Camping Trip Brew Day

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

In the next month or so as it start to cool down I was thinking it might be pretty cool to go pitch a tent and brew some beer in the outdoors. Has anyone brought their setup to a camp site before?

Any do's or do nots you might want to share?

 

[kh54s10]

Just make sure you don't set the woods on fire. For me it would not come close to being worth the effort of moving all my equipment......

 

[atom]

I do 10 gallon all grain batches, but that's not really feasible to do at a campsite. last year I brewed a 3 gallon batch of saison (extract) that came out really well. My advice is to keep it simple if you can. i choose a saison because i brewed it in june and keeping it cool outside would be an issue, it's also an easy beer...light and wheat dme and minimal hops.

my main issue was keeping a rolling boil on a small propane burner (i don't think they are meant to boil 3.5 gallons). I made a checklist so i wouldn't forget anything..

• Kettle w/ lid
• Fermenter w lid
• Airlock
• Thermometer
• Refractometer
• Spoon
• Dipstick
• Starsan w/ bottle
• Propane
• Burner
• Extract
• Hops
• Yeast
• Fermcap

I chilled in the lake and used water available at the site.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

To clarify I was thinking of a 5 gallon batch on a turkey fryer setup. Not trying to move a 1bbl RIMS system or anything crazy LOL.

I just think it sounds fun getting off the grid, doing a camp fire bbq and brew a batch of beer.

 

[BeardedBrews]

I brewed my last batch on a friend's back porch. @atom has the right idea, you need to make a thorough list of the equipment you want to have, and then just have fun!

Some thoughts:
1. Try No-Chill - It doesn't get much easier post-boil than this.
2. Try BIAB - Much easier to just need the one big pot, plus a big pot is always handy camping
3. Brew Primative - Use that campfire for heat, scoop your strike water straight out of the creek, it saves on packing and gives you a more memorable experience! Barkeeper's Friend will fix all the soot on the outside when you get home, and boiling will kill anything in your water.
4. Brew something Interesting - If you follow #3, you'll get faint smokey strike water, how about a Classic Rauchbier inspired IPA, or a Smoked Porter? Make it your "campfire brew" and include chocolate and vanilla to get a Smores effect?
5. RDWHAH - Worst case scenario you're dumping the wort when you get home. Have fun.
6. Leave the Yeast at Home - If at all possible, sanitize and seal everything up tight and skip pitching yeast until you are back home.

I almost forgot the important part! Invite your campsite neighbors to come over! You'll convert at least one of them to home brewing if you brought a few bottles of one of your previous brews, and you showed them how simple and fun brewing can be.

 

[mhermetz]

I figure cooling and sanitation would be the hardest things to do.

 

[jerbrew]

screw sanitation. make a small batch (1-2 gallons) and let the natural bugs get in and see what happens. If it sucks who cares. use a super basic grain bill and minimal hops. Or it may be a fun time to try a gruit?

I think making it a small batch limits what you have to lug around and the disappointment if it all goes to s#*%. all you need is a pot big enough to do BIAB. And I think using the campfire is a great idea.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

These ideas are exactly why I made this thread.

Using the campfire for the heat and the creek water to make it a primitive brew is a brilliant suggestion to give this brew more character for a camp fire brew day.

I am not totally opposed do doing a small batch BIAB so if it sucks who cares! I can see this making the whole process a lot more manageable.

I think the no chill method and not bringing any yeast is also really smart one less thing to think about.

I've never had a Rauchbier IPA, I am not even sure where to get one or what it is. I will need to look into this as I do like IPA's .

 

[BeardedBrews]

Rauchbier is basically a smokey oktoberfest. It would be possible to add smoke to just about any style, but you have to be careful about overpowering your beer.

IPA is going to be a harder balance than some because the smoke really won't blend well with a traditional fruity/citrusy american hop character. A stout or porter is a nice choice since the smoke could blend well with the black and chocolate malt sweetness probably making the finished beer seem drier.

If it were me, I'd brew this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=141483

Then I'd taste it after primary and decide if I want to finish it off with some vanilla beans.

Regarding No-Chill, the absolute simplest approach would be to bring a roll of saran wrap with you and just seal the lid on the kettle once it is cool enough to handle. You can ferment right in your boil pot if you'd like (ask @wilserbrewer ).

If you're new to BIAB, don't forget to bring your water adjustments. For the malts, you can put the bag in the kettle at home, mill the grains straight into the bag, and then slap the lid on. That way you just pull the bag out when you're at the site and go get your water.

 

[tbred]

This idea sounds awesome! I want to do this now. I grew up and worked on a river throwing canoes for 10 years. I can see myself down by the river with a kettle over the fire, but enough of my imagination.

Ever since I started brewing, I always brewed a batch on vacation in the condo. My 2 cents about brewing away from home is to be prepared and have a flexible recipe. I made a checklist and back a box with all the stuff I needed. Also there is some nice gear/ingredients available now that would make camping brewing very easy. The new Anvil Ferment in a Kettle kit is sweet. I have used my for kettle souring, and it works great. The second would be Imperial Yeast which is canned and has enough cells that you don't need a starter.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Another good idea, if I want to worry about pitching the yeast I saw these as an option also.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fast-pitch-canned-wort-4-pack

The more we talk about it the more excited I get about doing it, I think its completely doable at this point also. I am not new to All Grain but I have never done BIAB before. I think i could figure it out, especially if I got it all ready at the house and put the lid on like suggested.

 

[BeardedBrews]

I am not new to All Grain but I have never done BIAB before.

If you can make drinkable all-grain, BIAB is as easy as it gets. A few pointers:

1. Efficiency - Figure 70% probably
2. Mash Thickness - You'll be at 2.5-3qt/lb, so your water chemistry changes a bit. Use a calculator to confirm pH.
3. Heat Loss - No loss transferring from HLT to Mash Tun, don't forget to adjust your normal strike temp down.
4. Lautering - Don't forget to figure out a way to get the hot grain bag out of the kettle. in a 4-5g batch it's pretty easy to lift the bag if you've got a pair of silicone hot mitts or gloves. The Twist-To-Squeeze approach is nice here too. Also, since you're on a campfire, grab a bowl or cup or something so you can squeeze the last runnings away from the fire, otherwise you'll be arched over and slow roasting yourself on the flames.

Since you don't need to worry about grain bed filtering, feel free to stir your mash a few times during the rest. It will help with dough balls and I feel like it helps my conversion efficiency a bit.

After the bag is out, boil as normal.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Sounds easy enough.

 

[BeardedBrews]

I think the hardest part is going to be dragging out your 3v system next time you brew at home

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I had a whole camping trip setup for this weekend at my sisters lake lot which would of been perfect. Except one small detail its opening weekend of Dove season so we have to reschedule. I'll update once we make it out to the camp ground.

 

[Peruvian802]

Our local brew club goes to a USFS campground to brew each summer. Some folks BIAB, some 3V, others use extract. It's really just a matter of having access to a water spigot and not forgetting anything. [emoji6]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1472825425.996305.jpg

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[Peruvian802]

BTW - next weekend is the 20th annual New England Homebrewers Jamboree which is a weekend long camp-out, homebrew festival event. I'm sure lots of folks set up their homebrew equipment to make beer at the campground.

 

[GPP33]

I passed some brewers on the side of the Pouder one day while Kayaking. My buddies all thought they were doing something totally illegal until I pointed out that they were just brewing beer.

 

[jerbrew]

I passed some brewers on the side of the Pouder one day while Kayaking. My buddies all thought they were doing something totally illegal until I pointed out that they were just brewing beer.

The pouder! Love that river. Decent fishing the last few years. Never thought about brewing in s river though. Sounds amazing.

 

[GPP33]

The pouder! Love that river. Decent fishing the last few years. Never thought about brewing in s river though. Sounds amazing.

Pouder is a cold mofo so cool down after boiling would be no problem!

You could catch some fish and do a pan fried trout infused ale......or not.