegs

A chest freezer does make it a bit awkward for lifting kegs/carboys in and out,  especially for as I have injured my back and have to be very careful.    I built a simple rolling gantry using a boat winch and that makes it eru easy to use.

I have been thinking about getting a second smaller freezer just so I could use it for fermenting and leave conditioning kegs cool in the first freezer.

I thought an upright freezer might be better for handling a carboy in and out,  but every one I have looked at incorporates cooling coils in each shelf and so it would not be possible to move shelves to get enough height.  Also with teh compessor compartment at teh bottom, you'd need to lift the carboy to some extent anyway

I'm not sure if all uprights have coils in each shelf, but if so, it seems to me they are not very practical for homebrewing.  Unless perhaps you could carefully remove the coils from a shelf and bend them vertical in line with inside back wall of the fridge.  I'm not sure if that could be done without damaging the cooling tubes.

Brian.

I use a 7 cubic foot GE freezer (from Sam's) with a Johnson controller for lagering. It stays at 35 degrees F. The area at the right end is elevated to provide space for the compressor, so the freezer will hold only 3 kegs. The raised area will hold at least a case of bottles.  I ran a 1/4" tube through the defroster drain hole to get CO2 to the kegs without having to jam my CO2 bottle inside. While shopping for freezers I saw a couple of upright freezers that did not have the coils in the shelves, but they were much more expensive.

I use an OLD refrigerator with an analog controller for my V-Vessel fermenter. The refrigerator will hold a 5-gallon keg wedged into the corner along with the conical, so I can conduct a primary and secondary simultaneously. Most of my beers are lagers that ferment at 50 degrees F, but it's easy to adjust it to ale temps.

The setup works well, but as mentioned by Winegeezer, the kegs have to be lifted a little over three feet to get them in. With a little effort you can lighten them so they're easy to get out.

Dan

I had thought of just getting something big enough for my primary, but then got thinking that for lagering...

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If you want to ferment one while the previous is lagering, you'll need more than one appliance since you'll need to maintain two different temperatures.
If you're going to ferment a batch and then condition it before brewing the next, then one appliance should serve.

I may need to bottle condition for a few weeks.

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It may be time to upgrade to corny kegs. Get a freezer that will hold as many kegs as you think you'll need. You can lager/condition in one keg while drinking from the one next to it.

Thermostats are a must.

I started with a 7.2 cu ft chest freezer; it's big enough for two 6.5-gallon carboys. After I fermented my first batch I realized I'll need somewhere to properly condition, so I opted for an additional 17 cu ft upright fridge with no freezer - one large cavity - with removable/adjustable shelves. Both units are run from separate Johnson digital controllers.

My primary will always go in the chest freezer where I can custom-tailor my fermentation profile, while the upright contains bottles, lots of 'em, conditioning at 65F on the top 3 shelves leaving plenty of room on the bottom for a couple more cases of bottles and a 5-gallon carboy should I choose to rack to a secondary.

As I type; there is a starter going in the chest freezer on a stir plate holding a nice steady 70F.

This combination provides for a great deal of diversity in my fermenting/conditioning - more than I know how to use yet!