This Heat is Causing Withdrawals

[cshrode21]

This damn heat is keeping me from brewing. The water temperature coming out of my faucet on all the way cold has to be close to 90 degrees. Takes me forever to cool my beer down enough to pitch my wort, even with an immersion chiller. I've been waiting until a break in the heat to brew again but it's killing me. So in the meantime enjoyin a nice jameson on the rocks tonight.

 

[zolakk]

I had the same problem, so I went to harbor freight and got a $30 pond pump and use it to pump ice water through my IC. Even in 115 degree weather I can get my wort cool enough in under 1.5 hours if I keep on it with ice as it melts and move the IC around a bit to stir it up and even out the temp. Last time I only needed 30 lbs

 

[stat]

So make another IC and rig it up inline before the IC in the kettle. Pack this Second IC in a bucket full of ice and water, like a prechiller. I have to do the same down here. I still get impatient with this method and usually stick it in my fermentation fridge for a couple hours after I get it down to 80 or so.

 

[pm5k00]

Same situation here, its no big deal, I run my IC for 20-30 minutes, then rack to carboy, and wait until the next day to pitch yeast. You usually have to wait 3 to 4 weeks to drink your beer, whats another 24 hours.

 

[MrMeans]

a trick I do is to take one or two one liter bottles of water and when I get my wort down as cool as its going to get with the IC take them out of the freezer and set them into some star san solution for a few minutes to kill any nasties from the freezer. I then put on bottle into the BK and begin to whirlpool. After the temp drops about another 10 degrees I begin to run the wort from the BK through my auto siphon into the fermenter. on the way I hang a sanitized strainer with the other frozen water bottle in it. I set my tubing and bottle up so that the wort must go over the frozen bottle before enter the fermenter. It usually takes me from about 80-85ish down to ~65. Usually cold enough to pitch yeast. I know some poeple will say its a little risky running your wort over so many surfaces. One this to help keep my water bottles clean is that I store them in a ziploc bag that has also been sanitized after every use along with my bottles being sanitized before and after every use.

Give it a shot.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Here ya go- problem solved.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/recirculating-ice-water-chiller-38235/

 

[mrk305]

Even I have cut back on brewing in this heat. I can still do it, but it is not as enjoyable. I would rather brew when it is 25 degrees intead of 98 degrees and humid as heck.

 

[unionrdr]

My problem is this damn heat wave is getting even worse. 92-98F. As if the 78-88F when it started wasn't enough. MSNBC.com has been talking about hundred's of heat records having been broken so far. Some from the late 1800's! Many from the fifties when we were little kids.
I got my wife's brew day stuff in the fridge & pantry,mouser at the ready. I have an English bitter kit coming,from makebeer.net tomorrow. I wanted to have some 3 different ales for our 34th anniversary the end of next month.
Damn. The tap water melts the ice in the ice water bath in a heart beat. I hope this ends soon,my plans are already shot to hell. At least the IPA will be ready.
The Whiskely Ale will be aged enough to sample.

 

[1ratdog]

gonna be around 100 in PA tomarrow and friday. no brewing here. ugh. was gonna do my 1st AG friday. on hold now

 

[mrk305]

I am still brewing Sunday. I took a couple weeks off, but I am going to get up early and do it. It is hot enough to cut back a little but not so hot that I will quit.

 

[azscoob]

Wow, am I the only one who brews when it is 118 degrees out? I dont even have cold water temps below 80 in the winter out here, never stopped me from brewing.

I use a cooler full of ice water and a pond pump to chill my wort, I ferment in a converted fridge. my only issue is if the mash tun is out in the sun, the temp goes UP, so I have to brew in the garage or under the awning in the back yard.

To me it is just another brewday where it is 4 degrees cooler than hell.

Buy a cheap pond pump from the hardware store, get a cooler and some ice and get to brewing ya ninnys!

 

[unionrdr]

Can't.broke.Retired.Damn.

 

[WhiskeyR]

100? Meh. We get that by late May here. Brew indoors?

 

[cklages]

I can't bring myself to mash/boil in this heat either. Consistantly 90 something up here is unheard of, but my converted freezer was sitting empty. I hit up a coopers kit and something called 'brew canada' to fill the void. I then spent the remainder of my day soaking in the lake.

Is it wrong that I am too cheap to pay for air conditioning for me, but have no problem dishing out for a converted freezer to keep my fermenting beer happy?

 

[azscoob]

Can't.broke.Retired.Damn.

Those are some obstacles for sure, if you have a spare cooler and an ice maker, all you need to do is pick up a 25 dollar pump, and have a way to store up 40 pounds or so of the ice.

 

[SwampassJ]

When you work in the heat, brewing in the heat isn't that bad. Especially when you get the shade and a fan, it's down right decent. I didn't even bother with the ice this weekend, I got it down to ~100 from the tap (about 40 minutes) and just poured it into the carboy and placed it in the chest freezer/fermentation chamber @46 and pitched my yeast the next morning. (Lager) I wasn't wasting 40lbs of ice to get down to my usual 60 when it was near 100 outside.

 

[EyePeeAy]

When you work in the heat, brewing in the heat isn't that bad. Especially when you get the shade and a fan, it's down right decent. I didn't even bother with the ice this weekend, I got it down to ~100 from the tap (about 40 minutes) and just poured it into the carboy and placed it in the chest freezer/fermentation chamber @46 and pitched my yeast the next morning. (Lager) I wasn't wasting 40lbs of ice to get down to my usual 60 when it was near 100 outside.

i can attest to this. although its not as hot here as it is in other places, and i havent quite started brewing yet, ive been getting everything ready around here. i work at a crematory, my machines run at over 2000 degrees. when i get out of work its truly like ive gotten out of the sauna. it stays a steady 60 ish degrees in my little space under the stairs in my basement(which is now where my fermentation will be taking place) and im more than comfortable with that

 

[mikeysab]

Supposed to be 95 saturday. Wife and kids won't be home. I dont care what the temp is, im brewing. Especially since my new IC is coming tomorrow. I cant let my ferm fridge down and leave her empty.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I'm sticking with smaller PM batches until the Fall. It cuts my brew time in half, so if I start early, I can finish before it gets hot enough to melt lead.

I set up after work on Friday, brew EARLY Saturday, and do any left over cleaning early Sunday.

Chilling is a pain in this heat. I used 40lbs of ice in a cooler with a little submersible pump to feed my plate chiller last time.

I ran out of ice...

 

[Mrott]

I definitely need to get a quick 5 gal batch in to get me through the end of august. Right now I am planning on starting my brew around 4:30 Saturday morning just to avoid the bulk of the sun/heat during the day.

 

[Revvy]

My whole life is causing brewing withdrawls. I haven't brewed since Natl homebrew day in May. Been trying to get this condo I'm moving into remodeled so I actually won't be "homeless."

(and my GF won't get tired of me staying with her.)

I haven't even bottled what I brewed back in May.

 

[Mrott]

I haven't even bottled what I brewed back in May.

Well that just isn't healthy. You should seek help. quick.

 

[corkybstewart]

I brewed a Kolsch Sunday. It was 107 outside, 114 in the garage and I ran out of ice when the wort was at 72. I racked it to the fermenter inside my fermentation chamber and by morning it was down to 56F. It's been fermenting nicely at 58F since then.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Brewing outdoors in central Florida is unpleasant between late April and late October. This year it's been really nasty, but if you want beer, ya just gotta do what it takes.

 

[Mongrel]

It's going to be a sweltering 74 today

 

[Germelli1]

Give no chill brewing a shot. I turn my burner off in the early afternoon, put the lid on, maybe carry it inside in the evening after it has cooled a bit, then pour in the fermenter in the morning and pitch the yeast.

I bottled a batch last night and found my floating thermometer covered in karausen residue, so watch out for that

 

[turkeyjerky214]

I've been brewing up until last week. Got up to 98º. This week, it's been in the 100s. Supposed to cool down to the low 90s next week so I'll probably try to brew a couple 10 gallon batches to get me through the rest of summer.

+1 to the water pump. My water is coming out in the mid 80s. A couple days before I brew, I fill up milk jugs and water bottles with water and freeze them. Wait until I'm down to around 110º, then switch to the pump and ice water.

 

[mikeysab]

Has anybody mentioned split brew days? I used to wait till the kids went to bed, mash, sparge, collect my wort, then boil the next day before the kids got up. Takes advantage of the cool parts of the day. For water temp problems, prechiller for the win.

 

[Germelli1]

Has anybody mentioned split brew days? I used to wait till the kids went to bed, mash, sparge, collect my wort, then boil the next day before the kids got up. Takes advantage of the cool parts of the day. For water temp problems, prechiller for the win.

The post right I above yours I do something similar. I mash, sparge and boild one morning, then let it cool with ambient temps overnight, then pour/pitch the next morning

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I definitely need to get a quick 5 gal batch in to get me through the end of august.

THAT'S why I have a healthy pipeline. I brewed a bunch of 10 gallon batches in the winter and spring to carry me through.

I've got beer (in some quantity) in 14 kegs right now, and 8 gallons cold crashing for kegging Saturday.

:rockin:

 

[Mrott]

THAT'S why I have a healthy pipeline.

I still have plenty of consumables... I don't like falling below 25 gallons of drinkable product. I haven't taken inventory lately but I feel like I'm close or below that and with only a batch of cider fermenting I could use something else to get me through the thick of summer at which point I'll hopefully have my new brewing rig and will probably double my minimum quota since production will jump 3 fold. (to a whopping 1/2 bbl)

 

[brew2enjoy]

120 degree heat index here in Delaware today. My pumpkin ale is bubbling away happily at 70 degrees out in my garage. Swamp coolers are great!

 

[Revvy]

Well that just isn't healthy. You should seek help. quick.

It hurts. In January just before I had heart surgery I bought a 55 pound sack of 2-row in the Michigan Masher's bulk buy.

We're having our every 6 months buy right now.....And I still have 48 pounds left of the last batch.

 

[turkeyjerky214]

THAT'S why I have a healthy pipeline. I brewed a bunch of 10 gallon batches in the winter and spring to carry me through.

I've got beer (in some quantity) in 14 kegs right now, and 8 gallons cold crashing for kegging Saturday.

:rockin:

That's my plan for next year. I told my girlfriend that come march, april, and may, I'm going to be brewing 10 gallon batches like a madman so I don't have to brew in the summer if I don't want to .