So.... (winter brewing)

So here I sit in my garage with my tukey fryer brewing..Man it's cold out here but the SWMBO won't let me do it in the house... This may get old as winter fully comes... It's 40 out here...

Anyone got any suggestions? hehe

Quit whining, get a space heater and brew like crazy!

I'm not whining.. I actually think it's funny.. Good idea re: Space Heater though.

brew higher gravity beers!!!! they will warm you up.J Sorry man, I am in shorts and flip flops and I was just about to take my ----- off but the sun is going down and the temp is about 73 degrees.I feel for you cause I will be in the same boat soon!

sit closer to your boil pot.

Dude. I was out with people camping today. Way colder than 40F and soaking wet with rain.

You are dry, indoors. Dress properly and have a few brews.

I brewed last night low 40's if that it wasn't fun but I've brewed in colder. 8 degrees it was a kit beer. Now I do ag with a batch sparge. So the same idea was runni g through my head.

I have a detached garage. No heat or water. I figure I can take buckets out but my main concern is wort chillng. Don't want a ice rink in the driveway and garage.

Silly ill be in snow with freezing temps and my main concern is chilling my wort... Not keeping warm!

Boil inside late after she's sleeping with the bedroom door closed, that's how I get away with brewing inside when it's nasty outside

I have kinda a sun room on the back of my house. it's heated and it has a gas fireplace out there. i was thinking of brewing in there.

the smell would stay out there. but i'm worried about boil over and burning the carpet. it has 5 sliding doors so i could easily open one or multipe to air any concern of Burning propane exhaust.

I guess i could lay a sheet of plywood down and put my turkey fryer on top of that. I could then run a hose right to my drain and then no concern of ice. humm....

Im glad my wife does not give me a hard time about brewing inside...but even if she did, The daytime winter temp here in New Mexico is about 60 degrees.

Conodor said:

I have kinda a sun room on the back of my house. it's heated and it has a gas fireplace out there. i was thinking of brewing in there.

the smell would stay out there. but i'm worried about boil over and burning the carpet. it has 5 sliding doors so i could easily open one or multipe to air any concern of Burning propane exhaust.

I guess i could lay a sheet of plywood down and put my turkey fryer on top of that. I could then run a hose right to my drain and then no concern of ice. humm....

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Get some Fermcap S. I got mine from morebeer. No worries of boil overs.

40 and you're cold? *****. Try brewing in WI in January:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/my-first-throw-together-whatever-you-have-batch-21400/

I brewed that outside. It was too cold for the kids to go to school, but not too cold for me to go outside and brew.

Get yourself some Carhartts, grow a set and get out there and brew!:rockin:

Oh, BTW, I grill out year-round, too.

Bernie Brewer said:

40 and you're cold? *****. Try brewing in WI in January:

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Exactly! Winter in WI is for snowmobiling, and brewing. Some of my best beers were made at a temp that would freeze the stream from your manhood before it hit the ground.

Hell, I amped up my burner for just this reason. I brew in my garage but it's still cold in there, just not windy.

Mattbastard said:

Exactly! Winter in WI is for ice fishing, and brewing. Some of my best beers were made at a temp that would freeze the stream from your manhood before it hit the ground.

Hell, I amped up my burner for just this reason. I brew in my garage but it's still cold in there, just not windy.

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Fixed that for ya.

Good idea on the burner, BTW.

It's not even winter yet... sheez... man up!

At least you can dress for the cold, try brewing outside when its 110 and the humidity is 95 %.

If you dont want to brew outside i the cold, drop down to 2 1/2 gallon batches. I can boil that on the stove.

I don't like to brew inside because the one hour boil adds so much humidity to the house. I brew outside and then chill inside. You can't use an i/c with a frozen garden hose.

mrk305 said:

I don't like to brew inside because the one hour boil adds so much humidity to the house. I brew outside and then chill inside. You can't use an i/c with a frozen garden hose.

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That's why I keep my hose reel in the basement in wintertime. It won't freeze while you are using it, and so if you keep it in the basement after you are done, you're good to go.

CT winters aren't that bad. I brewed outside last winter and only got the flu and pneumonia..... have fun.

Dude you're in a GARAGE! It can't be that bad. Last year I brewed outside in the snow. Woke up, shoveled the driveway, and got my strike water ready. Then I set up the 10x10 pop up canopy and got the rest of my equipment set up. The key is to set up a chair close to the burner to keep your feet warm and have a nice glass of RIS in hand.

Getting a turkey fryer to brew outside probably saved my marriage (or at least homebrewing career).

Anyways in Buffalo my season came to an end a couple weeks ago. I'm sure she'll buy me a kit for Christmas (extract) and I'll do that in the garage on a warm (er) January weekend.

No AG batches between now and March though. Thank god I went nuts and built up my pipeline. On hand to last the winter I have (5) bottles of reisling, (1) case ESB, 1 keg of lager, 1 keg of oatmeal stout, 1/2 gallon growler oatmeal stout and (2) cases of hard cider.

I do have to ration, I can only do about 4 pints / week and I'll have enough in case of a party.

It's funny how some people missed the humor of this thread...

I'll admit I missed the "hehe" after you asked for suggestions but I stand by my advice - Chair next to the burner to warm your feet and a hearty beer to keep you company. But I love the snow and will brew while its snowing. Ain't nothin' gonna stop me!

The worst part is nobody wants to help me brew in the winter. Last winter I brewed in the garage for the first time. My 9yo came out with me and I taught her chess between boil-overs. Not sure I can trick her into doing it again though...

Bernie Brewer said:

40 and you're cold? *****. Try brewing in WI in January:

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Here here! Yesterday happened to be a lovely fall brew day in madison. But when the winds picked up it got me thinking of what it'll be like in a couple months. Brrrr! Most of my steps take place in doors, only the boil happens outside. And I don't sit around staring at it, so it's really not that bad. This is the time of year I start making 10 gal batches so I'm stocked up when the winter brew blues set in there's not much that can get me to be outside. Those are also the days I tend to get called in to work at 3 am to cover a raging fire in -20 deg winds. Hooray.

If you put a piece of wet equipment on a work surface and it doesn't freeze to that surface within 1 minute, then it ain't winter yet.

DrinksWellWithOthers said:

Then I set up the 10x10 pop up canopy and got the rest of my equipment set up. The key is to set up a chair close to the burner to keep your feet warm and have a nice glass of RIS in hand.

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I'm kind of a winter fiend. Grew up in MI, moved to Chicago, and am happiest when I'm wearing all of my winter gear, and the scenario you just described sounds like heaven to me. Maybe add in a good book (Radical Brewing is next on my list) and you'll never get me back indoors.

woodenbuick said:

At least you can dress for the cold, try brewing outside when its 110 and the humidity is 95 %.

If you dont want to brew outside i the cold, drop down to 2 1/2 gallon batches. I can boil that on the stove.

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Yeah my neighbors don't like it when I start taking off articles of clothing during those hot summers. I have one box fan and no AC in my garage all the fan does is blow the 100 degree air around.

I just put in a sink outside, (well, a rubbermaid container in a plywood box, with an old tap plumbed up with RV hose and a drain out of PVC, all running through the wall and back to the basement laundry sink).....so nice having warm water while brewing!!!

Brewed on my deck last Saturday. 35 and snowing.
Use some foam control drops, and watch it through the window!

Before I know it is going to be below zero. I am considering setting up my ice fishing shack in my garage and brewing in that. SWMBO is pregnant and cannot drink beer...doesn't appreciate my brewing right now!

Become a HWMBO.

OrangeJet said:

Become a HWMBO.

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I'm a HWTHMBOBISCATWTRW.

He Who Thinks He Must Be Obeyed But Is Sadly Confused About The Way Things Really Work.

I'm a MORON

Must Obey, Relentlessly Obey Nutsackholder

TeufelBrew said:

Quit whining, get a space heater and brew like crazy!

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