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Another winter brewday

Post #1 made 7 years ago
by goulaigan
Its been a very snowy winter here so far, started warm which means a metric sh!t ton of lake effect snow from Lake Superior. Been pretty chilly for the last month too and Ive been so busy plowing the driveway daily, shoveling the roof, and doing the holidays thing that I haven't brewed in over a month. Pretty rare for me, and the fridge is starting to look a little empty for my liking, so I was glad when I saw it was supposed to be a balmy -1 C today. 
Concocted up a sort of brown ale like recipe with leftover grains laying around in the beer fridge. First brown ale I think I have ever done. Forgot I broke my hydrometer on my last brew until after I milled my grain and started heating the water, oh well, not the first time I've cowboyed a brew with no gravity readings :)

My deck is about 18 inches above the ground when its not winter...
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Re: Another winter brewday

Post #3 made 7 years ago
by goulaigan
Well, 20f is colder (-7c) then it is today (its around 30f right now) Last few days we have been around 0 f though, which is why today is 'balmy'. As far as reaching a boil, I don't notice much difference then normal, my burner raises 35 L (~9.5 Gal) about 2 deg C per minute, so probably 15 or 20 minutes to get from mash temp to boil. Only problem is when it gets around -25C the propane doesn't work so well, then I have to throw a space heater on the tank with a blanket around it. :)
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Re: Another winter brewday

Post #4 made 7 years ago
by Mad_Scientist
Very interesting black and white photo with selected gas tanks in color ;) , or is it colour?  ... and the yellow eyes in the tree, don't see a body, is that an owl?  Owl saying "Who who" brews in that kind of weather..  Is the the river in the background?  Does it freeze up?
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Re: Another winter brewday

Post #5 made 7 years ago
by goulaigan
Haha MS, its in colour. I think the eyes in the tree are a reflection, I took the pic through the patio door. In the background is a bay that is part of Lake Superior (Goulais Bay). It usually freezes, didn't last year but hopefully this year so I can get out there and pull some perch and whitefish through the ice :)
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Re: Another winter brewday

Post #6 made 7 years ago
by bejkee
Looking quite cool! Did you make the metal sleeve for the burner / kettle yourself? Like, just riveting sheet metal together or did you go to some greater lengths? This probably speeds up the heating by a lot, if you can keep the wind from messing with your flame and also reflect the heat back towards the keetle and keep it wrapped in a nice layer of hot air...
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Re: Another winter brewday

Post #7 made 7 years ago
by goulaigan
Made the sleeve myself. Had some metal flashing left over from when I redid the roof on my house, unfortunately it was in several pieces which is why it's so unsightly :)  Don't have a rivet gun, just used small nuts and bolts. It definitely improved my heating time, and now my burner never blows out when it is windy. Only thing I have to be careful of is if the bag hangs too far down over the outside edge of the pot it can scorch, especially if it is soaked with wort. Had it happen when re-using the biab bag as a hop sock and had it draped over the side...
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