Brewing on the Road

[Roachmeister]

I've taken to working Renn Fairs and am not yet able to afford a big trailer etc to bring civilization along with me. Anyone got any tips about fermenting beer without using a fridge? Anyone ever done any research about what temperatures are like in the dirt at certain distances in specific regions, and perhaps heard of some setups for burying the wort to ferment?

Might be fun. Might be a pain...? But it's not as if they had refrigeration back in the day.

 

[binkman]

They had refrigerators back in the day, they just called them root cellars.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Ah, a fellow Renny. Greetings.

"Ground temperatures at depths below four feet, ground temperature stays a constant 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round."

http://www.alliantenergygeothermal.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/geo_how_001211.hcsp

I would say properly bury your carboy with a snorkel to the surface for the airlock, and make sure it is in a safe, non-disturbable spot (which with RennFolk it is difficult, I know how crazy it gets). Take a thermometer (meat type), stab it into the soil at the proposed mid-carboy level, and see what temp you are at.

I hope this works out, would be awesome to have a brew to serve at the Faire, brewed at the Faire.

 

[Roachmeister]

Ah, a fellow Renny. Greetings.

"Ground temperatures at depths below four feet, ground temperature stays a constant 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round."

http://www.alliantenergygeothermal.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/geo_how_001211.hcsp

I would say properly bury your carboy with a snorkel to the surface for the airlock, and make sure it is in a safe, non-disturbable spot (which with RennFolk it is difficult, I know how crazy it gets). Take a thermometer (meat type), stab it into the soil at the proposed mid-carboy level, and see what temp you are at.

I hope this works out, would be awesome to have a brew to serve at the Faire, brewed at the Faire.

I found this, which seems to indicate the underground temp will tend to vary by region but be stable --

http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/Forums/tabid/53/aff/13/aft/31492/afv/topic/Default.aspx

"The 50 degree constant ground temp is a common misconception. The ground temps vary by location and reflect the average annual temperature of the surface. For example the average air temp over the course of 1 year might be 65 F in the south and so the average ground temperature will be about 65. In a northern clime with an average air temp of 45 F the average ground temp will be 45F.

Of course the actual ground temp throughout the year will vary depending on how deep you are measuring. Near the surface will vary more and deeper will vary less.

The ground temps at 25 to 30 feet will be very close to the average annual surface temp and vary little. (If you go spelunking in the north and the south this will be obvious as the temperature of deep caves reflect the average surface temp for that area.)

If you go deep enough you will have effects from the earths molten core. In most areas this is many thousands of feet deep. In a few areas it is much closer to the surface (Yellowstone park for example)."

At this point, I think we have our general answer. The specific answer probably involves me just getting off my butt and doing it, taking measurements, using a thermometer of some sort that the sensor stays buried with the carboy, etc. Seems at the very least it is very possible to attain steady fermentation for ales. One might need to head further north for lagers...?

Any ideas anyone has about doing this are still welcome!