Most unusual palce to brew beer ever

I got this email from my father today.
'the Ice' refers to Antarctica. He will be there for 3 months as part of a ice core drilling mission.


So-- he's got to buy his stuff in NZ (Christchurch is where they fly to the Ice from) because of import restrictions but he's going to give it a shot.


He's thinking that with the challenges he'll face already he'll have to go extract and a liquid yeast if he can get it.

any ideas?

Not much help I know but, I seem to recall a BYO article about this very same thing. Brewer had to get things special ordered from New Zealand. Seem to recall the writer had issues with bottling too.

I'll try looking through my collection and report back if I find the article.

Wouldn't that be a HOOT if your father is posted at the very same station the article was written about.

kornkob said:

I got this email from my father today.

so I just got permission to make beer on the Ice, no bottling though, so it'll be a still beer...and the extract, hops and yeast has to come from NZ... am waiting for an answer from a homebrew place on what to do...

john
Greenland Ice Driller
Antarctic Ice Driller
​

'the Ice' refers to Antarctica. He will be there for 3 months as part of a ice core drilling mission.


So-- he's got to buy his stuff in NZ (Christchurch is where they fly to the Ice from) because of import restrictions but he's going to give it a shot.


He's thinking that with the challenges he'll face already he'll have to go extract and a liquid yeast if he can get it.

any ideas?

Click to expand...

Wouldn't dry yeast be much easier to ship and deal with?
I think extract would be much easier and require less equipment.
A partial boil would require a smaller pot and use less fuel.
Sounds like a interesting experience.

Craig

I don't know all the in and outs of importing, but could he in theory have an empty corny shipped to him via NZ and have someone pack it with the bagged ingredients, and some disconnects and a picnic tap. It would serve as a pretty sturdy shipping container and have the added benefit of being able to carb (assuming they have CO2 there.) Almost like a brewing time capsule kit.

so...he's brewing a lager, right?

so...he's brewing a lager, right?

Click to expand...

Nah, I think a saison is more appropriate.

Just a thought...while its not beer, I'd imagine it would be easy for him to get the right equipment and ingredients to make apfelwein - can serve it still so don't have to worry about carbing it.

what are the exact logistical problems? I know dudes that live in Siberia who make beer and wine.

Well-- he's not allowed to bring foodstuffs (like live yeast) with him from the States to NZ. All the foodstuffs have to be locally sourced in NZ apparently. His biggest issue is:

weight limit


This is why he can't arrange for a keg/fittings and many of the things he's going to be using to make the beer will be things that are already on the Ice.

hard cider is definitely an option and some of the foodstuffs that are in that are probably things he doesn't have to ship in as part of his weight limit since they are legitimate foodstuffs (apple juice and brown sugar especially).

I thought this thread was going to be about the strangest place we've ever brewed beer.

kornkob said:

I got this email from my father today.

so I just got permission to make beer on the Ice, no bottling though, so it'll be a still beer...and the extract, hops and yeast has to come from NZ... am waiting for an answer from a homebrew place on what to do...

john
Greenland Ice Driller
Antarctic Ice Driller
​

'the Ice' refers to Antarctica. He will be there for 3 months as part of a ice core drilling mission.


So-- he's got to buy his stuff in NZ (Christchurch is where they fly to the Ice from) because of import restrictions but he's going to give it a shot.


He's thinking that with the challenges he'll face already he'll have to go extract and a liquid yeast if he can get it.

any ideas?

Click to expand...

Now that's the coolest (no pun intended) thing I've heard today. Did dear old Dad bring you into the fold? He sounds a little dedicated.

Fingers said:

Now that's the coolest (no pun intended) thing I've heard today. Did dear old Dad bring you into the fold? He sounds a little dedicated.

Click to expand...

Family tradition-- I have a fermentation vessel that is older than I am. I have a great-grandfather who was run out of Chicago by Capone's guys for running a competing operation (Gramma remembered seeing their house burning down).

Pop is a little crazy sometimes--- ice drilling at his age. Sewed his own parachute. Spends a week on Isle Royal every year or so by himself. Hand built a steam boat. Has a couple land speed records.


Yeah-- sometimes I live vicariously through him.

kornkob said:

Yeah-- sometimes I live vicariously through him.

Click to expand...

Now that's a great story! And one that could only come from WI....I'd love to come see your setup and here some stories when I head back for X-Mas. Me and the Mrs. come from the area between Sheboygan and Fond Du Lac. Families still live in those parts, so we are up there quite often.

Weight is bound to be a constant issue brewing down there, because of the expense of flying or otherwise getting stuff to the polar regions. Extract helps, but there's probably also going to be a heavy dose of creativity, ultimately resulting in perhaps mashing or using as a fermentable anything that's handy and will work. Beet beer, anyone?

Leave the wort chiller behind Dry yeast for certain, I bet they have lots of plastic bottles(soda and such) that can be cleaned, sanitized and reused. Make sure it is a bottle that can handle pressure. I know folks that bottle w/ plastic soda bottle at times. Tell him to take pictures of his brewing 'experiment'

He was specifically told he couldn't carbonate it, naturally or otherwise, so it has to be a still beer. The upside is that many of the ingredients are 'foodstuffs' so he's able to get them out of his personal weight allowance. Extract is okay, apparently, although I did pass along the popular apleweisen recipe from this site--- apple juice is probably the cheapest fermentable.

He's already documenting the experience. He's handy like that. He documented and wrote an article about setting up and calibrating a mill and a lathe for the home machinist (which I think someone paid him for and published).

Hmmm....why no carbonation? Or did I miss that already? And I can't imagine how you'd need a wort chiller....

There was an article about this in BYO a year or two ago. Some guy brewed a TON of beer and supplied his whole station for the entire research season. It was a pretty awesome story. Here it is:

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Homebrewer at the South Pole -