Brewing outside

Hello all. I am an all grain brewer and I have a few questions about brewing outside. Here is my scenario. I do not have a garage or a porch. That completely sucks, I know, trust me. I have a very small shed that is full and would be unusable anyways. Therefore I am technically out in the open. I have not had any issues to date but I am curious too know what other brewers do if they are in my situation. Do you tent? Something else?

Sorry can't help, I have a coverd back porch and a garage.
If it's raining I'm at the edge of the garage, used to brew on the porch (covered) but my current brew stand would be a PITA to get it up the three steps and through the screen door.
If it's nice out then I'm outside.
I'm guessing it's only a problem for you if it's raining or snowing, in which case I might be looking at a modified set up to allow me to brew indoors. but if you're restricted to using propane and doing it outside I don't see why one of those instaset tent things wouldn't work.
Let us know what you come up with.

try something like this

http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...gclid=CLKd3bXIlcACFQopaQodhFcADg&gclsrc=aw.ds

i have an EZup tent, but i rarely use it...
only time i have it up is when the weather is bad/looks iffy

I think the only real consideration on nice days is keeping the kettle covered when cooling so the bugs don't wander in. On crappy days the EZ-up canopies are great.

Us Bald Guys, like to keep the sun off the tops of our heads

I would use the Pop Up, just to keep from getting sun burned !

Iceman6409 said:

Hello all. I am an all grain brewer and I have a few questions about brewing outside. Here is my scenario. I do not have a garage or a porch. That completely sucks, I know, trust me. I have a very small shed that is full and would be unusable anyways. Therefore I am technically out in the open. I have not had any issues to date but I am curious too know what other brewers do if they are in my situation. Do you tent? Something else?

Click to expand...

While I've brewed in the garage, in the house, and under cover on the front porch, my favorite spot to brew is on the back porch in the open with a north view using the house for shade.





An EzUP is handy if it rains or if you want some shade but I never get mine out for brew days.

You have a shed you can't use the inside, how about running a tarp off of one of the sides using hooks, so when you are done, unhook it, and put it in the shed. Maybe?

I've brewed outside several times, and boiled many more. It's usually fine unless it's raining for real.

I can see someone mounting an umbrella to their BK to keep the rain off...

steveoatley said:

Us Bald Guys, like to keep the sun off the tops of our heads

I would use the Pop Up, just to keep from getting sun burned !

Click to expand...

yeah,my head got a bit red last brew day and neck too...

It's the perfect time of year to purchase a pop up canopy (end of season sales and such). I used to brew under a large canopy outside until we moved and i gave up my huge canopy for a small-ish 10x10 one.

I've had to cancel brew days if it's really raining. Heavy wind has also caused issues with keeping the burner lit and the worry of debris falling into the pot, so I try to avoid it as well. In the snow, I dress warm . I'll mash in and take the mash tun indoors to keep as much heat as possible. I do my vorlaufing and batch sparge indoors with water from the stove. Water creating ice was my biggest issue when it was below freezing and my outdoor faucets were already winterized. After the boil, I carried my brew pot to the back door (with help), set it on the concrete porch, and set up my wort chiller to run from the kitchen sink faucet and back into the sink so I wouldn't end up with an ice rink in the back yard.

I'm debating moving my operation outside (for 6 gallon batches instead of 4) after brewing inside for the last 3 years. I'm having a hard time deciding for sure because of a lot of things listed above. That and buying propane is another. I don't need another expense and hassle of going to the store to get it. But I want more beer! I want full 5 gallon kegs. I suppose I could be brewing higher gravity 4 gallon batches and topping up in the fermenter with distilled...but that doesn't feel right either.
I also have no garage or anything. Trying it out on borrowed equipment tomorrow to see how I like it. I used to years ago, but I had a garage then. Then I moved...

beersk said:

I'm debating moving my operation outside (for 6 gallon batches instead of 4) after brewing inside for the last 3 years. I'm having a hard time deciding for sure because of a lot of things listed above.

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Assuming you are a stove top brewer limited to 4 gallon batches? Try supplementing your stove with a heatstick to boil more faster....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=281364233166&view=all&tid=1224254387018

or build your own

I brew on a patio. I have a deck above me so it's not so bad. I actually prefer brewing in the rain or snow. Did a lager in those blizzards in February. Was really neat watching snow fall while I'm cooking a decoction. Beer came out great as well.

Really this time of year is the worst for outside brewing. The heat sucks, the bugs pose infection risk, the ground water is over 70 degrees so it's hard to cool your wort, etc etc. I can't wait for the afternoons to cool down so I can pull out the english strains and ramp up production.

wilserbrewer said:

Assuming you are a stove top brewer limited to 4 gallon batches? Try supplementing your stove with a heatstick to boil more faster....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=281364233166&view=all&tid=1224254387018

or build your own

Click to expand...

I'm kind of nervous about cracking the glass top on my stove if I have any kettle that is over the edge of the burner part. Otherwise, I'd try to just boil 7 gallons or so and see if it could handle it. It handles 5.5 gallon boils no problem. My plan, in moving outside, is to have 6 gallons finished beer. I'll split 3 gallons into one fermenter and 3 into the other (5 gallon kegs) and combine them in the serving keg. My fermenters have about 1/2 gallon space to account for yeast cake, so 6 gallon batches should get me perfectly filled serving kegs.
The heatstick is a good idea, I may try it, especially for winter or bad weather brewing. Just worried about the heat cracking my stovetop. I've heard that can happen...

Before I moved, I used to brew outside all the time. I loved it, especially on fall days.


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My high tech wind solution:



I brew outside & just deal with whatever weather I have on brew day.

I have experienced no issues brewing outside, and also prefer it, given the wind is calm and no rain/sleet/snow in the forecast. I have had a few times though where weather forced me under cover of the back patio or to the garage.

I always cool the wort down as quickly as possible with an IC whether inside our out. If outside, I do move indoors for transferring to the FV and pitching the yeast. Whether or not this would make a difference, I have yet to find out.

I have an aluminum carport in the back yard that I just poured a concrete pad, where I brew & grill but for the last 3 years I have brewed there with dirt underneath. A buddy of mine, who has a nice shop in his backyard, has told me he has "issues" with me brewing outside on dirt due to it not being sanitary. Fortunately, I have never had an infection with 70 plus brews but he has had an infection with less than 10 brews under his belt while brewing inside his house. I am very conscious about sanitation & flies, in particular, so I continue to brew what I can do with what I have. I'd love to have an indoor brewhouse but that is not happening anytime soon (ever) so I enjoy my little brewery in the backyard & invite him over to drink my beer. Funny, he doesn't have any "issues" with drinking the beer that is brewed outside in my backyard. Relax, you're making beer!

redshift76 said:

My high tech wind solution:



I brew outside & just deal with whatever weather I have on brew day.

Click to expand...

redshift - does this setup work well? I was just thinking of this exact thing on Friday when I brewed.

mmb said:

While I've brewed in the garage, in the house, and under cover on the front porch, my favorite spot to brew is on the back porch in the open with a north view using the house for shade.

An EzUP is handy if it rains or if you want some shade but I never get mine out for brew days.

Click to expand...

What type of stovetop is this? I have been looking for one exactly like this one!

bbohanon said:

What type of stovetop is this? I have been looking for one exactly like this one!

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It's a Coleman Powerhouse series 9400.

I brew outside exclusively. I do have a deck that I can go under, but it doesn't stop the rain or snow. But during the summer I try to brew on the back lawn because it is so nice, and I don't feel closed in like under the deck. In the winter I stay under the deck, and fight with the snow and ice.

I have brewed in my basement doorway, during the rain. I know that this is frowned upon because of the worries of carbon-monoxide, but I have double doors and left them open with a fan blowing out. I also made sure that the door leading upstairs stayed closed.

mmb said:

It's a Coleman Powerhouse series 9400.

Click to expand...

Any idea where I can pick one of these up? They seem to not be available any longer.
:-(

bbohanon said:

Any idea where I can pick one of these up? They seem to not be available any longer.
:-(

Click to expand...

Sorry, no. I've had mine for close to 10 years.

Doed said:

redshift - does this setup work well? I was just thinking of this exact thing on Friday when I brewed.

Click to expand...

Yes, works very well. Cheap & easy. Just make sure to take up the cut edges, they were razor sharp.