Should I be inconspicuous with my keggle?

This is uber-corny, but I'm brewing outside with a keggle tomorrow and I know the cops will go by several times. Although my dad's a retired cop in the same town, should I be concerned with them seeing me? The whole keg and propane burner thing might raise their suspicions and I wouldn't want them taking it away...

Have you paid for your homebrewing permit, son?

the_bird said:

Have you paid for your homebrewing permit, son?

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Hell no, I feel its my God-given right to brew damnit

I bet they don't even know there's a permit to brew in NJ.

Despite the NJ law requiring a permit I highly doubt that the po-po is going to slam you for brewing.

A more important question is why are you brewing outside in December? I always brew in my garage, but this time of year the door gets opened just enough to get ventilation. It's getting pretty cold here, 30F right now with 30-50 mph winds. I don't even want to do the wind chill calculation on that.

ohiobrewtus said:

A more important question is why are you brewing outside in December?

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I'm working on that part. I have to brew at my friend's house for now since I can't use propane at mine. He's new to the process and is hesitant about being in the garage. I'm hoping by the end of heating the mash water, he'll see its too damn cold and we'll move in...

I brew outside year-round. No garage on our house. I just deal with it. Nothing like waking up at 5:30am and mashing in when the temps are below freezing.

Evan! said:

I brew outside year-round. No garage on our house. I just deal with it. Nothing like waking up at 5:30am and mashing in when the temps are below freezing.

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Holy cow, I always wondered if it'd be possible to brew outside when it's that cold. Since I brew outside, it's good to know it is!

As far as the cops go? I've had one stop and ask what I was making once, I said "beer", he said, "cool, I need to come by after work!" He didn't stop by, but was a friendly enough response.

yeah, it's definitely possible. The downside is that you need to apply more heat to direct-fired mashes like I do. The upside is that chilling takes a fraction of the time.

Clearly, you just need a shirt like the one I'm wearing in this picture (linked for hugeness - 2.2MB and 1178 x 783). That will allay any suspicions immediately.

http://jo3sh.net/Brewday022507/DSC_4785.JPG

Jo3sh said:

Clearly, you just need a shirt like the one I'm wearing in this picture (linked for hugeness - 2.2MB and 1178 x 783). That will allay any suspicions immediately.

http://jo3sh.net/Brewday022507/DSC_4785.JPG

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Ha, that's great. I was thinking that Meth might cross their minds. Oh well, we'll find out!

wow, that t-shirt is hilarious!

hey Evan!, I taught SWMBO how to brew yesterday and it was kinda nippy here, she complained a little bit. Anyway, fired up the Kerosene heater in the garage and was way better. It wasn't that bad yesterday, but still, I don't think I could brew outside, and I love the cold

Wait, a permit is required to brew in NJ...LOL. I didn't know that...guess I will keep brewing in my backyard instead of the open garage.

98EXL said:

I taught SWMBO how to brew yesterday and it was kinda nippy here,

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Am I the only one to check his gallery for pictures of said event? :rockin:

GaryA said:

Am I the only one to check his gallery for pictures of said event? :rockin:

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I wish you had been, I am at work!

yup I hear that! Just finished up my first AG with temps outside in the low 60's with winds and rain at 30mph.

You can do it!!!

I chilled a batch at 7500 feet last week that only took 12 minutes to go from 200 to 80 degrees.

Jo3sh said:

Clearly, you just need a shirt like the one I'm wearing in this picture (linked for hugeness - 2.2MB and 1178 x 783). That will allay any suspicions immediately.

http://jo3sh.net/Brewday022507/DSC_4785.JPG

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Nice shirt, but isn't wearing a brewing shirt while you're brewing kinda the equivalent of wearing the t-shirt of the band you're seeing? Are you being 'that guy'?

Whoo, damn. I hear y'all on the cold temps an stuff. If I don't finish my batches early this time of year, I have to go in and put long pants on.




Sorry, it helps lower the sting of the mortgage payment.

We have a pretty bad crystal meth problem where I live, and I'm constantly awaiting a visit from the cops sparked by a call from a paranoid neighbor. Big burners with stainless pots, pumps, copper coils, etc - I can't blame 'em if they're suspicious. I'm sure the cops would get a kick out of their visit to my house, and I don't think they'd care one bit if I'm boiling my wort in converted 1/2 bbl keg. Fortunately, boiling wort smells sooooooo much better than the nasty aromas associated with a meth lab.

Ofcourse cold weather brewing is possible, although I mash inside .
I brew just inside the door of my garage. The garage faces east and our lot is fairly sheltered by trees so wind is not much of a problem, however it never did get above freezing saturday during my brewing. I just need to figure a way to clear my hose for cooling water when I am done so it doesn't freeze.
Ofcourse I'm the nut that rides my bike to work in sub 0F weather so maybe you shouldn't be listening too hard to my weather suggestions.

Craig

Cooling water was my biggest challenge last weekend brewing in 8 degree weather. I typically run my immersion chiller with the garden hose, but I wasn't going to risk freezing in the 120 feet between my house and my garage. I ended up filling keggle #2 with water and snow and pumping to my chiller with a March pump. After the temperature hit 130 or so, I started recirculating the water back to the keggle and adding snow and ice into the keggle. I probably only went through 20 gallons of cooling water, and shaved 5 or 10 minutes off of my normal cooling time. I would usually use closer to 40 gallons.

Cheesefood said:

Nice shirt, but isn't wearing a brewing shirt while you're brewing kinda the equivalent of wearing the t-shirt of the band you're seeing? Are you being 'that guy'?

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Well, there had been a lab busted not terribly far from my house not long before that was taken, and it was all over the news. The neighbors might have a touch jumpy about bearded guys (several of us) apparently playing chemistry lab. I think of it more as preparing my defense.

Actually, while in the drive way, you are not making beer, you are making barley soup called Wort. Beer is not made (and a permit is not needed) until you actually pitch the yeast (which is best done inside with very minimal air movement).

Cops can't do anything to you without a permit until they see you pitch yeast.

The same goes in Utah. You have not broken the law till you have pitched the yeast and it begins to make alcohol.

It's easy for all of us to say "don't worry about it" And then later we here about how you spent the night in jail when your friend picked a fight with a cop who was being an A$$hole! I wouldn't risk it at all. Cops are almost always good people, but one bad one can cause you so much trouble!!! And no matter what, a judge will believe every bullcrap lie that flies out of cops mouth WAY before he/she ever even thinks about listening to what you have to say. THAT is a fact! Brew in the backyard and wear a thick coat.

I must have that shirt! I had Mr. Friendly officer drop by the house a couple of days ago. I left a bunch of my gear on the front porch soaking before I got a chance to clean it, and a couple hours later got a knock on the door. He took a big whiff when I opened the door, and asked what all the stuff was for. When I told him, he just laughed, said it was the best smelling meth lab he's ever visited.

Yuri_Rage said:

We have a pretty bad crystal meth problem where I live, and I'm constantly awaiting a visit from the cops sparked by a call from a paranoid neighbor. Big burners with stainless pots, pumps, copper coils, etc - I can't blame 'em if they're suspicious. I'm sure the cops would get a kick out of their visit to my house, and I don't think they'd care one bit if I'm boiling my wort in converted 1/2 bbl keg. Fortunately, boiling wort smells sooooooo much better than the nasty aromas associated with a meth lab.

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Heh.. that's what I thought cops would think.. Big ass outdoor meth distilling lab.. Hah..funny in a gross way.

EdWort, nice info man.. I love loopholes. That kinda like psychedelic mushroom spores, its legal to have spores but not cultivate mushrooms.

yup it's a work-around we use here in AZ as well. We can go to public places and brew as long as we don't have any yeast. So brew happy and leave the yeast at home. Plus the car ride home is good for oxygenation!

quickerNu said:

I must have that shirt! I had Mr. Friendly officer drop by the house a couple of days ago. I left a bunch of my gear on the front porch soaking before I got a chance to clean it, and a couple hours later got a knock on the door. He took a big whiff when I opened the door, and asked what all the stuff was for. When I told him, he just laughed, said it was the best smelling meth lab he's ever visited.

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Should have invited him to come by for a pint after his shift.

I just talked to the guy who gave me that shirt, and he tells me he had it custom printed. I'd bet you could go to any decent silkscreen shop and have one made easily enough. Or heck, go to cafepress and set it up for yourself.

Yeah, it turns out he lives at the end of my street and had seen my midnight boils. I usually brew late at night after the kids are in bed. He and a few other neighbors are counting down till it's done. They bring the BBQ, I have beer covered!