Inkbird problem? Brewing a pilsner

I have owned exactly one Inkbird that I bought because it was cheap but getting lots of hype. It was a lemon and I returned it. Most of my controllers are Johnson A419s, which have performed flawlessly for many years.

But about your frozen beer... let it thaw it and see if the yeast is still viable. Some cells probably survived. If you don't see any activity within a couple days, pitch more yeast. But take a gravity reading first. It's possible given your description that fermentation was finished before the big temperature drop.

Also, are you sure the beer itself froze? Its freezing point will be a little lower than water's, and it would take a lot longer for it to freeze solid (large thermal mass) as compared to the liquid in your airlock.

 

Meh, it will be quite clear, so that is good.
Just add fresh yeast if needed.

With a chest freezer the temps can get quite a bit lower than the set up. Reason being, the compressor has two setting; full on and off. If you target 64F for example, and the compressor runs for 4 minutes to get to 64F, and the temp controller turns off the compressor, the cold coils are still 0F, and will continue to chill well after shut off. Setting the shut off a few degrees above the target is sometimes a good idea.

If your compressor is not turning off, then that is a bum controller.

The A419 is bullet proof. Ranco as well. In fact, if you don't need a lot of programming, the old Honeywell with a 3F diff is by far and away the most reliable controller.
Cheers

 

I would say you just got a bad one. When I first set up my keezer (7+ years) I used the old timey Ranco...it's still in service. I bought Inkbird when released (5+ years), the old style you had to wire yourself...it's still in service. I've added another Ranco and the fancy Inkbird...both have worked flawlessly. Got the WiFi Inky just to transmit temps...never had a problem. Currently have two R's and the two I's working as advertised, don't even feel the need to touch wood.