Does anybody brew outside in the winter?

With cold weather looming on the horizon, I wanted to find out who here brews in the winter. I'm currently an extract brewer who brews on a kitchen stove. However, I'm in the process of putting together an all grain setup which will require me to brew outdoors.

Is it hard to reach/maintain a good boil with a propane burner when the weather is cold (Philly area winters)? I dont mind standing outside, I just dont want to lose boil efficiency. Same for the mash.

the winter is when i do the most brewing
its too hot in the summer
and i can put a coat on.

Well, I have not really brewed in the dead cold of winter, but now I have a garage and a full AG setup, so we'll see. I would actually consider setting brewing aside for a couple of months if need be.

Or I could brew smaller experimental batches on the stove...

I plan to brew more in the winter. The ground water is colder for chilling.

Guilty as charged. Cooling can be tricky with hoses and the like, but a little planning and forethought takes care of that.

You'll be ok, depending on your burner. I haven't tried, but one one of the "stovetop AG" threads, they spoke of insulating your kettle, which might be just what you need.

Doesn't everybody brew when it's 65° F outside?

Oh - and if you can mash indoors, you'll be less susceptible to temperature loss to ambient.

Yes. In my garage. But, once the MLT is heated to rest temp teh garage is nice and toasty if not a bit drafty. I keep a CO detector and a cracked door and have never had a problem.

I do love the cold water temps too. Makes it so easy to drive that kettle down quick.

I was planning on getting the Bayou sp-10 burner.

yep, but it never gets "cold" here. People who grew up here think it is cold during the winter but they don't know what cold is. Anyways, it is suppose to be 105 tomorrow :cross: so there is no cold in sight

Yar. It's 45 and raining here.

I've brewed outdoors in weather down to the single digits, although by chilling time, it was in the '20s, so I didn't have to worry much about hoses.

The trick to brewing in cold weather is basically to never leave a hose full of water. the water temp at my spigot is around 45F in the winter, so as long as it's flowing, it won't freeze. As long as the hose is emptied immediately after use, and unhoooked from the frost-free sillcock, no problem.

The hardest part, IMO, is not spilling water all over the brewing area, which has a tendency to turn into a skating rink if you spill water on freezing concrete.

I don't run the burner in the garage, even on the coldest days. Rather, I set it up just outside the garage door, and huddle close if I need to warm up. Honestly, the cold weather and cold groundwater make for ideal brewing conditions, if you can manage it. After all, I can always put on more clothes.

Cleanup on cold days was always the worst for me. Dripping wet and cold is miserable. So, I had a hot line plumbed off of the tank.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Cleanup on cold days was always the worst for me. Dripping wet and cold is miserable. So, I had a hot line plumbed off of the tank.

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Same here. Both burners work great to heat water and boil wort. It's the cleanup after that gets tough. For winter brewing, I tend to leave all the cleaning to the end and do everything at one time. Keeps me from getting wet and cold more than once.

I love winter brewing. Lets me show off my ugly junk.

Ditto:


Note: This was an extract brew, hence the enamelware kettle. I haven't used that kettle in a while now. Maybe I'll dig the old girl out, for nostalgia's sake.

I've brewed outside in sub-freezing temps. It blows. That's why I'm building an indoor all-electric rig...hopefully to be finished by the time it gets below freezing (which unfortunately isn't that far away )

Oh yeah. I look forward to it. That is when my Cali Commons, Kolsch and Altbier get brewed. Really, if I plan properly, I can spend the majority of the brewday inside anyways.

I like to brew in the winter. I heat water and mash in the kitchen. Then boil on the patio. Like others have said don't take the hose outside until your ready to use it, otherwise it will freeze, I've had it happen a couple of times. I also check my water spigot before I start boiling, I've been at the end of my boil and about to chill and discovered water froze solid in the spigot.

Also I pile up the snow from my patio in one spot and set my kettle in the snow bank while chilling, makes it go just a little faster. I find it easier to cleanup at the end in the laundry room utility sink where it's warmer.

We role out the brew kettle in the barn
When the boil is over we role it back in the beer room

How does the propane tank do outside though? I suppose if you threw it inside between heating strike water and boiling the wort you might be ok. I have plenty of cold weather clothes from growing up in Wisconsin. I will have to try this this winter. It will be just like ice fishing - wear a beer blanket as they say.

My propane tanks stay in my garage all winter long, I've never had a problem.

yes its not to bad .Was about 10° and after a little snow storm





does make for nice chill notice the snow stuck on the left side of the keggle

i live in south jersey... brewing outside in the winter rules. like a lot of guys have said, you can always get warmer... and if you are organized you dont need to be outside for much. plus you can just drink your beer to numb you to the cold

Rarely gets to freezing temps in Portland. 40 degree temps mean no beer loving wasps dive bombing into your wort or tasty samples. The heat of the burners invite you to pull up a chair and relax for a few hours watching the steam rise from the keggles. Clean up in the rain however is something I could do without.

springer said:

yes its not to bad .Was about 10° and after a little snow storm

does make for nice chill notice the snow stuck on the left side of the keggle

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Brother? D'ya think it's time to throw out the Wesson?

I brew in the cold Chicago weather. I'll probably do 10G batches only this winter though to stay warm. In the winter I pump water through my IC using a pond pump to chill it down. Works like a charm since there's lots of natural ice to keep the water cool.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Brother? D'ya think it's time to throw out the Wesson?

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I had just finished up a fried turkey the day before . But yes it did get tossed .

bdnoona said:

I brew in the cold Chicago weather. I'll probably do 10G batches only this winter though to stay warm. In the winter I pump water through my IC using a pond pump to chill it down. Works like a charm since there's lots of natural ice to keep the water cool.

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I do the same with snow and some water . As the snow melts just add some more I like free.

bdnoona said:

I brew in the cold Chicago weather. I'll probably do 10G batches only this winter though to stay warm. In the winter I pump water through my IC using a pond pump to chill it down. Works like a charm since there's lots of natural ice to keep the water cool.

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I do the same with snow and some water . As the snow melts just add some more I like free.

Looking forward to snow brewing myself!

Last winter, I was still stovetop brewing.

Rick500 said:

Looking forward to snow brewing myself!

Last winter, I was still stovetop brewing.

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Same here, brother. I can't wait.

Cold weather ain't stoppin' me from makin' no beer.

I brew in the garage all year around. I brewed in sub-zero temps last winter and even in the garage it got pretty rough. The hose will freeze in minutes, and I kept having to drag it into the house to thaw it in the bathtub. It may not be particularly comfortable brewing in heat, but it's far worse monkeying around outside with liquids at -4 F.

Talloak said:

How does the propane tank do outside though? I suppose if you threw it inside between heating strike water and boiling the wort you might be ok. I have plenty of cold weather clothes from growing up in Wisconsin. I will have to try this this winter. It will be just like ice fishing - wear a beer blanket as they say.

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My tanks live outside year 'round and I've never had an issue, when I'm brewing it's just sitting on the snow too. Generally you're not pulling propane from the tank quickly enough for it to completely ice up. Unlike a tiger torch we used to use that would freeze a 100lbs tank to the point where it wouldn't work anymore.

I am very much looking forward to winter brewing. Not only are we very close to a finished AG setup, but my house doesn't have A/C so stovetop brewing in the summer is kind of out of the question. Time to replenish the supply!

My oh my, I don't know how y'all do it. I don't like the snow. I brew my ass off through the winter, but I don't have to worry about losing my hydrometer in a snow drift. Brrrr.

I do envy the easy chilling media, though.

Used to brew in the winter, switched to an indoor electric setup though.

Yes but cleanup sucks... the water is sooooo cold.