3000+ Miles with a brewery on wheels

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mrbowenz

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Just got back from shooting a documentary for 3 weeks on the road in Canada, thought I would share this equipment set-up

The trailer is a standard 6X10', of course the brewery was set up out side but fermentation took place on the road home.

This is what I started with:
ArcticBrewery2010034.jpg


The brewery started with some steel here:
ArcticBrewery2010026.jpg


Kettles and welding:
ArcticBrewery2010005.jpg

ArcticBrewery2010007.jpg
 
Then the stand is gets completed, because of the shear size , I combined the HLT and the Mash tun on one stand, a then built a standalone boil kettle stand. They fit together perfectly once outside of the trailer
ArcticBrewery2010033.jpg


ArcticBrewery2010030.jpg


Then it was on to all the parts for the fermentation design:
ArcticBrewery2010020.jpg

ArcticBrewery2010016.jpg
 
Fermentation would be a challenge, maintaining proper temps and controlling the sloshing . I used two Blichmann 42 gallon fermenters, and added a 12 volt glycol chilling concept;

1/4 copper circuit soldered to sheetmetal plates allowed the transfer of cooling to the large surface of the fermenters;
ArcticBrewery2010019.jpg


FWIW: I had a 27 gallon , then added the 42 gallon dome

Wrapping the plates and surface with copper:
ArcticBrewery2010046.jpg


ArcticBrewery2010042.jpg


Then I bolted the fermenters to the floor of the trailer and started on the glycol system:
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That's my answer to not having space in the house or out back for brewing! Brilliant!

Now, can you get the cost of one of these down to about a hundred and fitty bucks? ;)
 
The way the system worked:

12 volts came from the Land Rover truck battery and was charged continuously by the alternator. it fed a 12 volt power inverter ( the 1000 w Black and Decker unit), plus the 12 volt water/glycol pump and 2 12 volt PIDs to monitor fermentation temps. But the power inverter also powered a 120 volt trickle charger which charged a deep cell Marine battery.
The idea here was during the day while we traveled, the Land Rover powered the demand for the pump and PID's, when we stopped for the night, I converted power from the deep cell to keep the pump running overnight and at stops. As the battery would run down over night, it was recharged during the day, it worked perfectly.

The control panel
ferment.jpg


system.jpg


The way the glycol system worked:

The pump circulated the liquid thru a cooler which had a stainless steel coil, ice was added and maintained a reasonable level of insulation and fairly low level of melting. The PID's where connected to thermocouples into the fermenters, a range was set ( I choose to ferment at 62-65 degrees) and as needed the PID's called for the pump to come on or not. I added a low level grant for adding glycol or purging air from the system. It took some time to prime the system but the grant helped and worked smoothly after it was all balanced and running.


The chilling circuit:
glycol.jpg
 
The idea for the sloshing was pretty easy , connect the two blow-off tubes together with a tee and send them to a stout 5 gallon corney keg, the inlet when into the tube side ( or the liquid out side ) and the pressure from the fermenting beer came out the gas "in side , and was vented by another tube safely outside the trailer. Honestly after all the miles we drove, I lost maybe 1/2 gallon due to sloshing, because I mounted the fermenters directly over the axel of the trailer ( for weight distribution and minimal disturbance of the beer.)

I was amazed by how well this system worked, the pump barely ran at first ( we where in a colder climate, but by the time it was in the mid 80's, the beer stayed in the low 60's, it was brilliant.

Here are a couple of shots with everything loaded and ready to roll.

Blichmans.jpg


breweryonwheels2.jpg


Breweryonwheels.jpg

AALineup.jpg
 
So we brewed beer in the Canadian Arctic and brought home almost 70 gallons of ale:

This is the location , but we had bad weather ( 40 mph winds, 40 degrees and almost 5 inches of rain - all at the same time for 4 days ) , but we completed the session and brought home the beer.


shoreline.jpg


brewing.jpg


heavy weather brewing :

weather-1.jpg


No troubles crossing the boarder in Canada, but coming back was difficult , but got it done
 
damn dude, that's a serious setup. when can we expect to see the documentary?

We shot over 40 hours of video and 1800 pictures , probably this time next year. We need to edit and find a distibution channel and raise some more money. The filmmakers are real professionals and did a fantastic job with the cinematography in tough conditions.
 
Dude - That is EPIC!

What kind of documentary were you shooting that you needed to brew 1bbl batches on the road?!?

I like the chiller idea - How did it work? Doesn't the temperature in the trailer skyrocket in the sun? My trailers are saunas by noon on most summer days...

Edit: Jumped the gun a little, didn't I:tank:
 
Thanks !

The ride was long and difficult on a motorcycle , 3100 miles in 3 weeks while brewing beer away from home while making a movie with 7 people in Quebec and the Nunavat. My filmmakers are from Moscow but speak pretty good English, but as far as I know , no one has ever done anything like this before and the look of the US customs people when I crossed the boarder was worth the whole trip. A team of Hazmat guys inspected the trailer and detained us for nearly two hours. Homebrewing in the US is legal and also in Canada, the beer is for promotional use only and not to be sold. They were litterally puzzled by the whole affair and confused by why ...very amussing , but not on film .

bmw2.jpg


I made Forbes Magazine last month on this adventure , you can read it here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0628/life-beer-homebrew-bowen-allsopps-artic-extreme-brewing.html
 
Man, it would have been great to get the border crossing on film!!

Could have made a voice over remark like "Back when this beer made its first journey, customs and border patrol would have been the least of your worries."
 
Where did you get those kettles and what are they made of? I read the article on Forbes yesterday and watched the video as well. What an interesting concept for a television show and I can't wait to see the documentary!
 
Where did you get those kettles and what are they made of? I read the article on Forbes yesterday and watched the video as well. What an interesting concept for a television show and I can't wait to see the documentary!

Thanks Schweaty,

Those are 55 gallon SS drums, two of those were new and one held honey for a trip down the highway, all three were in perfect shape, and I paid only $ 450 for all three delivered.
 
Thanks Schweaty,

Those are 55 gallon SS drums, two of those were new and one held honey for a trip down the highway, all three were in perfect shape, and I paid only $ 450 for all three delivered.

Not to detract from the thread, but I don't suppose you can disclose where you got them from could you?
 
4 hours a night, huh? I suddenly feel like a very unmotivated person.

Best of luck in getting this turned into a series, I'd certainly be one viewer.
 
...A team of Hazmat guys inspected the trailer and detained us for nearly two hours. Homebrewing in the US is legal and also in Canada, the beer is for promotional use only and not to be sold. They were litterally puzzled by the whole affair and confused by why ...very amussing , but not on film .

You're lucky it only took two hours.
 
:eek:

Wow am I thirsty now!
My hat off to you, Mr. Bowenz, for a successful and epic adventure of a lifetime.
I will be telling a lot of people about this.
You are my hero.
 
Any chance we miht be able to obtain this arctic recipe?;)

or will it be published in book form for us to purchase?

I am jealous that im not on the east coast to try the beer give away :(
 
Thanks !

The ride was long and difficult on a motorcycle , 3100 miles in 3 weeks while brewing beer away from home while making a movie with 7 people in Quebec and the Nunavat. My filmmakers are from Moscow but speak pretty good English, but as far as I know , no one has ever done anything like this before and the look of the US customs people when I crossed the boarder was worth the whole trip. A team of Hazmat guys inspected the trailer and detained us for nearly two hours. Homebrewing in the US is legal and also in Canada, the beer is for promotional use only and not to be sold. They were litterally puzzled by the whole affair and confused by why ...very amussing , but not on film .

bmw2.jpg


I made Forbes Magazine last month on this adventure , you can read it here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0628/life-beer-homebrew-bowen-allsopps-artic-extreme-brewing.html

The stuff dreams are made of. Beer and motorcycles. Looks like a BMW 1150GS and an R100 airhead. I've got an '04 1150GS Adv and a '73 R75/5. Great bikes.

Come on. 3100 miles in 3 weeks? In Canada!! There's nothing wrong with that ride.

Is this documentary going to be like Alton Brown and "Feasting on Asphalt"? Can't wait to see it. Good work.
 
The stuff dreams are made of. Beer and motorcycles. Looks like a BMW 1150GS and an R100 airhead. I've got an '04 1150GS Adv and a '73 R75/5. Great bikes.

Come on. 3100 miles in 3 weeks? In Canada!! There's nothing wrong with that ride.

Is this documentary going to be like Alton Brown and "Feasting on Asphalt"? Can't wait to see it. Good work.

Thanks Blane and others ,

What made it difficult was the filming and the weather, it did rain almost 1/2 of the days we were on the road, and stopping constantly to setup shot sequences, and then having to repeat them over and over again. Once we reached the arctic area, it was cold 40degrees, very wet , and high winds, very different than your usual ride, plus helping setup camp , cooking , packing up each day, it was more exhausting than I had imagined.

Yes, I ride a 01, 1150 GS and my partner John rides a 77,R60/7

Bikes and beer go together well , we have some fantastic video and stills of the trip.
 
Any chance we miht be able to obtain this arctic recipe?;)

or will it be published in book form for us to purchase?

I am jealous that im not on the east coast to try the beer give away :(

The recipe is unusual for 1852, but similar to an English Barleywine, however at this time I am not disclosing it, however I will post it freely for all without reservations and certainly free of charge (but it took me 2 years of research to find it).
I am an amateur brewer so I can't sell beer, but back in April of this year I brewed 16bbls of the recipe at www.thebrewworks.com , you may be able to obtain a bottle from them by contacting Beau Baden the head brewer, I think it depends on the state you are located in.
 
Here's a little video ( homemade by the brewery) of our send-off party, this was at 10am on a Sunday morning , but we had almost 250 people , great showing of support for this trip.

 
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Thanks Blane and others ,

What made it difficult was the filming and the weather, it did rain almost 1/2 of the days we were on the road, and stopping constantly to setup shot sequences, and then having to repeat them over and over again. Once we reached the arctic area, it was cold 40degrees, very wet , and high winds, very different than your usual ride, plus helping setup camp , cooking , packing up each day, it was more exhausting than I had imagined.

Yes, I ride a 01, 1150 GS and my partner John rides a 77,R60/7

Bikes and beer go together well , we have some fantastic video and stills of the trip.

Yep. That'll ruin a ride in a hurry. Your partner probably had a worse time. My /5 hates the rain if his airhead is anything like mine. Looking forward to seeing more film and pics of the "Brew and Ride". Thanks for sharing with us.
 
Are you still raisinig money for the project? If so are t-shirts still available?

Most definitely, you can purchase one thru our website www.arcticalchemy.com then go to the donate page, shirts are $25 which includes a 10 donation to our budget for the completion of the film and costs. You can do this by Paypal or traditional check and mail address. Please indicate what size you require.
 
Bumping this to find out more information on the documentary...
I don't see anything new on the website, and the thread said you expected it to be out approx. Aug of this year. Any update?
 
Bumping this to find out more information on the documentary...
I don't see anything new on the website, and the thread said you expected it to be out approx. Aug of this year. Any update?

Hey thanks for the bump !, I have been working on raising additional monies to get the final phases of production completed. As of today, the film is in the hands of my two Russian filmmakers in Moscow, however after raising and funding personally so much of it myself, I need to look outside to finish the final production and distributions. I tried a Kickstarter campaign this summer, but was unsuccessful in meeting the goal, times and the economy are tight, heck even Sam Calagione did not get renewed on his efforts, it's tough. We have some other ideas for raising money, hang with us and we will get this out to the beer world soon !
Thanks for checking in !
 
Thinking of you while enjoying a few pints of Best Bitter at the Ship Inn last night. Small world that this bumps up here today. Got the feeling when we met that your playing field was a bit larger than the rest of us. Interesting stuff you're up to. Enjoying following it. Best of luck.



Yeah. Wife's out and I'm hitting the keg. :drunk:
 
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