brewing in december :(

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As can be seen in my avatar, most of the snow in southern AZ is in the mountains. Occasionally, we will see some in the foothills or city.
 
the huachucan(SP?) mountains have a few feet right now, looks like a dusting from where i'm at.....
 
We had 18" of snow at our CO house two days before Thanksgiving. The first snow is always exciting, then reality sinks in......cold, shoveling (finally bought a snow blower), more cold.
 
damn hose is frozen.....i'm not a quitter though, think i'll fill buckets up in the tub and carry to the kettle..hose should be thawed by time to run the immersion chiller.....

I hate it when that happens! This thread popped up prior to my last brew and was a great reminder to blow water out of the hose after I was done.
 
I hate it when that happens! This thread popped up prior to my last brew and was a great reminder to blow water out of the hose after I was done.

my hose is like 200' long....don't think my lungs could handle it...lol, but now that you mention it, i could set it to drip the night before i plan on brewing! thanks for the pointer!
 
I've been resisting a substantive reply for as long as I can, I give up.

I live in the frozen tundra and brew in the garage. Much of my brewspace adjustment has been trying to accommodate this.

One accommodation was adopting the steam catcher pioneered by @BrunDog. Works well. I have a garage heater, and can warm up the garage to the upper 50s or even the 60s. Very nice.

But the water to chill? Outside. Where it gets down to zero. Or below. Well below. Not only would I have to open a door to run that hose inside, but the hose lives outside and it's ALWAYS frozen.

My solution? Install a second hose bib off the same line *inside* the garage where it virtually never freezes. Nor does the hose. :) I never have to go outside to brew, no matter how bad it is outside.

hosereelgarage.jpg
 
I've been resisting a substantive reply for as long as I can, I give up.

I live in the frozen tundra and brew in the garage. Much of my brewspace adjustment has been trying to accommodate this.

One accommodation was adopting the steam catcher pioneered by @BrunDog. Works well. I have a garage heater, and can warm up the garage to the upper 50s or even the 60s. Very nice.

But the water to chill? Outside. Where it gets down to zero. Or below. Well below. Not only would I have to open a door to run that hose inside, but the hose lives outside and it's ALWAYS frozen.

My solution? Install a second hose bib off the same line *inside* the garage where it virtually never freezes. Nor does the hose. [emoji4] I never have to go outside to brew, no matter how bad it is outside.

View attachment 658688

4 days you waited! Did you develop a tick?
(Edit: I’m drunk already. Ukrainian in-laws love am vodka :) shooting for funny, not rude) Merry Christmas
 
4 days you waited! Did you develop a tick?
(Edit: I’m drunk already. Ukrainian in-laws love am vodka :) shooting for funny, not rude) Merry Christmas

Nearly so!

One of the funny things about people's advice and suggestions here is that it often doesn't take into account another's situation, resources, space limitations, and so on. So often the advice of "why don't you do this?" is negated by "I would if I could."

So, @bracconiere, with that in mind, here's what you do: build a garage if you don't have one, electrify it, go to electric brewing, add a heater, plumb water to the inside where you never, ever, have to leave in the winter.

Don't know how that will be in an Arizona summer, but that's not my problem. :) :) :)
 
Nearly so!

One of the funny things about people's advice and suggestions here is that it often doesn't take into account another's situation, resources, space limitations, and so on. So often the advice of "why don't you do this?" is negated by "I would if I could."

So, @bracconiere, with that in mind, here's what you do: build a garage if you don't have one, electrify it, go to electric brewing, add a heater, plumb water to the inside where you never, ever, have to leave in the winter.

Don't know how that will be in an Arizona summer, but that's not my problem. :) :) :)

well you did have me thinking about trying to hook up a hose to my kitchen faucet....i already brew in the kitchen....on NG....

edit: (and i take it you're laughing that i only get a slight frost twice a year here :D)
 
Last edited:
well you did have me thinking about trying to hook up a hose to my kitchen faucet....i already brew in the kitchen....on NG....

edit: (and i take it you're laughing that i only get a slight frost twice a year here :D)

No, not exactly. It's in the 50s today, Christmas Day for God's sake, Christmas Day! I just went outside in a short-sleeved t-shirt and it's quite comfortable out there.

I once planned on using a hose that was stored outside, in the fall, and I missed that it had dropped below freezing the night before. Had the same issue as you. Was able to get water flowing through it, but I learned my lesson.

A couple of other times I knew that the hose was frozen, brought it inside the garage for a couple days until I could get water flowing through it.

*************

One of the funny things about the difference between those who live in the north, and those who do not, is that we in the north have adapted to cold temps. We often have garages or carports to protect vehicles from snow. We have snowblowers, the streets are actually designed such that there is "snow storage" on the curbs and setbacks. It's what makes streets look strange to use when we go south.

And the body adapts. Mine already has, it's why I can go outside in a short-sleeved shirt when the temp is 53, and feel it's just fine. In July or August, I'd feel like it was freezing outside.

And of course, we winterize things, have vehicles that are prepared, the streets are plowed, and ultimately it's not that big a deal. I think that southerners are gobsmacked by the whole idea of winter because on the infrequent occasions when a big winter storm strikes, they're simply not set up to deal with it.

We are.

That goes for driving on ice and snow, knowing that wearing a WINTER coat with a hat and gloves makes cold temps quite reasonable. I see people from the south in a jacket and no hat complaining about the weather, but those who know, just smile.

Years ago we spent 3 years in North Carolina. Once we had about 6 inches of snow, and of course everything was paralyzed. We laughed, but when you don't have the same snow equipment (plows, salt spreaders, etc.) it's going to shut most people down until it melts.

We went out driving somewhere because, for us, what was the big deal? We came to a road blocked by the police, who told us it was impassable and we should turn around. Told the cop we were from Wisconsin; his reply? "Oh....go ahead."

We laughed a lot at that one.
 
I don’t live where it freezes enough to interrupt brew day but maybe put the hose somewhere it doesn’t freeze. (Just a bit of advice from someone who doesn’t understand)
 
....One of the funny things about the difference between those who live in the north, and those who do not, is that we in the north have adapted to cold temps. We often have garages or carports to protect vehicles from snow. We have snowblowers, the streets are actually designed such that there is "snow storage" on the curbs and setbacks. It's what makes streets look strange to use when we go south.

And the body adapts. Mine already has, it's why I can go outside in a short-sleeved shirt when the temp is 53, and feel it's just fine. In July or August, I'd feel like it was freezing outside.

And of course, we winterize things, have vehicles that are prepared, the streets are plowed, and ultimately it's not that big a deal. I think that southerners are gobsmacked by the whole idea of winter because on the infrequent occasions when a big winter storm strikes, they're simply not set up to deal with it.

We are.

That goes for driving on ice and snow, knowing that wearing a WINTER coat with a hat and gloves makes cold temps quite reasonable. I see people from the south in a jacket and no hat complaining about the weather, but those who know, just smile.

Years ago we spent 3 years in North Carolina. Once we had about 6 inches of snow, and of course everything was paralyzed. We laughed, but when you don't have the same snow equipment (plows, salt spreaders, etc.) it's going to shut most people down until it melts.

We went out driving somewhere because, for us, what was the big deal? We came to a road blocked by the police, who told us it was impassable and we should turn around. Told the cop we were from Wisconsin; his reply? "Oh....go ahead."

We laughed a lot at that one.

So true. After the last snow storm in CO we bought a snowblower. Then last week we bought a 2020 4Runner 4X4 that will stay in CO and will use especially in snow rather than our two wheel drive Xterra that is there. We took off the new tires that came on it and replaced them with winter tires. We need all the help we can get. We do not have ANY true experience driving in snow or on ice.

We have learned about layering our clothing as well. The last time I was in CO (Halloween day), I was shoveling snow in a long sleeve shirt and shorts without a hat. Neighbors were walking by all bundled up...even their dogs. It is different....
 
So true. After the last snow storm in CO we bought a snowblower. Then last week we bought a 2020 4Runner 4X4 that will stay in CO and will use especially in snow rather than our two wheel drive Xterra that is there. We took off the new tires that came on it and replaced them with winter tires. We need all the help we can get. We do not have ANY true experience driving in snow or on ice.

We have learned about layering our clothing as well. The last time I was in CO (Halloween day), I was shoveling snow in a long sleeve shirt and shorts without a hat. Neighbors were walking by all bundled up...even their dogs. It is different....

What we do up here when we're teaching teenagers to drive in the winter is we'll take them to a large, snow-covered parking lot--without light poles--and let them put the vehicle into a skid so they can learn how to get out of it.

It *is* different depending on whether you have rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive. I'm old enough to remember when all cars were rear-wheel-drive only. The standard advice was to always steer "into" the skid, i.e., toward the direction the rear end was sliding. And don't keep applying power--the rear wheels just break loose and become frictionless as they spin.

Front-wheel-drive is different, though you still try to steer into the skid. But power at the front means a better chance of pulling the vehicle back on line.

All-wheel-drive is better as you can't as easily break loose traction on one set and not the other. But regardless, you can't drive on snow and ice like it's bare pavement, though there are a few idiots around here who think the laws of physics do not apply to them.

Either way, go play. Put your vehicles into skids and get comfortable with it.

One other thing: snow, when the temp is approaching freezing, is quite slippery. The tires press down with a lot of pressure which melts the top layer, turning it to water which is slippery. Same thing that makes ice skates work.

But when it gets pretty cold--generally below 10 degrees F or so--snow loses that characteristic. It actually provides a fair amount of traction. You don't want to drive on snow at 0 degrees like it's bare pavement, but it's not anywhere near as problematic.

This is one of those things you learn by doing. So go do. :)
 
Nearly so!

One of the funny things about people's advice and suggestions here is that it often doesn't take into account another's situation, resources, space limitations, and so on. So often the advice of "why don't you do this?" is negated by "I would if I could."

So, @bracconiere, with that in mind, here's what you do: build a garage if you don't have one, electrify it, go to electric brewing, add a heater, plumb water to the inside where you never, ever, have to leave in the winter.

Don't know how that will be in an Arizona summer, but that's not my problem. :) :) :)

I like when a solution to a problem is as easy as pie ;)
 
What we do up here when we're teaching teenagers to drive in the winter is we'll take them to a large, snow-covered parking lot--without light poles--and let them put the vehicle into a skid so they can learn how to get out of it....

....Either way, go play. Put your vehicles into skids and get comfortable with it.

One other thing: snow, when the temp is approaching freezing, is quite slippery. The tires press down with a lot of pressure which melts the top layer, turning it to water which is slippery. Same thing that makes ice skates work....

....This is one of those things you learn by doing. So go do. :)

Well, we got some snow and ice formed. Taking @mongoose33's advice, we went looking for a large parking lot. Costco's lot would have been perfect but of course it was open for business. We found an empty school parking lot.

Everything was going smoothly for the first 7-10 minutes. My wife was driving and was taking it easy. I suggested she speed up and that's when all hell broke out. I'm guessing she got up to 25-30 mph when a squirrel ran in front of the car. Without hesitation she reacted by sharply turning left to avoid hitting the squirrel. Then within seconds a dog who was chasing the squirrel ran in front of the 4Runner. My wife jerked the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting the dog. As soon as she did that, we skidded sideways, hit a curb and rolled our brand new two week old 4Runner. The airbags deployed and there was fragments of glass everywhere. She had missed both animals.

When we were rolling over, we looked at each other and it was like everything was in slow motion. I still can visualize the fear in my wife's eyes. I ended up hanging from the top since I was sitting in the front passenger seat and we rolled onto the left driver's side. It felt like it was taking forever to remove my seat belt.

People came running over who saw the accident and helped us out. Being a big guy, it was hard to get out. I ended up stepping on the gear shift and breaking it. Also, I broke the center console by stepping on it. We both got out and were still in shock. The people had us sit down and wait for the paramedics as someone had called 911.

All I could think of was our brand new two week 4Runner was totaled. At some point I started having chest pain and tightening in my chest. Pain was going from my shoulder area down my left arm. I thought maybe I had injured my shoulder. Even though it was cold outside, I was sweating. I thought it was my adrenaline kicking in.

Well, the paramedics came and before I knew it, I had all these electrical probes on my chest and an IV. While my wife had some blood from cuts on her head due to the glass, the paramedics along with additional fire personnel were focused on me. They loaded us in the paramedic unit and we sped away with the siren going. All I could think was this wasn't good if the siren is on. At least my wife was with me.

Frankly, things were moving so fast and it was becoming difficult to breathe as well, that I don't remember all of the details or even know if I was understanding what was happening. The last few items I do remember is that the paramedic injected something in the IV. Then waited and looked at the monitor and then injected something else into the IV. I swear I heard him yell to the driver to speed it up.

At one point there was a lot of commotion. I felt something hitting me and heard my wife yelling my name. When I finally came to with her hitting me, I heard her yell my name again and yell "stop snoring!". What a nightmare....
 
Quickly defrost frozen garden hose by leaving it in doors overnight. Throw it in bath tub if you dont have a porch area that you don't mind getting a little wet. Mud room etc.

To defrost a frozen outdoor faucet, take a hair dryer to it for about 3-5 minutes. It will slowly start to trickle, then even the water flow will defrost the remaining ice. Works every tiome for me in great white north.

Tricks learned making an outdoor hockey rink, and nothing to do with home brewing outside. Not yet.
 
Quickly defrost frozen garden hose by leaving it in doors overnight. Throw it in bath tub if you dont have a porch area that you don't mind getting a little wet. Mud room etc.

To defrost a frozen outdoor faucet, take a hair dryer to it for about 3-5 minutes. It will slowly start to trickle, then even the water flow will defrost the remaining ice. Works every tiome for me in great white north.

Tricks learned making an outdoor hockey rink, and nothing to do with home brewing outside. Not yet.


not quite a zombie...that was only 5-6 months ago, and i'm not dead yet...

@Nubiwan my hose is 200' long, and stays spread out in the yard.....
 
And goes in "every night" ;)

i'm starting to worry this cheap industrial quaility thing is going to burst on me, it's swelling at the end....i'm starting to turn off the hose at the faucet, worried it's going blow at night, and i won't find out until the morning....get a hefty water bill.....at least it's summer now, and i don't need to worry about frigid temps right now....
 
i'm starting to worry this cheap industrial quaility thing is going to burst on me, it's swelling at the end....i'm starting to turn off the hose at the faucet, worried it's going blow at night, and i won't find out until the morning....get a hefty water bill.....at least it's summer now, and i don't need to worry about frigid temps right now....
Ddid you say you have it in a trench? Might be an option. Just enough to keep it out of the wind. Wind is a pipes worst enemy.
 
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