Brewing outside??

Going to grab a propane burner this weekend as I really want to do full boils. Here's my question/questions:

1. Do you risk more contamination doing this outside?
2. Do I do ALL steps outside (i.e. boil, cool down using a wort chiller, transfer to fermentor, agitating and yeast pitch?

It just seems that doing all of this out side really ups the possibility of contamination, however, I can't see myself hauling a full 5 gallon boil from my deck into the house after boil for all the remaining steps.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated!


PS - totally unrelated....anyone ever combine sorachi hops with simcoe hops?

I've been brewing on my patio ever since I went from a house to an apartment. Its covered, but not as ideal as brewing in a garage. Still, i've never had any issues with contamination, although you still run the risk I suppose. I do move my brew kettle inside immediately after the boil though, and chill it down/whirlpool/etc, which I would highly encourage you doing as well. After the boil, there's very limited exposure to anything that could cause an infection (no more than brewing inside). Just my thoughts.

That is what a lid for your kettle is for..
I cut a notch for my Imersion chiller, just after I add whirlflock I put the sanitized (starsan spray bottle) on kill the heat and chill... Yep you run greater risk but when it is 80 outside I would rather be boiling out there than heating the house and causing funk..

I would say most brewers brew outside. No issues with contamination. Just because I live in an apartment, upstairs, here's what I do:

Mash and boil on my patio (turkey fryer), then move the boild wort to the kitchen sink, where I hook up my IC with a faucet/gardenhose adaptor. Everything from then on is inside, but that's not because of contamination, it's because of my process. I guess you could say hot-side outside, cold-side inside for me.

I also occasionally heat my strike and sparge water on my gas range, but not always. Depends on how I'm feeling, I guess.

Like one of the other responders I have a notch cut in the lid to my boil kettle. Very little space for things to get in. I suppose I could also put some tinfoil over the notch to completely cover it but it hasn't been necessary so far.

I drain directly from my covered kettle through a tube connected to a nipple on the lid of my fermentor, so I feel good that nothing will get in.

I brew in the garage. I'd prefer to just be out on the patio, but we typically have >15 mph winds ALWAYS, with some days above 35 mph. I don't really fancy making a dirt beer, so garage it is.

I simply don't worry about it. Never had an issue.

Awesome feedback as usual! Gotta love homebrewing! You guys and gals are great! Thanks for the tips!

I think I will simply put some sterilized foil over any openings with the lid on over the wort chiller. I think I will be fine.

By the way....brewing my own recipe next week....Red Warrior IPA. Deep red beer with lots of Warrior hops and a touch of sorachi hops. I will keep you all posted!

+1 on the sterilized foil. That method has seriously increased my confidence in fending off contamination whether I'm brewing inside or outside. I cover the lid gap and the opening to the carboy as I'm transferring.

I brew in my garage.....but, my brew pot and burner are just outside the garage.....no worries....unless real windy...then you might have issue....

if you are brewing outside in the winter, dont forget to bring your immersion chiller back inside or it will burst. ask me how i know.

As I'm sure you know, the only time you really have to worry about contamination is after the wort is done boiling. As long as you have some kind of cover over the brew kettle to keep out debris that might be flying around, you should be fine.

I just started AG and full boils, so what's worked for me so far is to brew mostly inside the garage, so that I've got some outside exposure to air. In the wintertime I'll think that chilling the wort outside would yield the best results, while in the dead of summer chilling inside might be better. Even in the colder times I'm transferring the wort to the fermenter outside, then bringing the fermenter inside to aerate and pitch the yeast.

k47k said:

if you are brewing outside in the winter, dont forget to bring your immersion chiller back inside or it will burst. ask me how i know.

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how do you know?


I boil outside, everything else inside. if I'm doing a 10 gallon batch, my wife helps me lug it around. she's super mega awesome like that.

My first two kits were hopped LMEs. Earlier in fall I boiled my water on the burner of the propane grill outside next to the garage, and did all the combining, cooling and pitching in the garage, then brought the wort in the house to ferment. Was colder outside with the second batch, so brought the grill into the garage and did it all there.

Next batch, it's very cold in the garage, and this is a LME kit but with separate hops pellets, which calls for a full hourlong boil. So I'll do it all in the garage again. I do wonder something. I heat the garage as needed with a kerosene blast furnace, and there are kerosene fumes involved. Might those fumes at some point and to some degree infuse the beer?

IMO there are really no worries. I only brew outside, in the garage, on the driveway, in front of the LHBS. I don't cover anything pre or post boil. Leaves have found their way into the wort, I chill outside and pitch as well and with proper sanitation practices I can report no infected batches doing AG.

If you use best practice it's pretty tough to screw up beer

It's been repeated several times, but I boil and chill outside, transfer to fermenter and pitch inside.

When it gets real cold, which won't be long, I'll probably revert to chilling inside and just doing the boil outside.

good to know. currently i'm doing everything inside. i was planning on getting a burner and starting to do everything outside so i can smoke a cigar while a brew. thanks for putting me at ease.

You're pitching a very active culture into the wort. Even if something weird got in there it's be out-competed right away.

my brew buddies & I do everything outside. We had a snowball fight once while brewing & got one in the kettle, everything was still fine.

I don't even HAVE a lid for my boil kettle. It's completely unneeded, plus a cover can hold in DMS precursors as the wort chills.

I mean, you don't want insects flying in it, but you don't want that to happen inside either. There isn't anything outside that isn't inside otherwise.

I should add that we use a hunting blind set up with the kettles inside while we are boiling.

Yooper said:

There isn't anything outside that isn't inside otherwise.

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wolverines. I'm always fishing those things out of the kettle when I brew outside. I told my wife we should cut down that old wolverine tree.

Billy-Klubb said:

wolverines. I'm always fishing those things out of the kettle when I brew outside. I told my wife we should cut down that old wolverine tree.

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I always thought those grew on the vine. Hmmm.

metanoia said:

I always thought those grew on the vine. Hmmm.

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that's badgers. we're keeping the badger vines. the kids like them. we got rid of the swirling knives bush. it just didn't go with the rest of the decor.

carguy13 said:

good to know. currently i'm doing everything inside. i was planning on getting a burner and starting to do everything outside so i can smoke a cigar while a brew. thanks for putting me at ease.

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Ha, I smoke a cigar nearly every time I brew as well. I know this thread is several months old but I guess I'll add for anyone else concerned. I mash inside and boil/chill/and transfer to my fermenter outside using a strainer to collect trub. Once it's in the fermenter I screw the lid on, bring the fermenter indoors, aerate, take a hydro sample, then pitch the yeast and put my fermenter where I ferment. I then go back outside and bring everything in. I've never once had a contamination issue. I even had one time a bird flying overhead pooped and the the poop hit the side of the kettle and smeared down. I was looking at the kettle and didn't see any go in or any splash but since I wasn't staring intently at the boil (LOL) and it happened so fast I wasn't sure if any had gone in. Since it was still 30 minutes or so to go with the boil I knew there wouldn't be any dangerous risk but I felt weird about it. Anyhow, that beer turned out 100% fine and I didn't see anything odd in any of the beers.

I haven't yet had any leaves go in but if they did after the boil ended I'd probably bring it to a boil again for 3 minutes or so to be safe. What I do though is chill down to 120 or so and if I need to step away from the kettle, say to take a leak, I just put the lid on. All has been perfectly fine.


Rev.

that's good to know. nothing better than combining two wonderful hobbies!

+1 to Duboman

Don't worry about it. If all equipment is properly sanitized you will be fine. Worrying takes the fun out of it. I have brewed...transferred...etc exclusively outside and yes...I have had a autumn leaf or two fall in the wort among other "natural" items. It's part of the fun of it.

No infections or bad batches have resulted due to rogue leaves

Have fun with it......sanitize equipment......and enjoy the end product.....and to reiterate....it is REALLY hard to screw up beer!!