Brewing in Canada eh

[hopdawg]

I had a Canadian moment this evening as I was standing out in my garage with the door open and its -5C (23F) outside boiling my next great batch. As I stood there shivering stirring my first lot of hops into the boil, my right hand hot from the steam and my left hand freezing from the beer held in it, I thought to myself, "I wonder if the guys in California really appreciate home brewed beer the way us Canadians do?"
Gotta go, time to add my 45 minute hops.

 

[Kronin]

This is truly Canadian. Very similar to me standing in 18" of snow at -20c (-4f) with beer in hand and a steak on the BBQ.

:rockin:

 

[dutchboy62]

23F its colder than that here in buffalo,ny.

 

[hopdawg]

We oughta do a "why it's great brewing in Canada/(North Dakota) post.

 

[glockentalk]

Don't need a chiller. Just plop the brewpot in the snow for half an hour.

 

[Drustanos]

Man, I do not miss those okanagan winters. I've lived in Kamloops and Kelowna...

The weather in Victoria is much better.

 

[Fingers]

Don't need a chiller. Just plop the brewpot in the snow for half an hour.

Doesn't work. The snow in the immediate area around the pot melts and the void becomes a protective blanket from the outside cold air. You have to keep moving the pot every few minutes.

 

[bradsul]

Doesn't work. The snow in the immediate area around the pot melts and the void becomes a protective blanket from the outside cold air. You have to keep moving the pot every few minutes.

I can see I'm not the only one that gave it a try.

 

[hopdawg]

Doesn't work. The snow in the immediate area around the pot melts and the void becomes a protective blanket from the outside cold air. You have to keep moving the pot every few minutes.

I'm sure every northern brewer tries it once with disappointing results.
However it's a great climate for Lagering.

 

[hopdawg]

Man, I do not miss those okanagan winters. I've lived in Kamloops and Kelowna...

The weather in Victoria is much better.

3 months of winter is a small price to pay for 5 months of REAL summer.

 

[glockentalk]

I just do it for a few liters of adjunct for my Brewhouse kits.

 

[Drustanos]

3 months of winter is a small price to pay for 5 months of REAL summer.

True, although the summers in vic are not bad. That being said, I have lived in Kelowna for the past 2 summers and come back to vic for school in fall.

 

[vfinch]

Victoria brewers have it easy.... It was a little chilly this morning, but got nice and sunny quick.

 

[mashingheads]

The counter-flow chiller only has to be 5 metres long and will chill your beer all year round.

 

[Drustanos]

Victoria brewers have it easy.... It was a little chilly this morning, but got nice and sunny quick.

Although we had a brief snow yesterday.. what the hell was that?

 

[Kungpaodog]

If any of you Canadian brewers brew outside, what do you do to keep the polar bears away from the brew pot?

 

[Fingers]

Beer farts.

 

[hopdawg]

Valid question always a concern, especially now that the ice flows have been melting (see Al Gore and David Suzuki). Yesterday while I was brewing I had one watching me. Frickin thing wouldn't go away and I needed to get the pot outside to cool my wort. This batch better turn out or I'm going hunting for a new rug.