109 degrees outside... about to brew a 10 gallons batch.

It's 109 degrees outside, and I am about to fire up the brew stand and brew 10 gallons of stout , in the garage. And 10 gallons of pale ale tomorrow morning.

Sacrifices must be made!!!

Your a good man, if I were you I would of already set up an ERIMS with vent hood in the basement.
I am one that HATES hot weather to the point of being melted and then boiled alive...

Good Luck!!

P.s How much boil off do you incur brewing at those temps? I would imagine over 2gal/hr??

Johnnyhitch1 said:

Your a good man, if I were you I would of already set up an ERIMS with vent hood in the basement.
I am one that HATES hot weather to the point of being melted and then boiled alive...

Good Luck!!

P.s How much boil off do you incur brewing at those temps? I would imagine over 2gal/hr??

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Basement??? This is the southwest, nobody has a basement out here.
(however because of the hot weather, everyone should have a basement out here.)

Wait until you actually live on the surface of the sun, then the true meaning of hate properly describes how I feel about Arizona.

Actually no, my boil off is one gallon/hr.

I feel your pain-it's that hot in my garage when I brew in the summer, and nothing helps beat the heat than having 2 propane burners going and a pot of boiling syrup.

Imagine my Wisconsin, up nort' dere hey, brewdays in January - snow pants, boots, down coat, thermos full of hot coffee, having to put all fittings with QRs on them into the mash tun with the hot spent grain to keep them from freezing, using SWMBO's hair dryer to thaw out the March pump, chilling the wort by shoveling snow into a bucket and circulating the melting snow through an immersion chiller, etc.

That would feel good right about now.

71F, cloudless and still now, -25F and windy as hell in five month.

JonM said:

Imagine my Wisconsin, up nort' dere hey, brewdays in January - snow pants, boots, down coat, thermos full of hot coffee, having to put all fittings with QRs on them into the mash tun with the hot spent grain to keep them from freezing, using SWMBO's hair dryer to thaw out the March pump, chilling the wort by shoveling snow into a bucket and circulating the melting snow through an immersion chiller, etc.

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Whoa, you just got me shivering.
This thread is a mind****

You're all making me grateful I live in SoCal... If we hit the 90s in the depths of August, it's a heat wave. (Oh, and there's no humidity our mosquitos.) If the nighttime low drops below 40 in the winter, people bundle up like they're gonna get hypothermia.

I'm not planning on moving back to Chicago anytime soon, it's what I'm saying.

Yep, last two weekends while I've been brewing - I've had to start the chiller, wait until the temp got to to 180ish, then cover it and wrap the top of it with towels to keep mosquitos, fruit flies, houseflies, and other pediobacter carrying b**stards from getting into the kettle through any little cracks. One of the reasons I like winter brewing.

EDIT: Or is it acetobacter-carrying b**stards? Whatever - they're still b**stards.

JonM said:

-25F and windy as hell in five month.

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Sounds like heaven on Earth to me.

I have so much latent heat stored within me, that the snow in your driveway would part like the Red Sea as I walk pass.

Here is the difference, you can put on more clothes, you can get electric underwear, and socks, you can beat the cold with technology.

All I can do is start removing clothes until the police take me away.

Grossy said:

Sounds like heaven on Earth to me.

I have so much latent heat stored within me, that the snow in your driveway would part like the Red Sea as I walk pass.

Here is the difference, you can put on more clothes, you can get electric underwear, and socks, you can beat the cold with technology.

All I can do is start removing clothes until the police take me away.

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Yeah but when you do get cold it is too the bone and takes hot showers and lots of soup to warm up. When you get too hot take off close and an ice pack and you are good. One good thing here in denver, you get cold a few mins in the sun makes a big difference. You get hot, step in the shade and instant relief

Having spent nearly 40 years here in da frozen tundra, and coming from nearly 100% Scandinavian stock, I loves it too. That disposition comes in handy through 10ish hour tailgate/game/postgame days at Lambeau.

EDIT: Constitution, not disposition.

I prefer the heat to the cold, but will admit that winter brewing in AZ is way more pleasant than during the summer. My mash temperature does hold a lot better in August than December though...

110+ degrees makes for a long brew day, but a nice 65 in February not so bad.

I brewed earlier this week and had to get the kids from school between sparging and boiling. Only lost 10-15 degrees in the hour it took to get them and 40 pounds of ice for chilling.

I have a few bees that come to see if they can get a nip of hot wort, but no bugs other than that fortunately!

Grossy said:

Here is the difference, you can put on more clothes, you can get electric underwear, and socks, you can beat the cold with technology.

All I can do is start removing clothes until the police take me away.

Click to expand...

Can I get an amen?!

JonM said:

Yep, last two weekends while I've been brewing - I've had to start the chiller, wait until the temp got to to 180ish, then cover it and wrap the top of it with towels to keep mosquitos, fruit flies, houseflies, and other pediobacter carrying b**stards from getting into the kettle through any little cracks. One of the reasons I like winter brewing.

EDIT: Or is it acetobacter-carrying b**stards? Whatever - they're still b**stards.

Click to expand...

It is acetobacter...

Oh, and it's pediococcus... ;-)

I hear ya, Grossy! I brewed an Imperial Porter last weekend, in the afternoon. Sitting on my brew couch near a propane burner when it's 100+ outside is always fun.
Sacrifices must be made.

bneal said:

I prefer the heat to the cold, but will admit that winter brewing in AZ is way more pleasant than during the summer. My mash temperature does hold a lot better in August than December though...

110+ degrees makes for a long brew day, but a nice 65 in February not so bad.

I brewed earlier this week and had to get the kids from school between sparging and boiling. Only lost 10-15 degrees in the hour it took to get them and 40 pounds of ice for chilling.

I have a few bees that come to see if they can get a nip of hot wort, but no bugs other than that fortunately!

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Yep, it is a lot easier to hold mash temp in the hot weather. In the winter, if it's a sunny day, I set my mash tun out in the sun while I'm heating water. That warms it up some so it doesn't rob all the heat from the mash water.

I start thinking about recipes and ingredients about now so that I can start brewing in October (when we get our first frost).
A brew each month + or - and I've got about 400 bottles put away by April.

Only time it gets tough is the 2-3 weeks where the temp stays around zero or below. That's when the jet burner sounds like an F-16 in my driveway.

No brewing in the hot weather for me.

bosco

I take a break in the hot weather too. Even though the brewery has a big shop fan, I don't want to heat the house up. Recently it's gotten back to the 50's at night and I can brew again. I think my ancestors were cold weather people, because I like the cold, I play in the cold. In the dead of winter, I'll shovel the snow on the deck and grill in shorts and tee shirt.

mikescooling said:

I take a break in the hot weather too. Even though the brewery has a big shop fan, I don't want to heat the house up. Recently it's gotten back to the 50's at night and I can brew again. I think my ancestors were cold weather people, because I like the cold, I play in the cold. In the dead of winter, I'll shovel the snow on the deck and grill in shorts and tee shirt.

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I love the cold, and I live in hades. Go figure.

mikescooling said:

In the dead of winter, I'll shovel the snow on the deck and grill in shorts and tee shirt.

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Heh - same here. I shovel a path to where I set the smoker up and BBQ all winter long.

I'm brewing in GA, about 30 minutes south of Atlanta, and the temp is a balmy 65 with a breeze, cloudy skies, and rain. we aren't supposed to get any warmer today, either. The burner is actually keeping the temp in the garage just right for shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops. I never thought I'd see the day where I didn't sweat my a$$ off brewing in August!

bwarbiany said:

You're all making me grateful I live in SoCal... If we hit the 90s in the depths of August, it's a heat wave. (Oh, and there's no humidity our mosquitos.) If the nighttime low drops below 40 in the winter, people bundle up like they're gonna get hypothermia.

I'm not planning on moving back to Chicago anytime soon, it's what I'm saying.

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Maybe in your part of SoCal. It's been 100+° most days since June up here in the high desert. I need to get my electric rig out of the planning stages and close up the garage and fire up the portable AC.

I love the geo-diversity of the U.S. I now live just north of Green Bay, WI, grew up in Upper Michigan and travel the U.S. a lot. I always thought I hated the cold and wanted to live somewhere warm. Then I moved south to the tropic of Wisconsin. Now I spend all winter waiting for winter!

I love brewing year round. Especially in winter. Steam, heat, smell of the boil, tossing snowballs at the kids while they know not to throw around the kettle Of course, about mid February my tune will change to loving the smell of grass clippings!

Whenever I travel to a U.S. (to me) extreme, say south Florida, SoCal, Las Vegas I always wonder how the locals can do it. But, they probably wonder the same about me as I am sweating and panting to death (while its winter there)


This thread just reminds me of how fortunate I am for being able to go to anyone of the mentioned places. I love hearing about brew days from different climates than I am in. Thanks!

I imagine it would take a while to get the temp down enough to pitch...not to mention the toll the heat would take on you.

On the otherhand, I lived in Chicago for many years. I remember getting my plate chiller set up and have the line freeze so I could not cool my wort...also hands and (eh hem) getting frozen.

My brew garage in Atlanta now runs 85 F in the summer which is plenty hot. Winters are near perfect for brewing.

Grossy said:

It's 109 degrees outside, and I am about to fire up the brew stand and brew 10 gallons of stout , in the garage. And 10 gallons of pale ale tomorrow morning.

Sacrifices must be made!!!

Click to expand...

True dat bro, there is only one way you gonna get that fine az beer made, and it is in this brutal sun. Hopefully storm tonight though....

This is why I'm lucky my stovetop can do full boils (five gallon batches). But working outside you do get use to the heat and I'll take a 110 any day over negative 10. Heat is a discomfort, cold is painful. If the moisture in your sinuses freeze it's to damn cold.

To help out with the heat, I have purchased a portable evaporation cooler, I aim it right at me I can keep the temperature at about 85 degrees, but high humidity. And I cant aim it me when I am standing in front of the burners, it would blow them out.

When the burners are going it's about 95 degrees, and the rest of the garage is about 110 degrees.

During the mash I fine shelter in the house, which I turn down to 71 degrees, (my wife and wallet love that part).

Maltyman said:

I imagine it would take a while to get the temp down enough to pitch...not to mention the toll the heat would take on you.

On the otherhand, I lived in Chicago for many years. I remember getting my plate chiller set up and have the line freeze so I could not cool my wort...also hands and (eh hem) getting frozen.

My brew garage in Atlanta now runs 85 F in the summer which is plenty hot. Winters are near perfect for brewing.

Click to expand...

It takes about 15min for me to get the wort to pitch temp. I use an immersion chiller I made and a cooler with 40# of ice.
A plate chiller won't help much when the tap water temp is above 80.

Grossy said:

To help out with the heat, I have purchased a portable evaporation cooler, I aim it right at me I can keep the temperature at about 85 degrees, but high humidity. And I cant aim it me when I am standing in front of the burners, it would blow them out.

When the burners are going it's about 95 degrees, and the rest of the garage is about 110 degrees.

During the mash I fine shelter in the house, which I turn down to 71 degrees, (my wife and wallet love that part).

Click to expand...

I installed a swamp in the wall of the garage. It doesn't help a lot though. The a/c unit I installed, in the closet of the garage, vents a lot of hot air into the garage and the burner emits a lot of heat, so brew day is pretty durn warm and sweaty.
Small price for fine ale.

I feel your pain, BUUUT, I'm that one guy that loves the heat. Except for cooling the wort. I'll be doing the exact same this coming weekend. 10gallons Saturday and 10 more on Sunday..


LOVE THE HEAT!!!!!!!

I can't wait to brew in the winter. When it gets cold enough to where we are giving ourselves whiskey blankets. Chilling the wort is a breeze too. Fuq heat and everything it stands for.

I moved here to the valley after growing up in Montana and Idaho. I admire anyone with the testicular fortitude to brew outside here in the summer. I brew all grain outside often when it is cooler, but when it is up around 110 I brew lots of partial mash/partial boil beers to avoid brewing with muggy nuts.

haha Head on over this weekend. I'll be brewing 2, if not 3, 10 gallon batches back to back to back this weekend. At the front of my garage as I always do.

Again, I LOVE THE HEAT!!!

Actually this weekend is supposed to be under 100 so I was thinking about pulling out the brew rig and pumping out 15 gallons on Sunday.

BrewinHooligan said:

I moved here to the valley after growing up in Montana and Idaho. I admire anyone with the testicular fortitude to brew outside here in the summer. I brew all grain outside often when it is cooler, but when it is up around 110 I brew lots of partial mash/partial boil beers to avoid brewing with muggy nuts.

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BrewinHooligan I laughed out loud at muggy nuts. I've never heard that. I'm tempted to name my brewery Muggy Nuts Brewery. With your permission, of course.

CadiBrewer said:

BrewinHooligan I laughed out loud at muggy nuts. I've never heard that. I'm tempted to name my brewery Muggy Nuts Brewery. With your permission, of course.

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Hahaha! You have my permission, that would be hilarious.

How to tell that you are from Arizona:


When it rains, everyone (I mean every last person) at work walks to a window, to watch water falling from the sky.

You understand that virga is an example of Mother Nature’s warped sense of humor.

You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're
wearing shorts.

You no longer associate rivers or bridges with water.

You know that a "swamp cooler" is not a happy hour drink.

The water coming from the "cold" tap is hotter than that from the hot" tap.

You have to explain to out-of-staters why there is no daylight saving time.

You know that you can make sun tea outside faster than instant tea in
your microwave.

You have to run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so that you
can use your fireplace.

You can correctly pronounce the following words:
"Saguaro," "Tempe," "Gila Bend," "San Xavier del Bac," "Canyon de
Chelly," "Mogollon Rim," "Cholla," "Tlaquepacque," and "Ajo."

It's noon on a weekday in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one
single person is moving on the streets.

Hot air balloons can't fly because the air outside is hotter than the
air inside.

Your Christmas decorations include half a yard of sand and 100 paper bags.

You think a red light is merely a suggestion.

You think someone driving while wearing oven mitts is clever, And. . .
You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.

You think six tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.

You can say "There will be a high of 115 degrees all week," without
fainting.

People break out jackets when the temperature drops below 70.

The pool can be warmer than you are.

You realize Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.

People with black cars or have black upholstery in their car are
automatically assumed to be from out-of-state or nuts.

Announcements for Fourth of July events never end with "in case of rain..."

I feel your pain in texas. Glad as hell for my swamp cooler. No lagers in the summer for me