Boiling Outdoors

[B&RBrews]

Hello everyone,

So yeah I'm completely new to the boards here, and hoping to get my homebrewing underway soon. I have a question about heat sources. Being that I have a wimpy electric stove in my house kitchen, I was wondering if an outdoor propane burner (one of those 50000+ BTU jobs) would be a more efficient choice for boiling. This also brought one other question to mind, does boiling outside increase the chance of wild yeast or other undesirables making their way in?

Thanks!

 

[Fingers]

For full boils, especially ten gallon batches, it's the method of choice. Very little problems with wild yeast provided you don't linger after the boil. Just cool and get it into the fermenters in a reasonable time frame.

 

[Awfers]

I brewed outside for a whole year with no wild yeast problems but ran out of space so made a whole basement setup (alas, if I still had that....)

Lots of people on here brew outside. There's not much to worry about (unless of course your brewing in a cowshed, a place with lots of dust... or in/next to a city dump etc.)

Get that burner and get on boiling!

 

[ClutchDude]

You sure can. Making sure your siphon and bucket/carboy are sanitized is a couple of magnitudes more important.

Just be sure to let the neighbors know so they don't think you are making meth. Or don't, cause then they will want beer. Either way, you win because you are making beer.

 

[sak3358]

Brew indoors? I would have never have thought.....I've only brewed outdoors. Buddy of mine put it in perspective.....the monks used to brew by a stream in clay pots.....do you think they were worried?.....relax....drink a beer...

 

[videoman]

Definately another year round outdoor brewer here! Even in the freezing cold of a Maine winter, I'm out there brewing!! No problems at all.

 

[fratermus]

I have done indoors and outdoor boils, and outdoor is better for me in every way I can think of at the moment.

 

[B&RBrews]

Thanks guys! I can't wait to get started. I think my first brew will be some sort of hefeweizen, they're not only my favorite beer; but from what I've read aren't all that difficult either. Sounds win-win.

 

[joejaz]

I just started brewing outside, just went to AG. I also did a 5 gallon extract outside. I have a small kitchen, so the outside is less confining and away from everybody. I could hardly get a boil on my stove -- no problem there with a propane burner. Couldn't be anymore problems with undesirable elements outside then my wife opening kitchen cabinets and stuff falling into my brew pot.

 

[DubbelDach]

Brewing outside is the best thing in the world. I'll do it in January or August. Love it. I probably wouldn't be as crazy about the hobby if I was trapped in a kitchen all day.

Nothing beats crushing beers outside while you're doing it either.

 

[bigbadgreen]

I just ran into this problem. I used to only brew 2.5 gallon batches and never had to worry about my stove being able to cope. This past week I started a batch with a new setup. This one is a full blown setup that I wanted to boil 5 gallons so I didn't have to boil seperate water etc... Long story short my stove couldn't get the pot + the wort past 200 degrees. I had to sanitize several smaller pots and divide the wort. Luckily I had two pots clean and ready to go.
after doing a google search, if you search the shopping section there is a sturdy burner called "metal fusion" that they claim is 200,000 BTU and and only costs $25. I'm going to be buying that and my next brew will definatly be outdoors.

 

[bradsul]

Outdoor brewer here too, I live in an apartment so to do AG it's a must.

...I had to sanitize several smaller pots and divide the wort...

Just to save you some possible work in the future, you don't need to sanitize anything that is pre-boil (including the pot). The heat of the boil takes care of that for you.

 

[bigbadgreen]

Just to save you some possible work in the future, you don't need to sanitize anything that is pre-boil (including the pot). The heat of the boil takes care of that for you.

good point. Thanks. In my rush to not lose a batch I went sanitizing crazy.

 

[bradsul]

good point. Thanks. In my rush to not lose a batch I went sanitizing crazy.

Better to over do sanitizing than to go in the other direction.