Help! Brewing in South Arkansas...New to this region!

[rraypold]

Hi Everyone,

I just moved from the Toronto Canada area down to El Dorado, Arkansas (south AR).

Does anyone have any tips as to what’s the best type of beer to brew, tricks to warm climate brewing, specific equipment, etc? I don’t have a basement for cool storage and apparently summers get really hot.

Given the climate difference between Canada and South Arkansas, what are the best beers to brew in the spring, fall, winter, and summer?

Thanks for all the help!!!

Ryan

 

[WBB]

What kind of beers do you like to drink? Do you have a climate controlled environment? Ac/heat?

You could get a fridge for fermentation chamber.

 

[Sammy86]

Welcome to America! Making the jump must be very exciting! I went to college down south, southwest Virginia to be exact and remember the culture shock I got coming from the Tri-State (NY/CT/NJ).

Anyway, as far as your question goes having temp controlled fermentation is always key in making good beer...this can be done as easily as tub filled with water and frozen two liter bottles switched out every 12 hours to a cool brew bag to a chest freezer.

If spending money isn’t an option for fermentation control I would find the coolest place in your home take a temp reading and go from there.

Since fall and winter tend to be “ “warmer” you can get away with using yeasts that can climb into the high 60’s-low 70’s...anything like a pale ale, stout, ipa, American Wheat, etc.

For spring and summer you may want to look at Saison yeast...those bad boys can do wonders in the 80’s and 90’s.

I’ll be honest though I started with a cool brew bag that I bought off a brewer here on the forums and I used 2L frozen bottles to keep my temp in check.

Once I got the chest freezer (150 at Sears on Black Friday) I’ve branched our and tried my hand at lagers which have become my favorite beers as of late. My German Pils was great and I have a Helles fermenting in the chest freezer now. I could just leave the fermentor in my basement which right now registering at 58° but I like having definitive control.

There is nothing wrong with brewing with the seasons though which a helpful guide can be found here

http://www.homebrewing.com/images/home-brewing-calendar-xl.pdf

 

[rraypold]

I like lagers, ales, and pilsners, but I’ll adjust my tastes to the climate.

House has AC, but I don’t have specific HVAC for brewing. I’m tempted to get a fridge that will accommodate a 5 gal bucket/carbouy.

 

[rraypold]

Welcome to America! Making the jump must be very exciting! I went to college down south, southwest Virginia to be exact and remember the culture shock I got coming from the Tri-State (NY/CT/NJ).

Anyway, as far as your question goes having temp controlled fermentation is always key in making good beer...this can be done as easily as tub filled with water and frozen two liter bottles switched out every 12 hours to a cool brew bag to a chest freezer.

If spending money isn’t an option for fermentation control I would find the coolest place in your home take a temp reading and go from there.

Since fall and winter tend to be “ “warmer” you can get away with using yeasts that can climb into the high 60’s-low 70’s...anything like a pale ale, stout, ipa, American Wheat, etc.

For spring and summer you may want to look at Saison yeast...those bad boys can do wonders in the 80’s and 90’s.

I’ll be honest though I started with a cool brew bag that I bought off a brewer here on the forums and I used 2L frozen bottles to keep my temp in check.

Once I got the chest freezer (150 at Sears on Black Friday) I’ve branched our and tried my hand at lagers which have become my favorite beers as of late. My German Pils was great and I have a Helles fermenting in the chest freezer now. I could just leave the fermentor in my basement which right now registering at 58° but I like having definitive control.

There is nothing wrong with brewing with the seasons though which a helpful guide can be found here

http://www.homebrewing.com/images/home-brewing-calendar-xl.pdf

That’s awesome! Thanks for the great info!

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Summer, definitely a Saison, Garde' or Belgian Ale. Many of those yeasts like mid 80's to low 90's. Winter you could do a nice heffy or wit. Spring maybe a porter or stout. Fall is a crapshoot. Too humid to brew and the mosquitos there have exoskeletons. Lagers would probably be out of the question unless you had a temp controlled chamber of some sort. Warmer climates are NOT the end of brewing, contrary to what many think.

 

[swampbrewcrew]

Honestly if you can snag a cheap fridge or freezer all options are on the table. I’m even further south and brew pretty much whatever I’m feeling like year round. Just be ready to fight mosquitoes. They will steal your kettle when you’re not paying attention.

Also, I’m not sure what you are using to chill, but be prepared for ground water temps in the high 70s/low 80s during the summer.