Traveling brew kit

[jdblant80]

Interested in getting some additional thoughts on brewing while traveling.

Background. My job takes me to various countries in Africa periodically where there is not much selection on the beer front. On my last trip I decided I had enough time to brew a small batch.

I used a 3 gallon collapsible camping water container which I pre-sanitized. Added 2lbs wheat dry extract plus about 2.5 gallons bottled water and shook. For hops I boiled .5 oz hallertau in the hot water heater in the room and then added to the container. Added a packet of dry yeast and let ferment.

Bottled using some sugar cubes in plastic water bottles (will use something that can hold up to pressure a little better next time)

Overall fermented really quick and didn't come out too bad.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there has tried something similar. I'm interested to hear what kind of equipment or procedures you used and if anyone has any other ideas for recipes.

 

[Hello]

I've never tried that. So you didn't boil your LME? That is interesting. Honestly, if the beer was not too bad then was it better than all other offerings in town? I'm just curious. It sort of seems like your hop utilization would be overly low and you'd end up with an overly malty beer. However, the concept is actually cool if you're dying to try something new, for science.

I don't have to go far for work, Texas actually, and my room usually has a kitchen with a cooktop. I could probably boil 2 gallons of water on it, slowly. I probably wouldn't go through the hassle on account of being in Texas isn't exactly a place where good beer can't be found.

 

[jdblant80]

Correct no boil. The hop utilization wasn't great, but I was shooting for a wheat beer -ish style and with the hops staying in during fermentation it still had a good aroma. Probably wouldn't be brewing an IPA this way! Also, most of the beers in the area are so malty a little under utilized hops were still an improvement.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

That is awesome - I have never thought about that. Do you not enjoy a good Tusker lager while in Africa ?

Did you have to take the extract with you, or were you able to get it while traveling? I know that Mr. Beer makes hopped malt extract kits so you wouldn't have to worry about hop utilization, just boil whatever amount of water you can with the pre-hopped LME, then add it to a fermenter and top off with cold water. I know Mr. Beer has a bad reputation around here, but it may be decent option in your situation.

 

[hopmonster2189]

I've read a little about fermentation in a disposable bag, this might be easier to transport and allow for larger volumes of fermentation

 

[jdblant80]

I took the DME and hops with me. I originally thought about taking some pre-hopped extract with me, but nothing at the local HBS looked particularly good right before I had to go. I would consider that as a potential option though. I will say boiling some fresh hops in the tea kettle did come out with some nice fresh hop aroma though and a little bittering which worked for the wheat beer I was aiming for.

Tusker is pretty good, but I'm not usually traveling in Kenya. Club and Primus get old quick. Ethiopia actually has the best selection of beer I've seen in Africa with about 6 brands including an amber and stout. They even have a pretty nice German brewpub in Addis.

My biggest problem is that most African beers tend to be really malty. I'd love to find a good way to brew something a little more hoppy this time, but not sure how to best achieve that with a tea kettle as my only heating source.

The trash bag isn't a bad idea, but for a little extra money the collapsible water carrier is worth it. It has a spigot which makes bottling easy once the fermentation is complete.

 

[Clonefan94]

Interested in getting some additional thoughts on brewing while traveling.

Background. My job takes me to various countries in Africa periodically where there is not much selection on the beer front. On my last trip I decided I had enough time to brew a small batch.

I used a 3 gallon collapsible camping water container which I pre-sanitized. Added 2lbs wheat dry extract plus about 2.5 gallons bottled water and shook. For hops I boiled .5 oz hallertau in the hot water heater in the room and then added to the container. Added a packet of dry yeast and let ferment.

Bottled using some sugar cubes in plastic water bottles (will use something that can hold up to pressure a little better next time)

Overall fermented really quick and didn't come out too bad.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there has tried something similar. I'm interested to hear what kind of equipment or procedures you used and if anyone has any other ideas for recipes.

I don't travel much at all. And the little I do, is for vacation and usually stays domestic. So I just brew ahead of time and take one of my 2.5 gallon kegs with me if I'm going for more than a couple of days.

I have to admit though, I like your style and dedication to the craft. Keep it up.

 

[jschein]

I have read about the no boil method over 20 years ago. Most were Brits in small apartments. They used collapsable bags and I believe Mutons hopped malt extract and 70 degree water. I thought about doing this a few times but I never liked the flavor of the already hopped malts.