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Brewing in Extreme Weather Conditions.

Post #1 made 15 years ago
by wizard78
[ADMIN NOTE: Topic title has been changed. Temperature and humidity conditions are very important considerations in brewing. Wizard's post and subsequent ones, show that we BIABrewers have a lot of extremes to deal with.]
Today I learnt that it isn't very much fun brewing in the garage when it's 30 odd degrees Celcius with about 1000000000% humidity! :idiot:
I reckon I lost about 5 kg in sweat :cry: :lol:
I hit my mash in temp then doughed in and managed to only drop 1 deg C :scratch: so I left the lid and sleeping bag of to try and get the temp down. Why is it when you want the temp to drop it won't and when you don't want it to it does? Like when I finally got it down to 65 C I wrapped it up then it managed to drop another 2 degrees over the remaining hour. Not to fussed about that though.
My evaporation was a fair bit off, so I had to crank up the boil for the last 20 minutes, I figure that was due to humidity.
Oh well live and learn! I finally got it into no chill @ about 9 pm ( the temp in the garage was still 25 C)
For all the people who live in hot humid climates, and brew, I feel for you and tips me lid! :salute:
Last edited by wizard78 on 03 Dec 2010, 19:25, edited 5 times in total.
[center]"All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer."
[/center]
[center]Homer Simpson[/center]
[center]K.I.S.S., B.I.A.B.[/center]

Post #2 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
wizard78
Tomorrow Dec 4th I am going to brew a Oktoberfest. The temperature is forecast to be 20F -6.666C with 2-4 inches of snow. I will trade sweat for frost bite any day. I will bring the hot cube (N/C) in the house to let the wort warm my office. I will be able to crash chill a few buckets of beer before I keg them tomorrow so it's not all bad. I have a downstairs bedroom I keep about 48 degrees F. Just right for lager(ing) beer. So maybe I should look at the bright side of things and not muck up your post. Please disregard this reply, it didn't happen.
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Post #3 made 15 years ago
by hashie
From one extreme to another :)

I feel for you both, Wiz and Bob.

Wizard, I think you are spot on with the lower evaporation rates and relative humidity. I brew in the garage/tin shed as well. Whenever the humidity is up my evap rates are down. How nice would it be to live somewhere in a stable climate? Then again we'd probably bitch and moan that the weather never changes???
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #4 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
LOL, it's going to be quite interesting on this forum to see the different weather conditions we are all operating under.

Was 39 C here last week. The tap water temperature gets up to about 27 C (from memory???) here in summer. This makes chilling a PITA.

Can't wait until we work out how to tele-port stuff. When we do, Bob's backyard is going to be full of kettles appearing and then disappearing after a few hours :).
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Post #5 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
PP,
Good idea! I am going to record my winter temperatures just for the heck of it! It's about 23F or -5C now which is nothing. My brew club has a winter brew on a local lake each winter. They drive there cars onto the frozen lake and brew all day. They have to warm their beers to keep them from solidifying. They also drill a hole in the ice and extract lake water to brew with? I don't attend this free for all! I am a coward! Maybe some day I will film it and put it on the web?
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
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Post #6 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
Bob, you should start a new thread (or we should get this one re-named), "What temperature are you brewing at today?"*

Bob, I love stories like you have just posted. To me they are stupefying. I'm not even sure I would drink beer in that sort of temperature. A bucket of red wine or schnapps sounds more appropriate :lol:.

They had something here on TV a while back about the trucks that travel the Canadian ice roads (lakes). I can't imagine those guys driving along and thinking, "Can't wait to get there so I can have a nice, cold beer!" WTF?

Anyone that brews beer on a frozen lake is a lot more enthusiastic than I am - may the brewing gods bless them!

;)
PP

P.S. I heard that Poland the other day was -33 C.

[* ADMIN NOTE: Thread title changed]
Last edited by PistolPatch on 05 Dec 2010, 01:11, edited 5 times in total.
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Post #7 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
PistolPatch wrote: P.S. I heard that Poland the other day was -33 C.
PP
It gets that cold here too. The last few years we have not had that extreme of weather. The coldest I have been out in was -33F -36C. I had a foreign exchange student from Japan so I carried her outside just to experience it! She didn't see any fun in it?

BTW while I was typing my last message I had a boil over in my garage! Also, I was stirring in the honey so vigorously that I knocked off the pickup tube off my spigot. Damn! Even the most experienced "Genius's" have a bad brew day!

I am sober at the moment but I will rectify that shortly.
Last edited by BobBrews on 05 Dec 2010, 01:41, edited 5 times in total.
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV

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Post #8 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
BobBrews,

Excuse the slow reply. I actually read your post above several days ago but was so shocked at the temperatures my fingers froze :lol:. I don't know what to say as I honestly have no comprehension of such temperatures. The coldest times I have ever had was mustering sheep at - 5 C (23 F) in a wind and 'sleeping' on the side of a mountain in a wet cotton sleeping bag - dunno what the temp was.

natept made a post here about brewing at 0 F or -18 C. I linked this thread to him. I hope he posts here because I am in awe of you guys brewing under these conditions. To tell you the truth, I am actually in awe as to how you even live in them!!!

:scratch:
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 15 Dec 2010, 21:20, edited 5 times in total.
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Post #9 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
PistolPatch,
As I write (type) it is -17 ºF = -27.22 ºC locally. 30 minuets from here it is -23 ºF = -30.55 ºC It is 7:31 AM Yes it is cold. But it is nice for chilling your beer? The windchill is the real problem. -17F with any kind of wind will drop the temperature to -45F (to exposed skin) that is dangerous stuff. However telling a Australian male that he doesn't know anything about beer could be just as dangerous?
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Last edited by BobBrews on 15 Dec 2010, 22:01, edited 1 time in total.
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tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
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Post #10 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
LOL! Most Aussie males don't know much about beer, they just drink it :lol:. (I shouldn't berate us too much. Aussie wines are world-class and there are countless small/medium breweries here producing delicious beer. One, close to where I live, even got the World Trophy last year!)

I seriously still can't understand how you would want to drink beer in such climates. If I was your neighbour, I could see myself becoming really interested in ways to lace tea, coffee or hot chocolate with vodka, schnapps or port!

Forget brewing... What is the lowest temperature you can have sex at? For example, for a male, what temperature does, "stiff," actually become a problem?

:lol:
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 15 Dec 2010, 22:01, edited 5 times in total.
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Post #11 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
PistolPatch wrote:LOL!
I seriously still can't understand how you would want to drink beer in such climates. If I was your neighbour, I could see myself becoming really interested in ways to lace tea, coffee or hot chocolate with vodka, schnapps or port!
PP
PP,
Dedication to ones art of brewing makes us do it. Being a red blooded American male makes us not back down to each other. There is something about having to thaw your beer before you can drink it that earns you the right to be a "real man" (or a stupid one?)

I have found that brewing a good Bock Beer and leaving it on the back porch and letting it partially freeze is a great way of concentrating the beer. Your alcohol levels shoot up and your taste is richer. I forget the term they call it but it separates the water from the beer!

I have tried the stiffening effect of ones "parts" and it didn't work. It got stuck to the zipper!
Last edited by BobBrews on 15 Dec 2010, 22:18, edited 6 times in total.
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Post #13 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
Thanks EoinMag,
I was in a hurry to finish my reply and I didn't have time to research it. The man was here to pick up my broken snow blower and was knocking at the door and I had to run. Actually, he was not at my front door but my garage door. My front door is snowed in because my snow blower died. We had anywhere from 17 to 23 inches of snow and I have a BIG area to shovel. following the snow we had a blizzard and drifts of 5 feet or more. Luckily I have my snowshoes and went to the road for my mail. While there someone with a snowplow drove by and $20 later my driveway was plowed! After probably a $250 snow blower repair bill I will be ready for Winter to start in a couple of weeks. Thank God winter is not here yet, it is still Fall?

Eisbock is something that I tried last year for the first time. I will do it a couple of times this year again. The concentrated beer is closer to a wine than a beer but better (because it's beer)!
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tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
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Post #14 made 15 years ago
by shibolet
i'm cracking up at this thread.
we had our first actual winter days this week. Sunday was really wet and cold. i think we max'ed at 16C.
But tomorrow we're back to our usual 23C ans sunny.
i have a duel temp controller on my fermentation fridge. can't find use for the heating option.

the up side is, it's always great weather for a beer here.
Cube:
fermenter: Sourdough Spelt Ale, Classic Lambic, Oud Brune, Barrel Aged Belgian Dubbel
Kegs: Bob's Black IPA, Blanc Blond, Soda...
to be brewed:

Post #15 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
Shibolet,
The weather there sounds perfect for brewing and drinking. Do me a favor! Go outside on a warm day with a beer and say "this beers for Bob" As you drink it I will feel it.


P.S. Don't drink too many because I might be driving at the time.
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Post #16 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
shibolet wrote:i'm cracking up at this thread.
Same here. Loving the read and sorry to hear about the zipper Bob :lol:

I have actually learned something though as well...

When EoinMag said, "eisbock," I thought he was making a pun or joke about weizenbock. I have actually never never heard of eisbock which to me sounds very close to, "ice block." Didn't realise it wasn't a joke until I read that BobBrews actually tasted one!

Cheers from Perth where today our minimum temperature was 18 C and our maximum was 33 C.
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 16 Dec 2010, 21:20, edited 5 times in total.
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Post #17 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
To all.

Eisbock

Description:
Eisbocks are created by freezing off a portion of the water, and removing it from the beer. This form of concentration, of sorts, increases the beer's body, flavor, and alcohol content. They can range from near black to as light as tawny red. Hop bitterness and flavor are mostly cast aside with a big alcohol presence replacing it, which can range from sweet to spicy, and fruity to often times fusel. Look for a heavy or almost syrupy body with tons of malty flavor.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 9.0-15.0% [ ? ]
--------------------------------------------------------

Poor mans Eisbock
Pour 6 (or so) bottles of beer into a container that will fit into a freezer. When the beer becomes slush put it into one of those salad spinners. The centrifuge spinner will spin throwing the beer alcohol into the bowl and leave the ice (water) in the spinner. The resulting drink will be flat but served cold it will replace a glass of wine.

Search Google for (salad spinner) if you are confused. You can also use the same technique with wine to boost it to a liqueur.

Cheers boys! the temperature is up to -4F so I am going out to brew a Heineken clone.
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Last edited by BobBrews on 16 Dec 2010, 22:00, edited 5 times in total.
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tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
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Post #18 made 15 years ago
by BrickBrewHaus
This is how the strongest beers in the world are made. A Scotland brewery, BrewDog, made a 55% ABV beer this past year, article here. This article doesn't say specifically that its an eisbock, but I read a few months ago that its made this way.
Last edited by BrickBrewHaus on 16 Dec 2010, 23:27, edited 5 times in total.

Post #19 made 15 years ago
by natept
I'll post here after I brew Saturday. I just figured out a false bottom (domed pizza pan) so I can add heat if/when necessary. I'll probably try to wait at least 15 minutes to check the temperature the first time...maybe 30. I plan to insulate with a sleeping bag or two. How long do you guys think I should wait to check the temp? Or should I just plan on having heat the whole time and stirring a lot (seems like a lot of work with a lot of room for error). I'll brew in my garage, but it won't be much warmer then outside...the high is 16F on Saturday.

Post #20 made 15 years ago
by hashie
If you are going to constantly add heat, then I would be checking the temperature very regularly. It would be best if you had a digital probe thermometer, that way the probe is in the mash but the readout is on the outside. Hope that makes sense.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #21 made 15 years ago
by natept
I'm trying to figure out if I should just plan on adding heat constantly, or if I should let it sit 15-30 minutes, check the temp and then add heat if needed. I was trying to avoid having to buy a probe thermometer, but there may not be a way around it with the weather I'm brewing in. I originally planned to just brew on my stovetop indoors with 2 burners, but it gets condensation all over my house and the two burners can barely bring 8 gallons of water to a boil without the lid on.

Post #22 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
The mash(action) is done in the first 15 minuets. After the "magic first 15" the temperature of your mash has negligible effect. Rather than obsess over loosing a few degrees concentrate on nailing the correct mash temperature perfectly. A drift down in mash temp will not overly effect your conversion rate which is set in the magic first 15 minuets.

Having said that, if you live in a area where your roof collapses because of too much snow! A old well used winter coat around your pot will suffice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAyLX2hY7E0

Go Packer's, come to think of it Go Vikings!

To our Aussie friends: A bit of American Football rivalry going on!
Last edited by BobBrews on 19 Dec 2010, 00:12, edited 5 times in total.
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tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
tap 3 Czech Pilsner
tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV

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Post #23 made 15 years ago
by hashie
BobBrews wrote:
Go Packer's, come to think of it Go Vikings!

To our Aussie friends: A bit of American Football rivalry going on!
Better that then some yob yellin' "caaarn the Pies". :headhit: :)
Last edited by hashie on 19 Dec 2010, 05:11, edited 5 times in total.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #24 made 15 years ago
by natept
Well just finished cleaning up. Ended up with over 6 gallons in the fermenter, so I know I need to adjust a bit next time. I ended up with about 70% efficiency. 11.7 lbs of grain, 90 minute mash at 152, started with about 8.9 gallons of water. I only ran it through the mill at the LHBS once (on the finest setting), next time I'll do it twice. I only did a 60 minute boil, we have good water I think 60 minutes is fine. I also only squeezed the bag a bit so I will have a hoist set up for the next batch so the bag can drip. I think milling twice and letting the bag drip should increase that a bit.

It was 26 F in my garage (17 F outside), I doughed in at 160 and after stirring it up for a few minutes and it was right at 152. I checked on it after 15 minutes and it was still at 152. left it another half hour (45 minutes total) and it had dropped about two degrees so I added a bit of heat and left it for another 45 minutes. I was quite impressed, all I used was a sleeping bag to insulate. Next time I don't even think I'll have to add heat, I'll just stir at certain intervals.

It went very well for my first all grain batch, it was also the first batch I used a starter on, I hope it doesn't blow out the airlock!

Post #25 made 15 years ago
by Aleian
PistolPatch,
As I write (type) it is -17 ºF = -27.22 ºC locally. 30 minuets from here it is -23 ºF = -30.55 ºC It is 7:31 AM Yes it is cold. But it is nice for chilling your beer? The windchill is the real problem. -17F with any kind of wind will drop the temperature to -45F (to exposed skin) that is dangerous stuff.
And I thought it was cold here - it was about -11C this morning, the condensation in my breath froze on my beard this morning when I was cycling to work, I looked like an Antarctic geologist by the time I got there!

I'm lucky enough to be allowed to brew inside but I still have to put my fermenter in a water bath with an aquarium heater, if I don't the temperature of the brew fluctuates between about 11C and 15C in the kitchen. Temperature in my cellar where my barrels live is 7C at the moment which is a little cold for ales, even in the depth of winter. Think it's time to get a pilsner on for my non-ale drinking mates!
Last edited by Aleian on 21 Dec 2010, 03:08, edited 5 times in total.
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