Brewing at altitude

I recently accepted a job in Aspen, CO and am going to be moving at the end of May. Granted, I won't be living IN Aspen but probably 1/2 to 1 hour away.

What will change from brewing essentially at sea level to 6200ft? What should I look for? Tips?

In theory, it would reduce the utilization of your hops because of lower boil temperatures. In practice, the members at similar altitudes report no problems.

I brew at about 6,700'. I'm not so sure that the hops utilization is reduced at all. While it's true that your wort will come to a boil at a lower temp (less 200 degrees where I am), I believe it's the action of the boiling water, not the temp, that has the biggest effect on hops utilization. I've not experienced any problems whatsoever, and lots of people brew at much higher elevations than I.

BTW, where are you moving to? Basalt area?

Not sure exactly where I'm moving to yet. Basalt, Carbondale...somewhere in that area.

Temperature does change utilization, but it is a relatively minor problem, unless you are so high up that you need breathing gear.

Edit:

From Isomerization kinetics of hop bitter acids during wort boiling

M. G. MALOWICKI and T. H. Shellhammer. Dept. of Food Science & Technology, Oregon State Univ.

"At 70deg C, less than 10% of alpha acids were converted in a 90 minute boil. At 120deg C, only 30 minutes were required for 90% conversion, with subsequent loss of iso-alphas to degradation products following."

I brew at 9100' and I've definately noticed that there is a difference in hop utilization. If I don't adjust the hops my beers come out rather sweet. I found a formula (by Garetz I think) that adjusts the utilization for temperature difference in the boil. I'm at work so I don't have it with me, but I'll come back and post it later. At my altitude the formula tells me I need to add about 30% more hops to get the same bittering effect.

Another issue I'm having is carbonation. I found that using 3/4 cup corn sugar gives me gushers. I tried playing with some of the carbonation formulas but I never was very good at chemistry and I've forgotten most of what little I did learn. I'm still trying to dial in the proper amount but at my altitude I think it is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 ounces of corn sugar for 5 gallons. On the flip side when I take brews to my Dad's place in south Texas they are undercarbed.

Having said all that there is a huge difference in air pressures and boiling points between 6000' and 9000'. You may find that you won't have to make much adjustment to your brewing techniques at all.

Aspen is a beautiful place. I love to spend time there. I had a job offer in Aspen but I turned it down because you can't afford to live in town and the commute to/from Carbondale looks pretty ugly.

I'm so jealous of you all. Only wish I had a problem like this.

I brew at ~5600ft and haven't had a problem yet. BUT, I use BeerTools and it's set up with Garetz as the default calculation method, so that's probably why.

First, congratulations! I like the Aspen / Carbondale area a lot better in summer than winter.

You'll find that at altitude, your boil-off rates are much higher. Prepare to have to top off your first batch to hit your OG.

Also, if you do decoctions, the difference in the boiling point will need to be accounted for. In Denver (5600'), I boil water at about 202F.

jds said:

You'll find that at altitude, your boil-off rates are much higher. Prepare to have to top off your first batch to hit your OG.

Click to expand...

I forgot about that. Yeah, my last brew went from 7.25 gallons into the brewpot down to 4.5 gallons into the fermentor over a 90 minute boil. I always plan on topping up because my boil kettle is only 7.5 gallons.