Boiling wort "here" then pitching yeast "there"

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rgauthier20420

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Ok. I know the title is a little confusion, but I'll clear it up right now. My brother wants me to brew beer to be served at his wedding. The problem is that I live in Chicago and the wedding is in New Orleans. I've been searching for someone to help me brew while down there on a trip this coming March, but it's been pretty tough to find a willing party....surprised right?

I've seen a new product on the brewing market. Something about you get delivered fresh wort, hopped and boiled and everything, and you just pitch yeast. Obviously, I wouldn't really consider this brewing, but the concept is interesting.

What if I was to do a full all grain brew session, chill the wort, and then separate the chilled portions into 1 gallon bottles? Everything being sanitized and all that good stuff of course. I could then pack up the jugs in my checked baggage (safely packaged), and bring it down to New Orleans where I could pitch my yeast. I figure if I brew it the night before I fly, I shouldn't have any issues of spoilage.

Let's hear the pros and cons please:
 
Check w/TSA. They may worry about 5 gallon jugs being something "bad".

I guess you plan to be w/him for a long time as it takes 3 weeks to ferment.
 
Check w/TSA. They may worry about 5 gallon jugs being something "bad".

I guess you plan to be w/him for a long time as it takes 3 weeks to ferment.

I would be packaging them in 1 gallon jugs. I'm down there in late March and late May. Late March would be the brewing and bringing down to pitch and late May would be the bottling time. The wedding is in late June so it'd be perfect.

My plan would be to boil down the wort to about 1.117 and then dilute appropriately to have 15 gallons. I've used the online calculators and I'll need 1.5 gallons of wort at the OG to get a 1.045 SG before pitching.
 
Just do a no-chill in a winpak. I agree about checking with TSA, lol.

Looks like I replied as you were typing. The volume is the issue and the boiling down and then diluting is my plan to get around crazy baggage lbs. I can't check 15 gallons of wort :D
 
in theory it should work fine. i'd be extra diligent about sanitation, filling the jugs completely so there is not air in there, etc.

in practice, my biggest concern would be getting all 5 jugs to NO without being broken. a filled gallon is pretty damn heavy, and i'm not sure there is enough padding in the world that would make me feel sage. having a jug break in your suitcase would suck, in several different ways.

speaking of pretty damn heavy: expect to pay overweight baggage fees. a gallon of water weighs about 8.5 pounds. x 5, and there's your weight limit. hope you don't need any clothes, shoes, etc.

have you thought about temp control once you get there?

have you tried contacting a homebrew club in NO and asking if a generous soul could hook you up with a brew system for a day?
 
in theory it should work fine. i'd be extra diligent about sanitation, filling the jugs completely so there is not air in there, etc.

in practice, my biggest concern would be getting all 5 jugs to NO without being broken. a filled gallon is pretty damn heavy, and i'm not sure there is enough padding in the world that would make me feel sage. having a jug break in your suitcase would suck, in several different ways.

speaking of pretty damn heavy: expect to pay overweight baggage fees.

have you thought about temp control once you get there?

have you tried contacting a homebrew club in NO and asking if a generous soul could hook you up with a brew system for a day?

I would be using the plastic 1 gallon jugs (distilled water poured out and wort put in) so no broken glass problems. I would be concerned with filling them 100% of the way any possible expansion at higher altitudes, but I can see what you mean. This way, I could check 2 suitcases and bring all 5 jugs as needed w/o fees (I love SW sometimes).

I've contacted the 2 clubs down there by FB and no one seems to care. Like I said...surprise right? I had a guy that could help, but he's unavailable the days I'm going to be down there in March. I'm not about to fly down there just to brew some beer either.

As an over the top option, I could always bring is up to sanitizing temp levels in a pot when I get there and just ice bath chill it and then pitch. This would alleviate any possible infections or kill them on the spot.
 
plastic jugs - great idea. fill them full with no air, but squeeze the sides in a little before sealing. this will allow the liquid inside to expand if needed.
 
Any chance you could do a few back to back extract brews down there? It might work out cheaper to buy a 5-6 gal aluminum pot to do a couple of partial boil extract brews down there than to do an AG brew and pack or ship the high gravity wort.

(I brewed a 5 gal saison batch for my future SiL's wedding in Fort Worth over Thanksgiving, just visited the LHBS to buy the extract and knocked up a quick IC from Home Depot copper and used the 4 gallon pot they already had - I took the faucet hook up and tubing required down with me)
 
Shipping sounds like a pretty good idea. Or you could tell your brother to buy a homebrew setup. He should start homebrewing anyway. :D
 
I've told him to start brewing already....he says he might :D.

In regards to shipping, I'd be looking at 3 days in transit at least, which means 4 days until I'm able to pitch. Not to mention a $50 shipping fee (I just did a rough estimate of the box and 50lb weight).

When flying southwest, it doesn't cost me anything to throw 2 jugs in 1 bag and 3 in the other and check them as luggage. Also, if I do it this way, I would brew Thursday night and package and I'd be pitching Saturday morning or Friday night if I'm really feeling up for it. I'd like to minimize the amount of time between brewing and pitching.

In regards to extract....I can brew a batch with 25lbs of grain MUCH cheaper than by using extracts and I can be sure it will come out like my test batch with the same proportions just less grain. As it is, I'll be having to buy extra yeast for the 3 batches because I don't trust him to make a starter for this yet :).
 
Any Brew on Premises' in NO?

Just did a quick google search and nothing came up. There aren't that many breweries in the area nor are there that many home brew shops. I think I've decided to go with the plan of brewing and boiling down to 4.5 gallons or so.

I think it'll be the best way to get the product I want, and still be able to travel is with me when we go down there. All I'll need to get while in New Orleans in a few buckets, lids, air locks, and yeast.

Thanks for the feedback guys. It sounds like the plan should work with some close care to sanitation.
 
Why not Brew, Ferment and Package here, then ship to NO to condition ?
Whether un fermented wort, filled bottles or keg. Still gotta ship it, right ?
 
Why not Brew, Ferment and Package here, then ship to NO to condition ?
Whether un fermented wort, filled bottles or keg. Still gotta ship it, right ?

With me simply brewing here and packaging the condensed wort in 1 gallon jugs, I'll be able to pack it in my checked luggage for the flight. There won't be any shipping. I'll be saving on shipping costs this way and not shipping alcoholic beverages illegally ;)
 
I was thinking about this today while I was having my back worked on. Basically you are DIYing LME.

I was thinking:
1. Do a regular AG mash.
2. Lightly hop the boil to help you keep it from getting infected.
3. Boil the wort down enough to make an LME out of it for shipping or the flight.

When you get to your friend's place:
4. Boil water with some hops for 15 - 30ish minutes (I have heard boils hops in plain water for long a long time is bad).
5. Transfer the water and hops to the fermentation vessel.
6. Reconstitute the wort in the hot water.
7. No-chill the wort to squeeze out a few more IBUs from the hops.
8. Pitch the yeast the next day.
 
Do you have any corny kegs? You could put it all in there and would be awesome in transport. If not you could buy one and then have a new toy to bring back home with you.

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I'd buy equipment to send there and brew there. The rest seems incredibly risky and annoying.
 
What about BIAB when you get there? Bring all ingredients down with you and have your brother get a pot and buckets to ferment in. I know it's easier to brew at your house but shipping is a pain, actually it's a pain either way I guess pick your poison, brew then ship or aquire stuff to brew with and brew their, either way is a PITA.
 
A lot of good ideas everyone. A couple things about each.

Buying and brewing there would be great if I was looking to spend the extra cash. And trust me, if I thought he'd get into the hobby I would be doing this! We are looking to have close to 15 gallons of beer for his wedding reception. To do a full boil, I'd need a 20 gallon vessel which even in aluminum isn't all that cheap. BIAB with a 20 gallon vessel for 15 gallons of beer doesn't work either because of additional space needed. Then, even if I got that size vessel, I'm not about to try moving that much liquid with a drain hole and valve....more $$$.

Packing it all into a 5 gallon keg would be beautiful....if only that keg stayed under 50lbs :). Plus, since there wouldn't be any inside pressure in the keg, I'd be worried about leakage. Something I'd rather not have in my luggage.

Yes, it's pretty much DIY-LME as another poster said. As far as the hop schedule goes, this is a simple Orange Citrus wheat beer. There will only be 1 bittering hop additional and then 5 and 0 of Amarillo for citrus along with some orange peel. I'm brewing a 5 gallon test batch on Sunday.

I've already reserved myself to this being annoying, but it'll be cool to have my beer served to 200+ guests. I'll keep the thread updated down the line as far as progress. I'm sure I'm not the only one that may be thinking of doing this some time or other.
 
And there maybe transport laws. We have this funky law where I can only legally transport 1L of wine or 72oz of beer if they are homebrewed.
 
I meant put your concentrated LME brewnin the keg it should be under 50lb still and you could pressurize it so it wouldn't leak.

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And there maybe transport laws. We have this funky law where I can only legally transport 1L of wine or 72oz of beer if they are homebrewed.

I won't be transporting a fermented beverage, which means I'm not bringing beer. I'll be pitching when I'm there. As far as I know, there's no limit to the amount of liquid of a piece of checked luggage. It's like I'm bringing home 5 gallons of my favorite apple juice cause I can't get it there.

As far as liability, he's checked with reception hall and told them that he has some beer he'd like to have served and they've given the thumbs up. There's a ton of other liquor and other beer being served also. Honestly, I'm don't even 15 gallons will get finished. But, I'm not too worried because the reception hall knows and gave the ok.
 
I meant put your concentrated LME brewnin the keg it should be under 50lb still and you could pressurize it so it wouldn't leak.

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I'll be bringing between 4.5 -5 gallons total. A gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs and who knows what a gallon of this stuff would weight given the sugar density it will have. Plus the keg and then packaging. I'm not sure I'd be fitting under the 50 lbs mark honestly.
 
I won't be transporting a fermented beverage, which means I'm not bringing beer. I'll be pitching when I'm there. As far as I know, there's no limit to the amount of liquid of a piece of checked luggage. It's like I'm bringing home 5 gallons of my favorite apple juice cause I can't get it there.

As far as liability, he's checked with reception hall and told them that he has some beer he'd like to have served and they've given the thumbs up. There's a ton of other liquor and other beer being served also. Honestly, I'm don't even 15 gallons will get finished. But, I'm not too worried because the reception hall knows and gave the ok.

I mean transporting homebrew in the car to the reception hall.
 
Haha never heard of that rule. Man we're all a bunch of law breakin fools then!

Yeah apparently that's how the law is written here in Georgia too, but I do it all the time. As long as you don't put a sign on your car that says "I'm illegally transporting homebrew" I think you'll be fine. In fact, you'd probably be fine even if you did because I'm sure most cops are not familiar with homebrewing laws. Nobody's going to care.

Here's the AHA page for homebrew laws in Louisiana: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrewing-rights/statutes/louisiana/

Looks like maybe technically you should get a permit. But, again, I don't think it will really matter. Nothing about transporting it though.
 
Yeah apparently that's how the law is written here in Georgia too, but I do it all the time. As long as you don't put a sign on your car that says "I'm illegally transporting homebrew" I think you'll be fine. In fact, you'd probably be fine even if you did because I'm sure most cops are not familiar with homebrewing laws. Nobody's going to care.

Here's the AHA page for homebrew laws in Louisiana: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrewing-rights/statutes/louisiana/

Looks like maybe technically you should get a permit. But, again, I don't think it will really matter. Nothing about transporting it though.

Wow. It's amazing what you learn on this site! I have to say, this wasn't really a worry I had when I started this thread. Not that I do now either. 6 cases of beer with labels and all, I don't think they'd be the wiser.
 
rgauthier20420 said:
I'll be bringing between 4.5 -5 gallons total. A gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs and who knows what a gallon of this stuff would weight given the sugar density it will have. Plus the keg and then packaging. I'm not sure I'd be fitting under the 50 lbs mark honestly.

You should know what a gallon of this stuff would weigh. The SG of water at room temp is 0.997. In your first post you mentioned hitting a gravity of 1.117. So for that example, 8.3 lbs x 1.117 / 0.997 = 9.3 lbs per gallon. That would be 46.5 lbs for five gallons. That only leaves 3.5 lbs for packaging. Weigh your empty keg and packaging materials and that will tell you how many lbs of your 'LME' you can bring. You can then calculate how far you need to reduce your wert to hit an acceptable total volume vs gravity to be able to ship under 50 lbs.
 
You should know what a gallon of this stuff would weigh. The SG of water at room temp is 0.997. In your first post you mentioned hitting a gravity of 1.117. So for that example, 8.3 lbs x 1.117 / 0.997 = 9.3 lbs per gallon. That would be 46.5 lbs for five gallons. That only leaves 3.5 lbs for packaging. Weigh your empty keg and packaging materials and that will tell you how many lbs of your 'LME' you can bring. You can then calculate how far you need to reduce your wert to hit an acceptable total volume vs gravity to be able to ship under 50 lbs.

Very cool. I didn't know a formula for calculating the weight of the wort....math was never my strong suit.

It's really no worry about the weight. I'll be checking 2 bag for this purpose alone. Along with some packaging inside the bags, there should more than enough room to fit all 4-5 of them between the 2 bags and be way under the 50lbs for each bag.
 
The SG of water at room temp is 0.997. In your first post you mentioned hitting a gravity of 1.117. So for that example, 8.3 lbs x 1.117 / 0.997 = 9.3 lbs per gallon.
does specific gravity translate 1:1 with weight?

1.117 is 12% more than 0.997, but that does mean that a gallon of 1.117 weighs 12% more than a gallon of 0.997?
 
I wouldn't use gallon jugs but rather 2 or 3 liter bottles. If you drop one, or your bag mishandled, the odds of the cap flying off is less. Your bag will prob be on the bottom, so you will have other bags stacked and thrown on top along with who knows what else done to it.

Also if some wild yeast gets in there the bottle can also handle "some" pressure.
 
does specific gravity translate 1:1 with weight?

1.117 is 12% more than 0.997, but that does mean that a gallon of 1.117 weighs 12% more than a gallon of 0.997?

The thing to remember is what a hydrometer measures, it measures specific gravity, as well know , but the part to remember is what that really is. Its a measurement of the density of a fluid compared to that of waters density.

So a specific gravity of 2.0 means you are twice as dense as water, and thus a gallon of a fluid with sg of 2.0 would weigh twice as much.

Getting a bit more mathy:

Sg of wort * (lbs/gallon of water) * (gallons of wort) = lbs of wort

Sg of wort * (lbs/gallon of water), tells you how many lbs a gallon of wort should weigh. Multiply that times the number of gallons of wort you have, and there you go, lbs of wort. :)
 
That is pretty cool stuff. And I learned it all because of this thread. It gives those numbers on the hydrometer a meaning. Makes sense

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