Outdoor Brewing in the cold

Was excited to do my first brew outdoors on a propane pruner. Really didn’t go that well. Main reason being how cold it is. There was so much steam coming from the pot it was almost impossible to see in. Had two boil overs…What do others do when brewing in winter outside?

What size pot do you have. Generally you need a pot double the volume of your batch. Also no need to boil so hard. I’ve brewed many a batch in cold weather close to the garage door with a wind break. Watch the weather and brew on sunny windless days only. Winter brewing is awesome just need to pick your days

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Me dont have that issue here either to warm sweati g up a storm

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A whole 12 sunny degrees where I’m at. I brew in the garage with the overhead door partially open for ventilation. I turn on the garage heater too while I’m brewing so it doesn’t get too cold. No need for an immersion chiller when its this cold.

Ooops make that 10 degrees. Just checked and apparently its getting colder as the day goes on. At least its not snowing.

I brewed sunday in about 10 degrees…it was not sunny but there was zero wind…and the snow stopped before i started boiling so no need for a canopy :slight_smile:

I look forward to winter brewing. Hot work in the summer. Make lagers without tying up my fermigerator

I’m using an 8 gallon kettle and only boiling about 3 gallons. Part of the issue was I was doing an IPA so lots of hop additions.

Yes, chilling was a breeze after the boil.

I brewed out on my deck last winter at -25 degrees. Couldn’t see a thing cause of the stream. Tried the wood spoon over the top of the kettle to keep from boiling over and I guess it worked. I made sure I kept the flame a little lower so it wasn’t boiling too vigorously. Also the boil off rate was a little higher than normal.

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I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to boil over 3 gals in an 8 gallon kettle. You need to lower your flame. All you need is a gentle rolling boil It doesn’t need to be jumping out of the pot!

Virginia winters aren’t that bad for the most part. I like others have said love brewing in the winter.

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I love brewing in the winter too! From indoors! :stuck_out_tongue: Sneezles61

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All Ya propane blasters in the cold are nutz. Ya gotta try perfecting yer extract. Standing in the kitchen. Frig full a food right there. Cupboard full of crackers. Herring and sausage. Smoked ribs and a few beers. TV right there. Warm.

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I did have it perfected and enjoyed it. Wife didn’t appreciate the aroma.

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My temp gage didn’t go above 220. Guess I can’t leave the lid on at all. I feel like I went through half a 20lb tank in that one brew…

My wife can notice the difference between cascade and centennial when added to the boil.

No more attempts at levity tonight.

I brew in the garage, in the winter I crank the door down and leave like 2-3’ open at the bottom to vent. It does get chilly in there (not -25 chilly however) but I still thoroughly enjoy a good winter brew. Summer’s over a propane burner can be quite warm. :sweat:

:beers:
Rad

p.s. Flars, you’re lucky, my wife describes the smell of hop pellets as smelling like rabbit poop :joy: My 9 year old and my 6 year old keep running back to the garage when I’m brewing because they both think it smells delicious so at least I have some fans. :innocent:

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What kind of hops are you using with that smell ?

Brewing inside is booooring . Pick a sunny January day in the 20s nothing better. Except maybe skiing on a sunny January day in the 20s

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That’s how she describes ALL hop pellets. :joy: Ive had her smell Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus before I stopped offering a whiff. It’s funny, when I remove the dry hop bags from the kegs after they kick, I double bag them and put them in the kitchen trash can. Every time I open the can it smells amazing, she can hardly wait for trash day.

She does take a taste of every brew that I make, she even has had repeated sips of the latest batch of Denny’s BVIP I made, but I still haven’t found a beer she has any interest in more than a sample. The closest I found was Samuel Smith’s Organic Stout.

Also, a nice fresh beer at a ski resort by a fire at sunset after a good day of skiing is a pretty epic way to close out a day.

:beers:
Rad

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I have an 8 foot wide, half covered basement stair well where I brew. I’m well protected from the worst winds and get some sun since it faces south. Easy access to the brew cave and equipment in the basement. Just roll my little two burner brew cart out and fire it up. Got a drain in the concrete floor for cleaning in place. Only hassle is running the hose up to the patio for water. I’ve thought seriously about running a water line and propane line to the stair well. That would save me getting propane refills by just running it off my 1000 gal household tank.

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Well, we are about to git down tonight!! -20 below! No big deal, I won’t be brewing any who… Hey Rad, Nose plugs for christmas… er I mean holiday present fer yer wife? :grin: Sneezles61

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