Hey guys its your newbie here.I have an old deep freezer that I want to use for cold storage,lagering and so on.I want to get a digital external themostat($79+shipping sound right?).Do you think I need the probe that goes in the fermenter or can I do without and get good results?Also will all beers benefit from the cold treament? Thanks for any help G

First of all, IMO, you're paying too much. Check this out:

http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc111000000-digital-temperature-controller-p-86.html

It's not where I bought it from, but it's the price I paid from a retail shop.

As far as a probe in the beer, that's what I do. I use this nifty product:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/stopper-thermowell.html

However, for years I just taped the thermo sensor on the outside of the fermenter with good results. Also, you might want to rig a fan inside the deep freezer to keep things circulating. I have run into my freezer getting things WAY to cool otherwise...it'll cylce on, and by the time the beer is the right temp, the surrounding area is a lot colder. The fan (I use a space heater turned to fan only) keeps that at bay.

Hope this helps!

Big Daddy
I've used a 5 cuft freezer with temp control and the probe is a must, for about 2 years now and love the results much better then before without it. Best thing if you can't get to the batch for kegging or transfering no problem you know it protected from temperature excursions. Worth while investment.